The Prism of Truth: Reflections on Myth
Ebook
An ultimate God, being transcendent, is beyond description in literal terms; our knowledge of the divine nature must be indirect. A prime means of such an indirect approach to the divine is through the religious mythologies that have captivated humankind throughout recorded time, and even earlier. After considering the limitations of scientific thinking in dealing with questions of ultimate meaning and value, Anthony O'Hear argues that we should be open to taking religious mythologies seriously. We could, and probably should, see each of these mythologies as partial revelations, each capturing some aspect of the divine. They aim at truth, and should be valued as such, for their own particular insights and traditions of practice, but no single myth can capture the whole truth. Each is necessarily filtered through fallible human imagery and thought. So, while respecting and prioritizing our own favored myth, we should also be open to illumination from myths originating in different times and cultures for their own unique vision and approach.
“The Prism of Truth offers a brilliant, erudite case for the importance of going beyond the natural and social sciences in order to explore the depth, power, and meaning of religious and secular narratives or myths (including Christian and Islamic traditions). Anthony O’Hear’s unrivaled expertise in philosophy of science, philosophy of art and literature, and the theory of values makes this book a mature, provocative contribution to our thinking about the nature and breadth of truth.”
—Charles Taliaferro, professor emeritus of philosophy, St. Olaf College
“Lucid, erudite, humane, The Prism of Truth mounts a powerful argument against the scientific reductionism that dominates much of our contemporary culture and enters a passionate plea for the enduring power of myth as a vehicle that lifts us toward the transcendent.”
—John Cottingham, professor emeritus of philosophy, University of Reading
“The Prism of Truth is an outstanding and accessible defense of the centrality of myth, not as imperfect truth but as the very grounding and essential expression of truth in science, religion, and life.”
—Andrew Pinsent, research director, Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford
- Title: The Prism of Truth: Reflections on Myth
- Author: Anthony O'Hear
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666781038, 9781666781021, 1666781029, 9781666781014, 1666781010, 1666781037
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666781038
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-11T07:41:16Z
Anthony O’Hear is professor of philosophy at the University of Buckingham, UK. He was director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and editor of its journal Philosophy for twenty-five years. In 2018 he was appointed OBE for his services to education.