"Nature's Religion" is Corrington's keystone work. In it, he explores the very heart of that which clears the way for the movement he terms "ecstatic naturalism." Neither the spirit nor the semiosis of (Corrinton's) Nature can be conceived properly apart from the sacred issuing he outlines here. Written between the lines of psychoanalytics and semiotics, the work asserts the intrinsically "religious" approach of nature naturing / nature natured. Via a masterful reappropriation of Tillich's ground-breaking insights, Corrington delves into "the abyss opened by the ontological difference -- the unruly ground of the not yet." Here he finds a sacred fold/interval/ground/spirit that calls every self (even Nature-Itself) to "religious goals" beyond the intentions of any mere autonomy. The driving force of this eternal re-calling is, for Corrington, the very dis-position of Nature's ground/abyss. The use of language here is careful and clear. But, when approaching something as metaphysically encompassing as Corrington's subject, the novice can easily get lost in the sheer magnitude and multiplicity of the forces at play. Yet, as the most central of Corrington's writings, "Nature's Religion" serves nicely as both a well-positioned point of entry and as a profound exposition of the linchpin concerning his greater work.

"Nature's Religion" is a further development of Robert Corrington's "ecstatic naturalism." This is a "post-Christian," non-theistic (in the traditional sense), but deeply religious worldview in which the human consciousness finds itself separated from and yet mysteriously encountered by the primordial energies of its origins. Corrington communicates his vision of reality by combining a thoroughly poetic phenomenology with psychoanalytic theory, enfolding the whole project in a sophisticated semiotic sensibility that rejects the often simplistic reductionism of so much "postmodern" philosophy. Readers who recognize the kinds of experiences Corrington describes--epiphanies of numinous powers, self-transcending and overwhelming--will find those experiences articulated here with a singular passion, acute insight, and disturbing accuracy.

On the horizon of philosophical theology rests a brilliant display of ordinal phenomenology. While acknowledging Pierce's sign system, Corrington advances the theory by articulating the selving, or self-othering, process of signs. He recognizes the dialectic tensions caused by a god trying to reconcile its position within the orders of the nature it has created. The use of metaphors animates a discussion of the human process, communities and world hood which moves the reader through an understanding of the struggle interpreting signs cause as they move past their origins into a position of signification. The theories presented display the brilliance and genious with which Corrington attempts to reconcile the tensions caused by competing signification and interpretation. Corrington is a must for anyone interested in semiotics, ordinal phenomenology or philosophical philosophy.

Any honest philosopher seriously interested in ancient Chinese philosophy or in origins of Ch'an Buddhism will find this work a masterpiece of scholarship and a very interesting read. It presumes the reader is familiar with Lao Tzu's Dao De Jing, and Chunag-Tzu's Inner Chapters. The koan about Chuang-Tzu's having dreamed he was a butterfly is gone into in depth, with Allinson presenting an interesting twist on the translation, if a slight change in the order of the account of the dream is made. Allinson thinks that a person is spiritually uplifted by following his lead as he walks through the mental landscape that Chuang-Tzu has surveyed for us. It is an interesting journey through the mind of a great and revered master of ancient Chinese thought. In Buddhism, a vow is taken to destroy all "-isms", and so the wise are concerned with criticisms that Chinese philosophy is relativistic, or that everything is permitted since all is relative. Allinson goes deep into this problematic view, and shows that Chuang-Tzu is not a relativist. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, the Old Master and the Great Master form the Lao-Chuang Philosophy of Taoism (pronounced Dow-ism). Three metaphors for the Dao are flowing like water, receptive like females, and virgin minds, like infants. Anyone making himself out to be a relativist, or any kind of "-ist", is making himself or herself out to be an icecube, by attaching to ideas, and so is not flowing like water. Everyone has his or her own right way of living, and each is a self-legislator. Allinson thinks that there is no one rule which can tell us how to act in every situation, since every situation is different. But he believes that philosophy is a matter of life-and-death and that if we have a choice, we should choose life! Life is right in any case. And that while alive, we should be thoroughly alive. So that we die with no regrets. This is the Zen, or Ch'an, of life and death. Basically, Chuang Tzu is said to be the founder of Ch'an Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is the Japanese version. Buddhism came, originally, from India. Allinson thinks that our minds are like gardens; we get indoctrinated when we are children, in one set of beliefs, one culture, and one language, unless our parents are bi-lingual. We study ancient philosophy in order to see where some of our ideas come from, to overcome the past, and to free ourselves from it. The philosopher shows us how to empty our minds or free our minds of false beliefs which are like weeds in our mental gardens. This gives us room for good ideas to grow. Robert Allinson believes that if we free our minds so that we can develop our original ideas, that then we will be happier. He says that the mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. And, that reason poisons desire and destroys happiness. Happiness is our destiny, and comes from deep within us. If we do what is in our hearts, or try to follow our feelings, intuitions, and affections, we shall be true to our selves. In this way, we shall be true to others, as Shakespeare said. Although the book is long, Allinson agrees with Alexander Pope that a little learning is a dangerous thing, drink deep, or taste not, the Pierian Spring. He presents enough theory to take the reigns from our emotions, and to find ourselves. This book should be read from front to back, and will give the reader many years of enjoyment upon re-reading it. It is a masterpiece that one can return to over and over whenever one needs food for thought. Philosophy is like food for your mind. There is plenty to feast on here! Dr. Allinson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, before Bill Clinton. He grew up in New Haven, Connecticut where his father taught surgery at Yale Medical School. He earned his undergrad degree Summa Cum Laude at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He spent a year studying in Kerala, India while working on his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He studied Chinese at Columbia University and has been a Graduate Lecturer in Philosophy at The Chinese University in Hong Kong since 1977, where he is now on the Graduate Committee. His many accomplishments and papers would take a long time to list. I recommend this book strongly.

