Works by Brian R. Clack
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- Wittgenstein, Frazer, and religion.Brian R. Clack -1999 - New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press.In the first full-length analysis of Wittgenstein's Remarks on Frazer's Golden Bough, Brian R. Clack presents a fresh and innovative interpretation of Wittgenstein's conception of religion. While previous commentators have tended to sideline the Remarks on Frazer, Clack shows how the key to Wittgenstein's thought on religion lies in these remarks on primitive magico-religious observances. This book shows that Wittgenstein neither embraces expressivism, as it is generally assumed, nor straightforwardly denies instrumentalism. Focusing instead on Wittgenstein's suggestion that magic is somehow (...) akin to metaphysics, a view of ritual as the spontaneous expression of human beings is presented. (shrink)
- The Philosophy of Religion: A Critical Introduction.Beverley Clack &Brian R. Clack -1998 - Malden, MA: Polity. Edited by Brian R. Clack.This exciting textbook combines a clear introduction to the themes traditionally covered in the philosophy of religion with contemporary developments in the discipline. The combination of traditional and alternative approaches makes it the most innovative introduction to the area currently available, while a range of exercises and student features provide a lively and accessible approach to the discipline. Most introductions to the philosophy of religion turn out, in practice, to be philosophic defences of religious belief, concentrating solely on the theistic (...) tradition. This book differs from such an approach by offering a range of alternative views and in particular by examining the human dimension of religion and religious belief. Thus alongside helpful clarifications of such traditional issues as arguments of the existence of God, the problem of evil, and immortality, this book also addresses more neglected areas like natural histories of religion, feminist approaches, and revisionary accounts of religious belief. The book ends with reflections on the future of religion. _The Philosophy of Religion_ will be essential reading for all students of the subject as well as the interested lay reader. (shrink)
- Wittgenstein and expressive theories of religion.Brian R. Clack -1996 -International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 40 (1):47 - 61.
- Wittgenstein and Anthropology.Brian R. Clack -2017 - In Hans-Johann Glock & John Hyman,A Companion to Wittgenstein. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 627–638.Wittgenstein's views concerning anthropology emerge predominantly from his notes on Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough, and have as their focus the interpretation of ritual phenomena and the nature of anthropological explanation. In addition to criticizing Frazer's interpretation of ritual phenomena, Wittgenstein also appears to make a number of corrective suggestions regarding the methodology appropriate for anthropological investigations. The nominal purpose of The Golden Bough is to explain a peculiar ritual of classical antiquity, namely the rule regulating the succession to (...) the priesthood at Nemi, Italy. According to the intellectualist approach, therefore, the foundation of religion is theoretical and speculative, with ritual actions being practical applications of that underlying intellectual theory. An expressivist account of magic will deny that ceremonial actions are intended to effect some desired change in the natural world, and will instead envisage them as expressive of desires, feelings, and values. (shrink)
- The Philosophy of Religion. A Critical Introduction.Beverley Clack &Brian R. Clack -2000 -Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 62 (1):166-170.No categories
- Wittgenstein and magic.Brian R. Clack -2000 - In Mark Addis & Robert L. Arrington,Wittgenstein and Philosophy of Religion. New York: Routledge.
- Religion and Wittgenstein's Legacy.Brian R. Clack -2005 -Ars Disputandi 5.Export citation
Bookmark - Vincent Geoghegan. Ernst Bloch. (London: Routledge, 1996.) Pp. 197. £40.00 hbk, £13.99 pbk.Brian R. Clack -1997 -Religious Studies 33 (4):485-487.
- Response to Phillips.Brian R. Clack -2003 -Religious Studies 39 (2):203-209.In this response to D. Z. Phillips's critique of my interpretation of Wittgenstein's view of magic and ritual, I counter Phillips's claim that I have misrepresented the Wittgensteinian view of ritual, consider the instrumentalist dimension of the Remarks on Frazer's Golden Bough, offer some objections to Phillips's expressivist view that a ritual ‘says itself’, and detect obscurantism in his approach to the study of religion.
