Thomas Holden – författare

Spectres of False Divinity presents a historical and critical interpretation of Hume''s rejection of the existence of a deity with moral attributes. In Hume''s view, no first cause or designer responsible for the ordered universe could possibly have moral attributes; nor could the existence (or non-existence) of such a being have any real implications for human practice or conduct. Hume''s case for this ''moral atheism'' is a central plank of both hisnaturalistic agenda in metaphysics and his secularizing program in moral theory. It complements his wider critique of traditional theism, and threatens to rule out any religion that would make claims on moral practice.Thomas Holden situates Hume''s commitment to moral atheism in its historical and philosophical context, offers a systematic interpretation of his case for divine amorality, and shows how Hume can endorse moral atheism while maintaining his skeptical attitude toward traditional forms of cosmological and theological speculation.

Spectres of False Divinity presents a historical and critical interpretation of Hume''s rejection of the existence of a deity with moral attributes. In Hume''s view, no first cause or designer responsible for the ordered universe could possibly have moral attributes; nor could the existence (or non-existence) of such a being have any real implications for human practice or conduct. Hume''s case for this ''moral atheism'' is a central plank of both hisnaturalistic agenda in metaphysics and his secularizing program in moral theory. It complements his wider critique of traditional theism, and threatens to rule out any religion that would make claims on moral practice.Thomas Holden situates Hume''s commitment to moral atheism in its historical and philosophical context, offers a systematic interpretation of his case for divine amorality, and shows how Hume can endorse moral atheism while maintaining his skeptical attitude toward traditional forms of cosmological and theological speculation.

Hobbes''s Philosophy of Religion presents a new scholarly interpretation of Hobbes''s treatment of religious speech and practice. It argues that the key to Hobbes''s treatment of religion is his theory of religious language. According to Hobbes, the proper function of religious language is not to describe, state facts, or affirm truths. Instead, such talk ought only to express attitudes of honour, reverence, and humility before the incomprehensible great cause of nature. His theory valorises the traditional discourses of theism, natural religion, and revealed religion, but only as an expression of reverence without descriptive import. Hobbes is sincerely pious, rejecting atheism and irreligion. But he also rejects literal-minded theism, and any realist conception of the divine attributes. The book provides a comprehensive study of Hobbes''s highly original treatment of religion. It also offers an integrated account of Hobbes''s philosophical thought around religious topics. The account brings out the connections between Hobbes''s theoretical philosophy - including his philosophy of mind, language, and human nature - and his practical religious politics, including his views on religious toleration, ecclesiology, and the religious function of the civil state.

Hobbes''s Philosophy of Religion presents a new scholarly interpretation of Hobbes''s treatment of religious speech and practice. It argues that the key to Hobbes''s treatment of religion is his theory of religious language. According to Hobbes, the proper function of religious language is not to describe, state facts, or affirm truths. Instead, such talk ought only to express attitudes of honour, reverence, and humility before the incomprehensible great cause of nature. His theory valorises the traditional discourses of theism, natural religion, and revealed religion, but only as an expression of reverence without descriptive import. Hobbes is sincerely pious, rejecting atheism and irreligion. But he also rejects literal-minded theism, and any realist conception of the divine attributes. The book provides a comprehensive study of Hobbes''s highly original treatment of religion. It also offers an integrated account of Hobbes''s philosophical thought around religious topics. The account brings out the connections between Hobbes''s theoretical philosophy - including his philosophy of mind, language, and human nature - and his practical religious politics, including his views on religious toleration, ecclesiology, and the religious function of the civil state.

Hobbes's Philosophy of Religion presents a new scholarly interpretation of Hobbes's treatment of religious speech and practice. It argues that the key to Hobbes's treatment of religion is his theory of religious language. According to Hobbes, the proper function of religious language is not to describe, state facts, or affirm truths. Instead, such talk ought only to express attitudes of honour, reverence, and humility before the incomprehensible great cause of nature. His theory valorises the traditional discourses of theism, natural religion, and revealed religion, but only as an expression of reverence without descriptive import. Hobbes is sincerely pious, rejecting atheism and irreligion. But he also rejects literal-minded theism, and any realist conception of the divine attributes. The book provides a comprehensive study of Hobbes's highly original treatment of religion. It also offers an integrated account of Hobbes's philosophical thought around religious topics. The account brings out the connections between Hobbes's theoretical philosophy - including his philosophy of mind, language, and human nature - and his practical religious politics, including his views on religious toleration, ecclesiology, and the religious function of the civil state.

