Karl Jaspers is a leading thinker, a representative of German existential philosophy whose thoughts address the whole human kind. This book analyzes Jaspers' view of philosophy as existential illumination, which opens the realms of human freedom, creativity and communication. It explores the significance as well as the limitations of scientific rationality. Jaspers' reflections on various dimensions of human condition are compared to philosophers such as Weber, Kant, Otto, Tillich, Heidegger and Hannah Arendt, as well as to the Indian thoughts present in Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism. Examining the problems of homogeneity, heterogeneity, hybridization and cultural pluralities, the author reflects on the emerging global scenario dominated by technology and on the schism between local and global.

First published in English in 1953, this important book from eminent philosopher Karl Jaspers deals with the philosophy of the history of mankind. More specifically, its avowed aim is to assist in heightening our awareness of the present by placing it within the framework of the long obscurity of prehistory and the boundless realm of possibilities which lie within the undecided future. This analysis is split into three parts: World history; the present and the future; and the meaning of history.

Although both Levinas and Heidegger drew inspiration from Edmund Husserl's phenomenological method and helped pave the way toward the post-structuralist movement of the late twentieth century, very little scholarly attention has been paid to the relation of these two thinkers. There are plenty of simple—and accurate—oppositions and juxtapositions: French and German, ethics and ontology, and so on. But there is also a critical intersection between Levinas and Heidegger on some of the most fundamental philosophical questions: What does it mean to be, to think, and to act in late modern life and culture? How do our conceptions of subjectivity, time, and history both reflect the condition of this historical moment and open up possibilities for critique, resistance, and transformation? The contributors to this volume take up these questions by engaging the ideas of Levinas and Heidegger relating to issues of power, violence, secularization, history, language, time, death, sacrifice, responsibility, memory, and the boundary between the human and humanism.

What should Catholics and indeed all followers of Jesus think about the other great religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Daoism, Sikhism, Shinto? Might it be that the one true God is operative in these other religions, working out the divine plan of salvation? Or are they hindrances to God's plan? What, in fact, is the relationship of Christianity to the other religions? These are some of the questions dealt with in this book. On the basis of an historical and phenomenological study of the world religions, this book examines what the scriptures, tradition, and the teaching of the Catholic Church have to say about the ultimate meaning and value of the non-Christian religions, and how Catholics are to relate to the adherents of the other religions with understanding and appreciation. Locating the historical origins of the world religions, tracing their historical development, observing the experiential phenomena from which they arise, seeking to identify elements that unify them, as well as pondering the questions that become evident as the result of such a study--these procedures of historical and phenomenological analysis deal with issues of great significance and facilitate the author's search for, and interpretation of, the strictly theological data that disclose the ultimate significance of the non-Christian religions. Readers will appreciate this comprehensive work that reflects, from a Christian-Catholic point of view, on the ultimate meaning and value of the non-Christian religions, emphasizing how they may relate to the adherents of the other religions with understanding and appreciation. They will also understand more deeply the reality of Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit as a result of their dialogue with religious pluralism. +