- Cannabis and the Human Condition.Brian R. Clack -2010 - In Fritz Allhoff & Dale Jacquette,Cannabis Philosophy for Everyone. Wiley‐Blackwell. pp. 90–99.No categories
- Philosophy and the human condition: an anthology.Brian R. Clack (ed.) -2017 - New York: Oxford University Press.Philosophy and the Human Condition brings together essential readings on the crucial philosophical problems related to the human condition and human nature. This collection includes traditional works of Western philosophers from Plato to the present day; relevant extracts from religious texts;and contributions by women, traditions outside of the Western philosophical canon, and other disciplines.
- Reflections on the Revolution in France: An Abridgement with Supporting Texts.Brian R. Clack (ed.) -2021 - Peterborough, CA: Broadview Press.This abridgement of _Reflections on the Revolution in France_ preserves the dynamism of Edmund Burke’s polemic while excising a number of detail-laden passages that may be of less interest to modern readers. Brian R. Clack’s introduction offers a compelling overview of the text and explores the consistency and coherence of Burke’s views on revolution. Burke’s critique of revolutionary politics is illuminated further by the extensive supplementary materials collected in a number of themed appendices.No categories
- Scapegoat rituals in Wittgensteinian perspective.Brian R. Clack -2002 - In Kevin Schilbrack,Thinking through rituals: philosophical perspectives. New York: Routledge. pp. 99.Export citation Bookmark
- (4 other versions)W. mark Richardson & Wesley J. Wildman (eds). Religion and science: History, method, dialogue. Pp. XX+450. (London: Routledge, 1996.) £50.00 hbk, £16.99 pbk. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1998 -Religious Studies 34 (1):115-118.
- Review of Thomas D. Carroll, Wittgenstein within the Philosophy of Religion: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, ISBN: 978-1-137-40789-4, hb, x+209pp. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -2015 -Sophia 54 (1):107-109.The flood of interpretive work regarding Wittgenstein’s thinking on matters religious shows little sign of abating. At the same time, one may feel that little that is new or illuminating is being added to these discussions: what is known as ‘Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion’ may appear to be at a standstill. There is thus a great deal to be said for Thomas Carroll’s contention that it is ‘time for a reassessment of Wittgenstein and philosophy of religion’ , though a reader (...) may ultimately be left with the conclusion that Carroll’s book does not quite provide the reassessment that is required.The first three chapters of the book explore Wittgenstein’s work and its reception within the philosophy of religion. Firstly, Carroll outlines the range of sources drawn upon by those working on Wittgenstein and religion: Wittgenstein’s texts explicitly focused on religious phenomena (such as the ‘Lectures on Religious Belief’ and the ‘Remarks on Frazer’s .. (shrink)
- Alan G. Padgett, ed. Reason and the Christian Religion: Essays in Honour of Richard Swinburne. Pp. 362.(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.)£ 40.00. James George Frazer. The Golden Bough (a new abridgement by Robert Fraser). Pp. xlix+ 858.(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.)£ 10.99 pb. H.-E. Mertens & L. Boeve, eds. Naming God Today. Pp. 104.(Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1994.) 380.-BEF. Christopher Nugent. Mysticism, Death and Dying. Pp. xiv+ 127.(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994 ... [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1995 -Religious Studies 31 (2):281-284.
- Ann W. Astell (ed.). Divine Representations. Pp. 269.(Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1994). $17.95 pbk. TE Burke. Questions of Belief. Pp. 115.(Aldershot: Avebury, 1995).£ 30.00. Ursula King (ed.). Gender and Religion. Pp. 324.(Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1995).£ 40.00 hbk,£ 13.95 pbk. JJ MacIntosh and HA Meynell. Faith, Scepticism and Personal Identity. Pp. xviii+ 304.(Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1994). Thomas V. Morris (ed.). God and the Philosophers. Pp. 285.(Oxford: Oxford University ... [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1995 -Religious Studies 31 (4):549-551.
