God Owes Us Nothing: A Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of JansenismGod Owes Us Nothing reflects on the centuries-long debate in Christianity: how do we reconcile the existence of evil in the world with the goodness of an omnipotent God, and how does God's omnipotence relate to people's responsibility for their own salvation or damnation. Leszek Kolakowski approaches this paradox as both an exercise in theology and in revisionist Christian history based on philosophical analysis. Kolakowski's unorthodox interpretation of the history of modern Christianity provokes renewed discussion about the historical, intellectual, and cultural omnipotence of neo-Augustinianism. "Several books a year wrestle with that hoary conundrum, but few so dazzlingly as the Polish philosopher's latest."—Carlin Romano, Washington Post Book World "Kolakowski's fascinating book and its debatable thesis raise intriguing historical and theological questions well worth pursuing."—Stephen J. Duffy, Theological Studies "Kolakowski's elegant meditation is a masterpiece of cultural and religious criticism."—Henry Carrigan, Cleveland Plain Dealer |
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GOD OWES US NOTHING: A Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of Jansenism
User Review - KirkusA provocative critique of the Jansenist movement and of its celebrated proponent Blaise Pascal, from internationally renowned scholar Kolakowski (The Alienation of Reason, 1968, etc.; Committee on ... Read full review
Contents
Why Did the Catholic Church Condemn the Teaching of Saint Augustine? | 3 |
Does God Command Impossible Things? | 9 |
Does God Compel Us to Be Good? | 14 |
Although Unfree We Are Free | 17 |
Can We Reject God? | 21 |
For Whom Did Jesus Die? | 24 |
What Was Wrong with Augustine? | 30 |
A Remark on the Antecedents of the Quarrel | 44 |
Pascals Sad Religion | 113 |
The Strategy of Conversion | 118 |
Our Death Our Body Our SelfDeception | 126 |
Spotting God in the Lifeless Universe | 135 |
Good Reason Bad Reason Heart | 145 |
The Discontinuity of the Universe | 160 |
Pascals Modernity | 170 |
A Note on Politics | 175 |
A Note on the Provinciales | 61 |
How to Avail Oneself of the Heavenly Bread | 67 |
SaintCyrans Answer | 73 |
A Note on Philosophy | 81 |
Infants in Hell | 82 |
The Gnostic Temptation | 86 |
Winners and Losers | 102 |
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Common terms and phrases
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Bibliographic information
| Title | God Owes Us Nothing: A Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of Jansenism Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of Janse |
| Author | Leszek Kolakowski |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 1998 |
| ISBN | 0226450538, 9780226450537 |
| Length | 238 pages |
| Subjects | › › Philosophy / Religious Religion / Christianity / Catholic Religion / General Religion / Jainism Religion / Philosophy |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |