A Systems Theory of Religion - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Systems Theory of Religion write by Niklas Luhmann. This book was released on 2013-01-09. A Systems Theory of Religion available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A Systems Theory of Religion, still unfinished at Niklas Luhmann's death in 1998, was first published in German two years later thanks to the editorial work of André Kieserling. One of Luhmann's most important projects, it exemplifies his later work while redefining the subject matter of the sociology of religion. Religion, for Luhmann, is one of the many functionally differentiated social systems that make up modern society. All such subsystems consist entirely of communications and all are "autopoietic," which is to say, self-organizing and self-generating. Here, Luhmann explains how religion provides a code for coping with the complexity, opacity, and uncontrollability of our world. Religion functions to make definite the indefinite, to reconcile the immanent and the transcendent. Synthesizing approaches as disparate as the philosophy of language, historical linguistics, deconstruction, and formal systems theory/cybernetics, A Systems Theory of Religion takes on important topics that range from religion's meaning and evolution to secularization, turning decades of sociological assumptions on their head. It provides us with a fresh vocabulary and a fresh philosophical and sociological approach to one of society's most fundamental phenomena.
Systems Theory and Theology
Systems Theory and Theology - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Systems Theory and Theology write by Markus Locker. This book was released on 2011-01-01. Systems Theory and Theology available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The contributions to the collection Systems Theory and Theology explore the interplay between systems theory, religion and theology, and the symbolic expressions and philosophical foundations of these academic disciplines. This endeavor is rooted in the oeuvre of the late Austrian physicist Alfred Locker (1922-2005), who firmly believed that systems theory would finally emerge, some sixty years after von Bertalanffy's seminal work on General System Theory, as a bridge-building metatheory between the sciences and religion. The essays in this volume show, however, that such conversation transcends the usual form of dialogue among these disciplines. The studies contained in this collection enter into a critical evaluation and reassessment of the dominant postulates of scientific and theological systems and their interaction. Systems Theory and Theology includes treatments of paradoxes (A. Locker), the inner sciences (Zwick), systems of meaning (Krieger), philosophy (Murphy), theology (Sedmak), isomorphies of religious symbols (Zwick), and the bridging of science and religion (M. Locker).
Systems Theory and Theology
Systems Theory and Theology - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Systems Theory and Theology write by Markus Locker. This book was released on 2011-01-01. Systems Theory and Theology available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The contributions to the collection explore the interplay between systems theory, religion and theology, and the symbolic expressions and philosophical foundations of these academic disciplines. This endeavor is rooted in the oeuvre of the late Austrian physicist Alfred Locker (1922-2005), who firmly believed that systems theory would finally emerged, some sixty years after Bertalanffy's seminal work on General System Theory, as a bridge-building metatheory between the sciences and religion. The studies contained in this collection enter into a critical evaluation and reassessment of the dominant postulates of scientific and theological systems and their interaction, including treatments of paradoxes (A. Locker), the inner sciences (Zwick), systems of meaning (Krieger), philosophy (Murphy), theology (Sedmak), isomorphies of religious symbols (Zwick), and the bridging of science and religion (A. Locker).
Social Theory and Religion
Social Theory and Religion - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Social Theory and Religion write by James A. Beckford. This book was released on 2003-08-21. Social Theory and Religion available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Many aspects of religion are puzzling these days. This 2003 book looks at ways of improving our understanding of religious change by strengthening the links between social theory and the social scientific study of religion. It clarifies the social processes involved in constructing religion and non-religion in public and private life. Taking illustrations of the importance of these boundaries from studies of secularisation, religious diversity, globalisation, religious movements and self-identity, Beckford reviews social scientific knowledge about religion and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a wide range of theoretical attempts to account for religious change and continuity. The discussion goes in two directions. The first is towards identifying ways in which studies of religion would benefit from taking better account of themes in recent social theory. The second is towards identifying reasons for social theorists to pay more attention to the findings of empirical investigations of religion.
The Sociology of Religion
The Sociology of Religion - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Sociology of Religion write by George Lundskow. This book was released on 2008-06-10. The Sociology of Religion available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Using a lively narrative, The Sociology of Religion is an insightful text that investigates the facts of religion in all its great diversity, including its practices and beliefs, and then analyzes actual examples of religious developments using relevant conceptual frameworks. As a result, students actively engage in the discovery, learning, and analytical processes as they progress through the text. Organized around essential topics and real-life issues, this unique text examines religion both as an object of sociological analysis as well as a device for seeking personal meaning in life. The book provides sociological perspectives on religion while introducing students to relevant research from interdisciplinary scholarship. Sidebar features and photographs of religious figures bring the text to life for readers. Key Features Uses substantive and truly contemporary real-life religious issues of current interest to engage the reader in a way few other texts do Combines theory with empirical examples drawn from the United States and around the world, emphasizing a critical and analytical perspective that encourages better understanding of the material presented Features discussions of emergent religions, consumerism, and the link between religion, sports, and other forms of popular culture Draws upon interdisciplinary literature, helping students appreciate the contributions of other disciplines while primarily developing an understanding of the sociology of religion Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries! Instructor Resources on CD contain chapter outlines, summaries, multiple-choice questions, essay questions, and short answer questions as well as illustrations from the book. C Intended Audience This core text is designed for upper-level undergraduate students of Sociology of Religion or Religion and Politics.
