Beyond Secular Order

John Milbank is Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham, where he also directs the Centre of Theology and Philosophy. Considered one of the leading contemporary theologians, Milbank first gained international recognition with Theology and Social Theory (1990), which laid the theoretical foundations for the movement which later became known as Radical Orthodoxy. In recent years he has collaborated on three books with Creston Davis and the controversial philosopher Slavoj ?i?ek: Theology and the Political: The New Debate (2005), The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic (2009), and Paul’s New Moment: Continental Philosophy and the Future of Christian Theology (2010).

“Readers familiar with Milbank’s work will appreciate his focused prose while extensive footnotes referencing his previous work provide background information for others.”  (Religious Studies Review, 7 December 2015)“...Interesting, creative, suggestive, and beguiling… [Milbank] is fearless in his cross-examination of modern secularist assumptions about the autonomy of philosophy and its much-heralded liberation from theology’s apron strings.”  (Church Times, 24 August 2015)“Such a vision is partial and imperfect, but it’s a signpost that, as we continue to watch modern metaphysics and politics develop, will be an important critical and constructive dialogue partner for a long time to come.”  (Mockingbird, 14 February 2014)"Here, in Beyond Secular Order, he offers a more concise systematic analysis focusing on the ontological and political dimensions of modernity. He lays bare the deep connections between metaphysical assumptions, on the one hand, and political and social implications, on the other." (SOPHIA 2015)

• Acknowledgements ixPreface: The Hidden Dimension of Humanity 1Sequence on Modern Ontology 191 From Theology to Philosophy 192 The Four Pillars of Modern Philosophy 283 Modern Philosophy: A Theological Critique 494 Analogy versus Univocity 505 Identity versus Representation 576 Intentionality and Embodiment 667 Intentionality and Self hood 728 Reason and the Incarnation of the Logos 779 The Passivity of Modern Reason 8110 The Baroque Simulation of Cosmic Order 8611 Deconstructed Representation and Beyond 8812 Passivity and Concursus 9913 Representation in Philosophy 10614 Actualism versus Possibilism 10815 Influence versus Concurrence 11216 Transition 113Sequence on Political Ontology 1141 Cosmos, Law and Morality 1142 Metaphysics and Modern Politics 1283 The Fate of the Rational Animal 1374 The Irony of Representation 1425 On Legal Concurrence 1526 The Fate of the Social Animal 1547 Representation and Mixed Government 1708 Bureaucracy and the Formal Distinction 1769 Form, Matter and Contract 17710 The Antiquity of Historicism 18411 The Sovereignty of the Artist 18912 Eucharistic Creativity and Political Power 19513 The Conundrum of Kingship 19814 The Truth of Political Fiction 20615 The Two Rival Constructions 20816 Creativity and Mixed Government 21117 Christological Constitutionalism 21418 The Fate of the Fabricating Animal 21819 The Fate of the Beast-Angel 22020 The Death of Charity 22521 Augustine’s Three Cities 22822 Church as Cosmopolis 23623 Aquinas and Kingship 24024 The Theology of Ruling 24725 The Ecumenico-Political Problem 25426 Supernatural Charity and Global Order 25727 Socialism Beyond the Left 26128 Critique of All Materialisms 264Index 271