Thomas Holden presents a fascinating study of theories of matter in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These theories were plagued by a complex of interrelated problems concerning matter's divisibility, composition, and internal architecture. Is any material body infinitely divisible? Must we posit atoms or elemental minima from which bodies are ultimately composed? Are the parts of material bodies themselves material concreta? Or are they merely potentialities or possible existents? Questions such as these - and the press of subtler questions hidden in their amibiguities - deeply unsettled philosophers of the early modern period. They seemed to expose serious paradoxes in the new world view pioneered by Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. The new science's account of a fundamentally geometrical Creation, mathematicizable and intelligible to the human inquirer, seemed to be under threat. This was a great scandal, and the philosophers of the period accordingly made various attempts to disarm the paradoxes. All the great figures address the issue: most famously Leibniz and Kant, but also Galileo, Hobbes, Newton, Hume, and Reid, in addition to a crowd of lesser figures. Thomas Holden offers a brilliant synthesis of these discussions and presents his own overarching interpretation of the controversy, locating the underlying problem in the tension between the early moderns' account of material parts on the one hand and the programme of the geometrization of nature on the other.

Thomas Holden presents a fascinating study of theories of matter in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These theories were plagued by a complex of interrelated problems concerning matter's divisibility, composition, and internal architecture. Is any material body infinitely divisible? Must we posit atoms or elemental minima from which bodies are ultimately composed? Are the parts of material bodies themselves material concreta? Or are they merely potentialities or possible existents?Questions such as these - and the press of subtler questions hidden in their amibiguities - deeply unsettled philosophers of the early modern period. They seemed to expose serious paradoxes in the new world view pioneered by Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. The new science's account of a fundamentally geometrical Creation, mathematicizable and intelligible to the human inquirer, seemed to be under threat. This was a great scandal, and the philosophers of the period accordingly made various attempts to disarm the paradoxes. All the great figures address the issue: most famously Leibniz and Kant, but also Galileo, Hobbes, Newton, Hume, and Reid, in addition to a crowd of lesser figures. Thomas Holden offers a brilliant synthesis of these discussions and presents his own overarching interpretation of the controversy, locating the underlying problem in the tension between the early moderns' account of material parts on the one hand and the programme of the geometrization of nature on the other.

Spectres of False Divinity presents a historical and critical interpretation of Hume's rejection of the existence of a deity with moral attributes. In Hume's view, no first cause or designer responsible for the ordered universe could possibly have moral attributes; nor could the existence (or non-existence) of such a being have any real implications for human practice or conduct. Hume's case for this 'moral atheism' is a central plank of both his naturalistic agenda in metaphysics and his secularizing program in moral theory. It complements his wider critique of traditional theism, and threatens to rule out any religion that would make claims on moral practice. Thomas Holden situates Hume's commitment to moral atheism in its historical and philosophical context, offers a systematic interpretation of his case for divine amorality, and shows how Hume can endorse moral atheism while maintaining his skeptical attitude toward traditional forms of cosmological and theological speculation.

Spectres of False Divinity presents a historical and critical interpretation of Hume's rejection of the existence of a deity with moral attributes. In Hume's view, no first cause or designer responsible for the ordered universe could possibly have moral attributes; nor could the existence (or non-existence) of such a being have any real implications for human practice or conduct. Hume's case for this 'moral atheism' is a central plank of both his naturalistic agenda in metaphysics and his secularizing program in moral theory. It complements his wider critique of traditional theism, and threatens to rule out any religion that would make claims on moral practice. Thomas Holden situates Hume's commitment to moral atheism in its historical and philosophical context, offers a systematic interpretation of his case for divine amorality, and shows how Hume can endorse moral atheism while maintaining his skeptical attitude toward traditional forms of cosmological and theological speculation.

Thomas Holden har här samlat ett urval av dikter. Han är tidigare utgiven på Bra Böcker, Bonniers och på Cecix förlag. Därutöver har har han skrivit ett dussintal pjäser som uppförts på svensk teater. I diktsamlingen ingår det stora verket “nonstop”, som vann Biblioteksutveckling Blekinge Kronobergs skrivtävling med motiveringen “Djärv omvälvande och överraskande. Ett fyrverkeri av språklig prakt!” ”De båda huvuddikterna i samlingen, ”nonstop” och ”Jens-August Flygare” är något av mästerverk. Dessa dikter bildar en bro mellan vetande och liv. Det är Stor dikt!” Bernt Lindqvist, Teaterchef och Augustpristagare Om författaren: Thomas Holden är född och uppvuxen i Stockholm, men bor sedan många år i den lilla byn Diö i Småland. Han är tidigare utgiven på Bra Böcker, Bonniers och Cecix förlag. Därutöver har han skrivit ett dussintal pjäser som uppförts på svensk teater.