The author is attempting to define a form of Confucianism for non-Chinese. One of the main problems is translating the Confucian notion of ritual/etiquette into Western ideas. Neville relies on Fingarette's study, "Confucius The Secular as Sacred" to do this: basically by using a much wider concept of ritual, referring to all the *signs* in our relationships: signs of friendship, love, commitment... it goes beyond courtesy, to a definition of roles in relationships, although these can be very flexible.
Next Neville, who is a Christian, attempts to reconcile Confucianism and Christianity, and to do this he looks for some form of transcendence (an absolute beyond the perceptible phenomena) in Confucianism to match the transcendent Christian God: Hall & Ames have shown that such a transcendence does not exist in early Confucianism and I don't think that Neville succeeds in proving that they are wrong. He does point though to the Neo-Confucian concept of "principle" that is transcendent since it structures all things and man. This then could be a bridge towards Christianity.
Well the great thinkers (Neville, Hall & Ames) have given us a green light: we can be Western Confucians!
Thomas

"The Human Condition" is one of three volumes from the three year long project run mainly by the Boston University School of Theology called the Comparative Religious Ideas Project (CRIP). The idea was to get together a group of scholars, one representing each major religious tradition (but not of that tradition him/herself), plus a group of "comparativist" scholars, to meet regularly and discuss three main topics: the human condition, ultimate realities, and religious truth. Volumes then emerged on each topic.

The religions covered are: Chinese Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. Most of the scholars are from the faculty of Boston University (School of Theology and Department of Religion).

This volume contains a well written foreword by Peter Berger, who talks about globalisation and pluralism. There follows an introduction by Robert Neville, who chaired the project. Then individual chapters follow, one each per world religion, in which the relevant scholar tries to analyze how that religion (based mainly on its texts) has viewed the human condition. The volume ends with chapters trying to draw out some comparisons.

This volume will be of use to people interested in comparative religion. It will not be enjoyed, perhaps, by those who disagree with its methodology. For example, as the title of the project suggests, the study confines itself to "ideas", not practises. It therefore lacks something in the way of anthropological and historical approaches. It does not take into account more recent approaches such as narrative theology. And the compressed nature of the chapters means that much of the complexity and polyvocality present in any major religious tradition disappears (an understandable problem if one tries to answer "How does Islam / Christianity / etc. view the human condition" in 30 pages).

The book ends with a section on selected works for further reading.

This book is the second in the Comparative Religious Ideas Project (CRIP), a project in which one scholar representing a major religious tradition (but not of that tradition him/herself) puts forward a view of that religions view on a major issue (in this case "ultimate realities") combined with a bit of work on trying to draw out a comparative framework from this. The religions covered are: Chinese Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. The scholars are predominantly from the faculty of Boston University (School of Theology and Department of Religion).

This volume begins with a foreword by Tu Weiming. I think the forewords in this series are perhaps the best part of it. There then follows a chapter each per religion, and a final three chapters on the comparative framework, and the nature of drawing comparisons at all. This is rather dry stuff.

One wonders who this kind of book will benefit most. Scholars of these religions are unlikely to gain much from a 30-page condensed chapter on that religion's views (especially since the authors, who are all good scholars in their own right, have already written a number of good books in which they put forth their views in a much more developed and understandable way). On the other hand, if you are unfamiliar with a given tradition, you are not going to learn much in 30 pages. So, primarily this work is for those interested in comparing religious ideas (not "religions" because this involves much more than just the ideas) in a rather traditional (but very methodical) approach.

