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Optimism and Pessimism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2008

Stewart R. Sutherland
Stewart R. Sutherland
Affiliation:
Professor of the History and Philosophy of Religion, King's College, London
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Extract

My argument will be that our understanding of human beings, which is what I take the Christian doctrine of man to be concerned with, will benefit considerably from an examination of two different but related clusters of human attitudes which can be found respectively under the headings ‘optimism’ and ‘pessimism’. There are many pitfalls in the way of such an enterprise, and occasionally some prejudices to be overcome. For example L. E. Loemker in the relevant articles in the Encyclopedia of Philosophy concludes a fairly lengthy discussion with the rather terminal judgement:

Type
Articles
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 1981 , pp. 537 - 548
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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References

page 537 note 1 Marcel, G., Homo Viator (Gollacz, 1951), p. 34.Google Scholar

page 539 note 1 Cf. ‘What Happens After Death?’ Scot. Journ. Theol. (1969)Google Scholar; ‘Immortality and Resurrection’, in Donnelly, J. (ed.), Language, Metaphysics and Death (Fordham U.P., 1978).Google Scholar

page 542 note 1 Cf. Zahn, Gordon, In Solitary Witness (Chapman, 1966).Google Scholar

page 543 note 1 This paper was first read to a meeting of The Society for the Study of Theology.

page 545 note 1 In fact, it must be pointed out that there are other and different considerations which bear on the discussion of the historicity of Jesus, and I have discussed some of these in ‘History and Belief’, Theology, (1970).Google Scholar