Peter Vardy – författare

Peter Vardy’s much acclaimed introduction to the study of ideas about God – now revised and updated.A clear, well-written guide to philosophical thinking about God. Starting with the question of what it means to say we believe in God, and looking at the nature of truth, Peter Vardy goes on to examine ideas about God and their influence on Christian thinking.Peter Vardy takes the reader through the arguments, using amusing illustrations and analogies. He writes for the lay person or student, not assuming any specialist knowledge, and not imposing any particular view.‘This is about the best elementary textbook in the philosophy of God I have come across… an extremely useful book.’Hugh Meynell, The Tablet‘This is a masterpiece of coherence. Step by step the reader is led clearly and humorously through the philosophical maze which confuses our thinking about God.’Linda Smith, Head of Religious Education, King’s College, London

A guide to the complex subject of ethics explained in clear and entertaining language. This new edition is fully revised and updated.This popular introduction to the subject of ethics poses vital contemporary questions and explores the approach of leading thinkers.The authors take the reader, step by step, through the complex arguments on issues such as animal an human rights, environmental ethics and the morality of war.‘It is a great gift to be able to make philosophy accessible to the general reader. This is a wonderfully clear introduction both to moral philosophy and to contemporary ethical concerns.’David Atkinson, Church Times

A guide to the complex subject of ethics explained in clear and entertaining language. This ebook relates to the 1999 paperback edition.This popular introduction to the subject of ethics poses vital contemporary questions and explores the approach of leading thinkers.The authors take the reader, step by step, through the complex arguments on issues such as animal an human rights, environmental ethics and the morality of war.‘It is a great gift to be able to make philosophy accessible to the general reader. This is a wonderfully clear introduction both to moral philosophy and to contemporary ethical concerns.’David Atkinson, Church Times

An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and ‘A’-Level Religious Studies specifications.Written in the same clear and engaging style as the bestselling Puzzle of Ethics and Puzzle of God, this book covers key content common to all the new specifications – including: Jesus: His incarnation, life, ethical teaching, crucifixion and resurrection, saving importance for Christians and relationship with God;The development of Christianity through from the Early Church to contemporary Global Christianity;The similarities and differences between different types of Christianity in terms of beliefs, teachings and practices;The use and authority of the Bible and other sources of authority within the Churches as well as how the Bible shapes Christian Ethics;Christian responses to science, feminism, secularism, philosophy and the new atheism as well as crises in social justice.Most importantly, Vardy places these themes in context and helps students to understand and appreciate Christianity, the largest religious tradition in the UK and worldwide. Through this latest book in Vardy’s bestselling series, students will enjoy their studies and see the relevance of taking the subject further.

An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and ‘A’-Level Religious Studies specifications.Written in the same clear and engaging style as the bestselling Puzzle of Ethics and Puzzle of God, this book covers key content common to all the new specifications – including: Jesus: His incarnation, life, ethical teaching, crucifixion and resurrection, saving importance for Christians and relationship with God;The development of Christianity through from the Early Church to contemporary Global Christianity;The similarities and differences between different types of Christianity in terms of beliefs, teachings and practices;The use and authority of the Bible and other sources of authority within the Churches as well as how the Bible shapes Christian Ethics;Christian responses to science, feminism, secularism, philosophy and the new atheism as well as crises in social justice.Most importantly, Vardy places these themes in context and helps students to understand and appreciate Christianity, the largest religious tradition in the UK and worldwide. Through this latest book in Vardy’s bestselling series, students will enjoy their studies and see the relevance of taking the subject further.

An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and ‘A’-Level Religious Studies specifications.Written in the same clear and engaging style as the bestselling Puzzle of Ethics and Puzzle of God, this book covers key content common to all the new specifications – including: Jesus: His incarnation, life, ethical teaching, crucifixion and resurrection, saving importance for Christians and relationship with God; The development of Christianity through from the Early Church to contemporary Global Christianity; The similarities and differences between different types of Christianity in terms of beliefs, teachings and practices; The use and authority of the Bible and other sources of authority within the Churches as well as how the Bible shapes Christian Ethics; Christian responses to science, feminism, secularism, philosophy and the new atheism as well as crises in social justice.Most importantly, Vardy places these themes in context and helps students to understand and appreciate Christianity, the largest religious tradition in the UK and worldwide. Through this latest book in Vardy’s bestselling series, students will enjoy their studies and see the relevance of taking the subject further.

