Philosophy is born in its history as pursuit of the wisdom we are never able fully to know. Mystery and Intelligibility: History of Philosophy as Pursuit of Wisdom both argues for that method and presents the results it can achieve. Editor Jeffrey Dirk Wilson has gathered essays from six philosophical luminaries. In “History, Philosophy, and the History of Philosophy,” Timothy B. Noone provides the volume’s discourse on method in which he distinguishes three tiers of history. History of philosophy as method occupies the third and highest tier. John Rist reckons with contemporary corruption of the method in “A Guide for the Perplexed or How to Present or Pervert the History of Philosophy.” Wilson’s own essay, “Wonder and the Discovery of Being: From Homeric Myth to the Natural Genera of Early Greek Philosophy,” shows the loss of wonder, so evident in mythology, by early Greek thinkers and its recovery by Plato and Aristotle. In “Metaphysics and the Origin of Culture,” Donald Phillip Verene demonstrates the wide cultural implications of philosophical discoveries even when the discovery is the boundary of what humans can know. William Desmond offers an essay, “Flux-Gibberish: For and Against Heraclitus,” that owes as much to the humor of James Joyce as to the philosophical insights of philosophers, ancient, medieval, and modern. Eric D. Perl’s essay turns to the apophatic character of pursuing wisdom, perhaps especially when asking what may be the most fundamental metaphysical question: “Into the Dark: How (Not) to Ask, ‘Why is There Anything at All.’” Philipp W. Rosemann concludes the volume with the question best asked at the end of this literary seminar, “What is Philosophy?” Although there are philosophers within the analytic and continental schools who are committed to the history of philosophy, Mystery and Intelligibility demonstrates that history of philosophy as a third and distinct philosophical method is revelatory of the nature and structure of reality.

The contributions to this book offer a broad vision of the relationships that were established between Greek Philosophy and the Mystery Cults. The authors centre their attention on such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoic and the Neoplatonist philosophers, who used – and in some cases criticised – doctrinal elements from Mystery Cults, adapting them to their own thinking. Thus, the volume provides a new approach to some of the most renowned Greek philosophers, highlighting the influence that Mystery Cults, such as Orphism, Dionysianism, or the Eleusinian rites, had on the formation of fundamental aspects of their thinking. Given its interdisciplinary character, this book will appeal to a broad academic readership interested in the origin of Hellenic thinking and culture. It will be especially useful for those eager for a deeper approach to two fundamental domains that attract the attention of many Antiquity scholars: Greek philosophy and religion.

"All life in all worlds" -this was the object of the author's seventeen-year quest for knowledge and discovery, culminating in this book. In a manner unmistakably his own, Murchie delves into the interconnectedness of all life on the planet and of such fields as biology, geology, sociology, mathematics, and physics. He offers us what the poet May Sarton has called "a good book to take to a desert island as sole companion, so rich is it in knowledge and insight."

""The Philosophy of Mystery"" by Walter Cooper Dendy is a seminal work that explores the profound nature of mysteries and their impact on human thought. Dendy delves into the realm of the unknown, investigating the mysterious phenomena that have fascinated and perplexed humanity throughout history. Drawing from various philosophical traditions and scientific disciplines, he examines the philosophical implications of mystery, questioning its role in shaping our understanding of the world. Dendy offers insightful reflections on the nature of reality, consciousness, and the limits of human knowledge, challenging readers to contemplate the profound mysteries that surround us. With clarity and depth, ""The Philosophy of Mystery"" illuminates the intricate interplay between the known and the unknown, inviting readers on a captivating intellectual journey that delves into the mysteries that define the human experience.

"MYSTERY and MEANING" is a compilation of inspirational quotes, mystical prose, philosophical polemics, and poetic verse from the mind and heart of GEBRE MENFES KIDUS ("Servant of the Holy Spirit"). The authors words provide a unique and valuable perspective on many of the vital religious, social, and moral issues of our time. Gebre Menfes Kidus balances contemplative reflections with impassioned argument, leaving the reader both challenged and inspired. These essays and aphorisms provide edification for the philosopher, the theologian, the spiritual seeker, and the lay Christian. The author addresses a variety of topics, such as: + Orthodox Theology + Spiritual Warfare + Mysticism + Social Justice + Metaphysics + Christian Pacifism + Biblical Commentary + Human Rights + The Teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church This book was written with the permission and blessing of the author's Priest, Tsebate YemaneBrhane Asrat GebreMariam. All opinions and views contained within are subject to the scrutiny and correction of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

More specifically, he traces for the first time a line of transmission from Empedocles and the early Pythagoreans down to southern Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam. "Highly polemical new book ... The thesis is argued with immense learning." "Times Higher Education Supplement".

It has long been one of the most fundamental problems of philosophy, and it is now, John Searle writes, "the most important problem in the biological sciences": What is consciousness? Is my inner awareness of myself something separate from my body? In what began as a series of essays in The New York Review of Books, John Searle evaluates the positions on consciousness of such well-known scientists and philosophers as Francis Crick, Gerald Edelman, Roger Penrose, Daniel Dennett, David Chalmers, and Israel Rosenfield. He challenges claims that the mind works like a computer, and that brain functions can be reproduced by computer programs. With a sharp eye for confusion and contradiction, he points out which avenues of current research are most likely to come up with a biological examination of how conscious states are caused by the brain. Only when we understand how the brain works will we solve the mystery of consciousness, and only then will we begin to understand issues ranging from artificial intelligence to our very nature as human beings.