- Colin Falck. Myth, Truth and Literature: Towards a True Post-Modernism. Pp. xix+ 208.(Cambridge University Press, 1994.)£ 27.50. Luke Gormally (ed.). Moral Truth and Moral Tradition: Essays in Honour of Peter Geach and Elizabeth Anscombe. Pp. 243.(Blackrock: Four Courts Press, 1994.)£ 35.00. Thomas F. Tracy, ed. The God Who Acts. Pp. xi+ 148.(Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1994.) $28.50 hb, $14.95 pb. Irena SM Makarushka. Religious Imagination and Language in Emerson and Nietzsche ... [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1995 -Religious Studies 31 (3):413-416.
- Earl Stanley B. Fronda Wittgenstein's (Misunderstood) Religious Thought (Leiden: Brill, 2010). Pp. xvi+ 242.£ 84.00 (Hbk). ISBN 978 90 04 18609 5. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -2012 -Religious Studies 48 (2):269-273.
- Michael Palmer, Freud and Jung on religion. (London: Routledge, 1997.) Pp. X+238. £45 hb, £13.99 pb. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1998 -Religious Studies 34 (3):353-367.
- (4 other versions)Rudolf Otto. Autobiographical and social essays. Edited by Gregory D. alles. Pp. 317. (Berlin: Mouton de gruyter, 1996.) DM 68,00. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1997 -Religious Studies 33 (3):361-362.
- Richard H. Bell, ed. Simone Weil's Philosophy of Culture: Readings Toward a Divine Humanity. Pp. xviii+ 318.(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,£ 37.50 Stephen RL Clark. How to Think about the Earth: Philosophical and Theological Models for Ecology. Pp. viii+ 168.(London: Mowbray, 1993.)£ 12.99 pbk. Toby E. Huff. The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West. Pp. 409.(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.)£ 35.00. Tomoko Masuzawa. In Search of Dreamtime: The Quest for the Origin .. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1994 -Religious Studies 30 (3):375-377.
- Robert W. Brockway. Myth from the Ice Age to Mickey Mouse. Pp. x+ 187.(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993.) $16.95. Don Cupitt. After All: Religion Without Alienation. Pp. 121.(London: SCM Press, 1994.)£ 9· 95 pb. Adina Davidovich. Religion as a Province of Meaning: The KantianFoundations of Modern Theology. Pp. xvii+ 338.(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.) Immanuel Kant. The One Possible Basis for a Demonstration of theExistence of God. Translated and introduced by Gordon Treash. Pp. 247 ... [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1994 -Religious Studies 30 (4):539-542.
- Steven M. Emmanuel. Kierkegaard and the Concept of Revelation.(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996.) Pp. xii+ 190. $12.95. Glyn Richards. Studies in Religion: A Comparative Approach to Theological and Philosophical Themes.(London & Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1995.) Pp. x+ 214.£ 40.00. Anthony C. Thiselton. Interpreting God and the Postmodern Self: On Meaning, Manipulation and Promise.(Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1995.) Pp. xi+ 180.£ 9.95 Peter Vardy. The Puzzle of God (expanded edition).(London .. [REVIEW]Brian R. Clack -1996 -Religious Studies 32 (3):427-429.
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David Bourget (Western Ontario)
David Chalmers (ANU, NYU)
Area Editors:
David Bourget
Gwen Bradford
Berit Brogaard
Margaret Cameron
David Chalmers
James Chase
Rafael De Clercq
Ezio Di Nucci
Esa Diaz-Leon
Barry Hallen
Hans Halvorson
Jonathan Ichikawa
Monte Johnson
Michelle Kosch
Øystein Linnebo
Paul Livingston
Brandon Look
Manolo Martínez
Matthew McGrath
Michiru Nagatsu
Susana Nuccetelli
Giuseppe Primiero
Jack Alan Reynolds
Darrell P. Rowbottom
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Constantine Sandis
Howard Sankey
Jonathan Schaffer
Thomas Senor
Daniel Star
Jussi Suikkanen
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