This is a book about a remarkable man - yet in an important sense it is not about this man at all. Soren Kierkegaard died in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the age of forty-two in 1855. His writings had little influence in his lifetime and after his death, even with the translation of some of his works into German, he was barely known. Yet today, he is internationally accepted as one of the world's greatest thinkers and is often considered the father of existentialism.Here, Peter Vardy makes Kierkegaard's often complex and difficult thinking accessible to a wide audience. He sketches a few of the central themes of Kierkegaard's thought and gives the reader a feeling for the way he approaches problems and some sense of the breadth of his work.This revised and expanded edition is an ideal introduction to Kierkegaard for both students and the general reader.

Almost everyone is directly affected by questions involving sex and sexual ethics - yet few are aware of the background to current views on topics such as sex before and after marriage, sex as procreation and fulfilment, homosexuality, sexual abuse, rape and contraception. This new edition offers added and up-to-date material discussion burning current issues in a thoughtful, reflective and challenging way.

Religion is a central aspect of culture, as is the critical evaluation of different types of religion. Since 9/11 religion and different manifestations of it have been far more in the public eye in western societies than they had been since the Enlightenment. Yet, not all forms of religion are necessarily good for those who adhere to them and for others. Some types of religion are de-humanizing and need to be resisted whilst others are profoundly humanizing and good. In "Good and Bad Religion" Peter Vardy, one of the leading moral educators in the UK, seeks to provide criteria to separate good and bad manifestations of religion - central to this are United Nations declarations on rights and the broad agreement, found in the Western and Eastern philosophical conditions, that there is a single human nature which all human beings share and certain types of attitudes and behaviour can be profoundly damaging.

How do we know the difference between right and wrong? How can we make decisions about issues from germ-line genetic engineering to the regulation of banking, from nuclear power to ethnic bioweapons, from end-of-life care to global warming? What does it mean to live a good life?Ethics Matters introduces students and general readers to the business of making moral decisions, engaging them in meaningful dialogue and inspiring them to find out more. Beginning with a discussion of the question of truth in Ethics, Peter and Charlotte Vardy outline and evaluate major approaches to doing ethics from Natural Law and Virtue Ethics to Situation Ethics and Postmodernism, considering how these might inform decision making in today's world.Ethics Matters places the latest scholarship in context, clarifying how it relates to today's biggest challenges, without in any sense 'dumbing down'. The style is engaging and accessible; good use is made of examples from film, literature and current affairs to shine a light on the fundamental philosophic questions which underpin practicaldilemmas.A new web site, www.what-matters.org provides recommendations for further reading, a rich anthology of primary texts, questions for discussion and related activities.

Perhaps human beings are animals, driven by the will to survive and reproduce, perhaps responsibility is a useful fiction and religion is the opium of the masses. Perhaps death is the end, life is ultimately meaningless, brutish and short. Perhaps man is the measure of all things and beauty, truth and justice are open to interpretation. Or, perhaps not. God matters. The choice over whether and what to believe is inescapable because it determines how we live our lives. Nothing matters more. Here is a book that encourages and enables students and general readers to ask fundamental questions about the nature and meaning of human life in an open, engaging but academically rigorous way. Centuries of scholarship in the Philosophy of Religion, from Jewish and Muslim as well as Christian traditions, are put in context and critically evaluated.Examples from art, film, and literature show the contemporary relevance of debates which have raged throughout human history. www.what-matters.org provides recommendations for further reading, a rich anthology of primary texts, questions for discussion and related activities.

Does the Bible really matter in today’s multicultural, scientifically informed and technologically enabled world? Does Richard Dawkins have a point when he says that the Bible is plain weird … a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents, composed, revised, translated, distorted and 'improved' by hundreds of anonymous authors, editors and copyists"? Does studying the Bible have any place in twenty-first-century education, faith or life?Centuries of intensive biblical scholarship have made the meaning of the Bible less, not more, clear. Its authority and even importance has been called into question as questions about its historical accuracy have been raised and the apparent complexities of its authorship have been exposed. In clear and straightforward language and with plenty of lively examples, Bible Matters charts the development of Biblical Criticism and explores the philosophical assumptions which underlie Historical Criticism, more contemporary approaches to Biblical Interpretation

Intends to provide criteria to separate good and bad manifestations of religion found in the Western and Eastern philosophical conditions, that there is a single human nature which all human beings share and certain types of attitudes and behaviour can be profoundly damaging.

Almost everyone is directly affected by questions involving sex and sexual ethics - yet few are aware of the background to current views on topics such as sex before and after marriage, sex as procreation and fulfilment, homosexuality, sexual abuse, rape and contraception. This new edition offers added and up-to-date material discussion burning current issues in a thoughtful, reflective and challenging way.