If this is what you want, then this will be an excellent addition to your collection; otherwise, I would look elsewhere.

The book ends with a section on selected works for further reading.

I wouldn't bother to write a review of this book, except I always remember spending my last couple of dollars on a book only to find something like this.

First, the author and his artist wife are no doubt kind and sincere people who intend well. They offer this muddle to those who need to use some scientific jargon in justifying their belief in God.

Muddled scientific jargon is precisely what's wanted by lots of folks, and for them this book provides reassurance. All the right questions are asked. And if you're not real picky about answers being true or not, then this book's for you. It's probably very comforting. Even the childish artwork probably appeals to readers who just want to feel wonderful about the world no matter what troublesome facts get in the way.

But the frugal book purchaser who wants/needs explanations instead of groundless speculation is well-advised to keep looking. If I may, I'd recommend Milton Munitz's "Cosmic Understanding." And hang in there...things in cosmology are very gradually improving...

Robert C. neville explores the metaphysical foundations of modern scientific concepts in a tradition that goes back to the great writings of continental philosopy such as Hegel, Husserl and Bergson. But, being an American in the end of the twentieth century, Neville uses the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and the metaphysical concepts of the ontology of Martin Heidegger, together with contemporary quantum physics theory and the big-bang theory, to give us an holistic account of the concept of time as examined through the context of Eternity, that is complimentary to Christianity thought, Buddhizm and Zen. No other book that I have read deals with such a deep philosophical question concerning time in such a broad context. You can never tell if neville is more faitefull to modern science, continental philosophy, religion or eastern thought. Neville is a modern theologian, a briliant scholar, that does not forget modern science, and treat it with due respect, like he treats continental philosophy and metaphysics. Although he deals with religion, metaphysics, moral philosophy, philosophy of science, physics and zen philosophy, Neville never fails the temptation to write in a popular way or in indoctrinical voice. He truly take the imposible task to write a complete metaphysic of time and Eternity, in the same context that Hegel judged Descartes, Spinoza, Liebnitz, Lock, Berckly and Hume to have their own metaphysics. Because Neville's book borrows from three main systems, that is from Bergson, Whitehead and Heidegger, and synthesise them together in order to find the answear to the question of time as this concept is used in physics, western culture, Budhism, Judaism and Christianity, it is not too exaggerated to claim that it is an original thought that have its place as one of western culture keystones - but still, only intellectualy, since this book is very rarly known in philosophical circles and university departments. The only flaw of this book is the trust that Neville feels (to my mind) towards the western modern sciences of astronomy, chemistry, physics and astrophysics. It seems to me that in bringing science into philosophy Neville have made this book a waste in a hundred years from now: it will be old instead of immortal. As science change, it will make this book redundant. For now, this book have a superb analysis of self-will and self-responsibility, that is based on its excellent understanding of the meaning of time (and subjective time) as related to the concept of Eternity.

The author of this book knows nothing of taijiquan or chinese martial arts in general. Sophia Delza claims that taijiquan is NOT a fighting art. I've never heard anyone take that ridiculous position before, and I've read books by all of the leading taijiquan experts in the world. It's remarkable that Sophia Delza has learned nothing of taijiquan despite her years of training.

This is not a book for everyone and certainly not recommended for any beginning student of taijiquan. Sophia Delza learned under the famous Ma Yueh-liang in China and yet she seems to have gone off on her own in many ways. She was trained as a dancer and she interpreted taijiquan as an exercise for health. Many people practice it this way. She has also written some unique poetry about taijiquan, some of which is actually quite profound. Somehow she completely missed the boat on the fact that taijiquan is a true martial art--if one has learned the complete art and mastered it. Sadly, very few people including so-called "masters" can demonstrate this. I would probably only recommend this book to a Wu stylist who already has many years of experience and many other, better books on taijiquan. This is more of a curiosity to glance at every once in while, certainly not essential.

A must for anyone interested in Tai-Chi Chuan. It's for those who seek good health, peace of mind, and an aesthetic sense of movement. Sophia is a highly articulate spokeswoman. This brilliant book is filled with perceptive and thoroughly apt observations on Ta-Chi Chuan. Sophia Delza was a pioneer of Tai-Chi Chuan in the West and was able to connect the exercise with a philosophy for daily living. Her focus was on Tai-Chi Chuan as an exercise, and it seems she was on the right track as most practice it as such.