Título: The Soul's Upward Yearning
Autor: Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D.
Sinopse: Western culture has been moving away from its Christian roots for several centuries but the turn from Christianity accelerated in the 20th century. At the core of this decline is a loss of a sense of our own transcendence. Scientific materialism has so seriously impacted our belief in human transcendence that many people find it difficult to believe in God and the human soul. This anti-transcendent perspective has not only cast its spell on the natural sciences, psychology, philosophy, and literature, it has also negatively impacted popular culture through the writings of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and many others. The warning signs of this loss of transcendence have been expressed by thinkers as diverse as Carl Jung (psychiatrist), Mircea Eliade (historian of religion), Gabriel Marcel (philosopher), C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. These warnings were validated by a 2004 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry which showed that the absence of religion alone was responsible for a marked increase in suicide rates, sense of meaningless, substance abuse, separation from family, and other psychiatric problems. Thus, the loss of transcendence is negatively affecting not only individuals’ sense of happiness, dignity, ideals, virtues, and destiny, but also the culture. Ironically, the evidence for transcendence is greater today than in any other period in history. The problem is – this evidence has not been compiled and propagated. Fr. Spitzer’s book provides a bright light in the midst of this cultural darkness by presenting both traditional and contemporary evidence for God and a transphysical soul from several major sources. He also shows how human consciousness and intelligence is completely special – and cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence or animal consciousness. We are transcendent beings with souls capable of surviving bodily death – self-reflective beings aware of perfect truth, love, goodness, and beauty. We are beings with an unrestricted capacity to know and create science, law, culture, art, music, literature, and so much more. The evidence reveals that we have the dignity of being created in the very image of God, and if we underestimate it, we will undervalue one another, underlive our lives, and underachieve our destiny. This work is the most comprehensive treatment of human transcendence available today.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “The Soul’s Upward Yearning”, de Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., publicado pela editora Ignatius Press, em 2015 e com 356 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: Ignatius Press
Páginas: 356
Ano: 2015
Edição: Sewn
Linguagem: pt_BR
ISBN: 9781586179557
ISBN13: 9781586179557
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Ignatius Press costumam oferecer uma leitura que combina rigor intelectual com profundidade espiritual, frequentemente ancorada na tradição católica. O catálogo revela um foco claro em obras que exploram a fé cristã sob múltiplas facetas — desde relatos históricos de personagens e eventos marcantes até análises teológicas e morais detalhadas. As narrativas podem variar entre o tom didático, como em bíblias de estudo com notas extensas, e o tom mais dramático e tenso, presente em thrillers históricos que envolvem espionagem e conflitos morais. A experiência de leitura é marcada por um equilíbrio entre reflexão filosófica e relatos concretos, com textos que dialogam tanto com o público acadêmico quanto com leitores interessados em aprofundar sua fé.
