101 Key Terms in Philosophy and Their Importance for Theology

Rating:
Summary: A very useful guide...
Review: I have been teaching in introduction to theology and systematic theology course for the past half decade, and if there is one deficit that I find fairly common among the students, it is a lack of knowledge about philosophy. Once upon a time, a young man going to seminary would have a background in liberal arts with a thorough grounding in the basics of philosophy - things have changed! Many seminary students are second-career, having had business or career-oriented educations, and every little philosophy along the way. This text is a very welcome resource for those students, as well as students who do have a background in philosophy, as a ready reference.

This is a book of philosophy terms - specifically theological terms are not covered save insofar as they are direct cross-over terms to theology. There are entries for key philosophers (Descartes, Heidegger, Hume, etc.) and key philosophical topics (ethics, metaphysics, etc.), as well as philosophical schools. Natural theology is covered - this was a topic in philosophy; hermeneutics is a cross-over term that gets dealt with in different ways.

One might quibble with some of the choices here, but for 101 topics in 100 pages, there will necessarily be omissions -- being interested in hermeneutics and Paul Ricoeur, I was sorry to not see Ricoeur's name in the book, mentioned in the topic, or referenced in the back; similarly, having a major entry for Feuerbach but no entry for Kant might be something I would change. However, these are minor concerns that those with more philosophical education would express; from the standpoint of the student and new learner, these are not major problems by any means.

There is a cross-reference index at the back that is handy; similarly, terms throughout the dictionary are marked with asterisks to indicate major entries, and related entries are listed at the bottom of most definitions. This book stands in the line between a dictionary and an encyclopedia of terms; more substantial than dictionary entries generally, they stop short of being complete essays on the topics. The bibliographic references are a wonderful guide to further reading and research, which helps the reader go beyond this text.

The authors, teaching at Calvin College and Gordon-Conwell Seminary, take a broadly ecumenical and objective approach to the terms, so this will be of use to students and readers Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant.


Rating:
Summary: Best Resource of its Kind
Review: It's not too often that I get excited about a philosphical reference book. Sure, I know that I need them and I always benefit from them, but they don't usually get me excited. This book, however was quite an exception. This is by far the most concisce, detailed and readable philosphical dictionary of this size that I have ever encountered. Its defintions are precise, yet comprehensive, scholarly, yet very clearly formulated. Any student of theology or philosophy should own this book. It will be a hepful tool to the student, the academic and the amatuer.

It should be noted that this is a dictionary of philsophy, not theology (although it is geared for theological students). Therefore, you won't find terms like "incarnation" or "trinity" contained herein. It also is not exhaustive, it is after all, only "101 key terms." However, there is a helpful cross-referencing index in the back of the book for entries that are not among the key terms, yet are treated under other entries. For example, there is no entry for Derrida, but he is dealt with in the section on Deconstruction. This cross-reference is listed in the index. There is also a substantial bibliography that is very helpful.

I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is the best book in its class, hands down. This book will be very helpful to today's theology students who need more than ever to have a decent grasp of philosophy. Highly recommended.