Ethics Matters introduces students and general readers to the business of making moral decisions, engaging them in meaningful dialogue and inspiring them to find out more. Beginning with a discussion of the question of truth in Ethics, Peter and Charlotte Vardy outline and evaluate major approaches to doing ethics from Natural Law and Virtue Ethics to Situation Ethics and Postmodernism, considering how these might inform decision making in today''s world.Ethics Matters places the latest scholarship in context, clarifying how it relates to today''s biggest challenges, without in any sense ''dumbing down''. The style is engaging and accessible; good use is made of examples from film, literature and current affairs to shine a light on the fundamental philosophic questions which underpin practicaldilemmas.

Perhaps human beings are animals, driven by the will to survive and reproduce, perhaps responsibility is a useful fiction and religion is the opium of the masses. Perhaps death is the end, life is ultimately meaningless, brutish and short. Perhaps man is the measure of all things and beauty, truth and justice are open to interpretation. Or, perhaps not.

In clear and straightforward language and with plenty of lively examples, Bible Matters charts the development of Biblical Criticism and explores the philosophical assumptions which underlie Historical Criticism and more contemporary approaches to Biblical Interpretation.

A fresh, lively, and savvy survey of humanity's eternal query: Who or what is God? Vardy examines ancient and modern notions of what it means to talk about "God" ("one of the most fought-over and debated words in the history of ideas"), eternal life, omnipotence, prayer, and more. "An accomplished guide round the battlefield of ideas about God".--Don Cupitt.

First Published in 1994. Is there such a thing as right and wrong? Are some codes of behaviour more justified than others? Is it foolish to believe in moral principles? Is ''virtue'' just a quaint Victorian term and does anyone care in any case? The Puzzle of Ethics tackles these formidable questions and many more in a clear and easy to understand manner without every becoming superficial. Throughout the approaches of major philosophers are explained and specific issues are addressed, including: Just War theory, situation ethics, abortion, euthanasia, as well as Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic ethics. This challenging book is of considerable relevance, dealing as it does with the central areas of ethical concern in today''s world. It is the ideal introduction to the field for students.

First Published in 1994. Is there such a thing as right and wrong? Are some codes of behaviour more justified than others? Is it foolish to believe in moral principles? Is ''virtue'' just a quaint Victorian term and does anyone care in any case? The Puzzle of Ethics tackles these formidable questions and many more in a clear and easy to understand manner without every becoming superficial. Throughout the approaches of major philosophers are explained and specific issues are addressed, including: Just War theory, situation ethics, abortion, euthanasia, as well as Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic ethics. This challenging book is of considerable relevance, dealing as it does with the central areas of ethical concern in today''s world. It is the ideal introduction to the field for students.

First Published in 2015. The gospels tell a story. There are many types of story ranging from fiction through biographies to attempts at historical accounts. Even so-called ''true'' stories will be affected by the perception of the writer. It is impossible to present any book without taking the viewpoint of the author into account - which is one reason why this book will be devoting considerable time to understanding the purpose and intention of the individual gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John present different accounts of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, as one might expect from four people who, although they use some common material, nevertheless present this material in distinctive ways. This book will be concerned with helping you, the reader, to understand the gospel stories and how they came to be written; to bring to light the implicit references that were being made of which modern readers may be unaware; and also to consider the issue of the truth of the stories.

First Published in 2015. The gospels tell a story. There are many types of story ranging from fiction through biographies to attempts at historical accounts. Even so-called ''true'' stories will be affected by the perception of the writer. It is impossible to present any book without taking the viewpoint of the author into account - which is one reason why this book will be devoting considerable time to understanding the purpose and intention of the individual gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John present different accounts of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, as one might expect from four people who, although they use some common material, nevertheless present this material in distinctive ways. This book will be concerned with helping you, the reader, to understand the gospel stories and how they came to be written; to bring to light the implicit references that were being made of which modern readers may be unaware; and also to consider the issue of the truth of the stories.

First Published in 2015. The first half of this book concludes that, if human reason is master, there seems to be no way of equating a good and powerful God with evil in the world. In the second half, searching for a solution, the author takes as his starting point St Augustine''s credo, I believe in order that I may understand. He builds up a series of statements which express the central Christian convictions in relation to the problem of evil, a viewpoint which the reader may accept or not.

First Published in 2015. The first half of this book concludes that, if human reason is master, there seems to be no way of equating a good and powerful God with evil in the world. In the second half, searching for a solution, the author takes as his starting point St Augustine''s credo, I believe in order that I may understand. He builds up a series of statements which express the central Christian convictions in relation to the problem of evil, a viewpoint which the reader may accept or not.