About the Book
Within the last one hundred years, the scientific conception of the universe has undergone radical change. As a result a new field has evolved, called "cosmology," that examines the philosophical and scientific nature of the universe. Cosmology conceives of a material universe in which the interior of atoms do not act in the same predictable manner as the objects we can see and in which space is no longer empty volume unaffected by the matter within it. The universe is not a machine that operates with the same set of rules, but rather a living, growing organism.
This new cosmology is forcing a consideration of the meaning of life that also calls for a reconsideration of moral law—the doctrine of natural right. Natural law theory is based on a cosmology that is grounded in classical metaphysics. John C. Caiazza uses the term "natural right" rather than "natural law" since his argument for cosmic teleology is based on the cosmology of contemporary science and not that of classical metaphysics. If evolution and development are the key to understanding nature, it is important to get the evolutionary concept of nature right, especially when it involves ethics.
The universe can be viewed in two ways. One can admire the intricacy of the cosmological process on the physical, chemical, and astronomical levels. Or, one can look at this process as a result of design or providence. These two options should not preclude each other, Caiazza asserts; we should instead look closely at what science reveals about design. This volume offers an opportunity to reconcile the thinking of those who hold to traditional religious views on the origins of the universe and those who look to scientific explanations.
Table of Contents:
1: Natural Right and the New Scientific Cosmology; 2: Cosmology with a Human Face; 3: Co-opting the Evolutionary Narrative; 4: Teleological Interpretation of the Cosmological Timeline; 5: Natural Right and Nature’s God; 6: Politics without Natural Right; 7: Cosmology and Natural Right
About the Author :
John C. Caiazza is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Rivier University. He is the author of The War of the Jesus and Darwin Fishes, The Ethics of Cosmology, and The Disunity of American Culture.
Review :
-This book is an act of rare intellectual courage. John C. Caiazza asks the big questions too often avoided by scholars and public intellectuals today. And he brings both knowledge and wisdom to bear in providing a sometimes stunning set of answers, conveyed within a story that is as stimulating as it is illuminating. Anyone at all interested in learning about the nature of being and our place in the order of the existence should read--and argue with--this fine book.-
--Bruce P. Frohnen, Ohio Northern University College of Law
-Long ago, Socrates once said, 'wisdom begins in wonder.' And 'wonder' is precisely the reason why anyone should read Dr. Caiazza's book, The Ethics of Cosmology. When one views the cosmos as a whole, it should first begin to evoke a sense of all-inspiring awe. . . . The Ethics of Cosmology, astutely discusses the place of the human person in the universe. It then provides an answer to the age-old question of whether there is a permanent and universal source of ethical knowledge that applies to personal behavior. In detailed fashion, Dr. Caiazza establishes a systematic connection between natural right, politics, ethics, God, and cosmology.-
--Mike Hickey, author/writer
"This book is an act of rare intellectual courage. John C. Caiazza asks the big questions too often avoided by scholars and public intellectuals today. And he brings both knowledge and wisdom to bear in providing a sometimes stunning set of answers, conveyed within a story that is as stimulating as it is illuminating. Anyone at all interested in learning about the nature of being and our place in the order of the existence should read--and argue with--this fine book."
--Bruce P. Frohnen, Ohio Northern University College of Law
"Long ago, Socrates once said, 'wisdom begins in wonder.' And 'wonder' is precisely the reason why anyone should read Dr. Caiazza's book, The Ethics of Cosmology. When one views the cosmos as a whole, it should first begin to evoke a sense of all-inspiring awe. . . . The Ethics of Cosmology, astutely discusses the place of the human person in the universe. It then provides an answer to the age-old question of whether there is a permanent and universal source of ethical knowledge that applies to personal behavior. In detailed fashion, Dr. Caiazza establishes a systematic connection between natural right, politics, ethics, God, and cosmology."
--Mike Hickey, author/writer
"This book is an act of rare intellectual courage. John C. Caiazza asks the big questions too often avoided by scholars and public intellectuals today. And he brings both knowledge and wisdom to bear in providing a sometimes stunning set of answers, conveyed within a story that is as stimulating as it is illuminating. Anyone at all interested in learning about the nature of being and our place in the order of the existence should read--and argue with--this fine book."
--Bruce P. Frohnen, Ohio Northern University College of Law
"Long ago, Socrates once said, 'wisdom begins in wonder.' And 'wonder' is precisely the reason why anyone should read Dr. Caiazza's book, The Ethics of Cosmology. When one views the cosmos as a whole, it should first begin to evoke a sense of all-inspiring awe. . . . The Ethics of Cosmology, astutely discusses the place of the human person in the universe. It then provides an answer to the age-old question of whether there is a permanent and universal source of ethical knowledge that applies to personal behavior. In detailed fashion, Dr. Caiazza establishes a systematic connection between natural right, politics, ethics, God, and cosmology."
--Mike Hickey, author/writer
"This book is an act of rare intellectual courage. John C. Caiazza asks the big questions too often avoided by scholars and public intellectuals today. And he brings both knowledge and wisdom to bear in providing a sometimes stunning set of answers, conveyed within a story that is as stimulating as it is illuminating. Anyone at all interested in learning about the nature of being and our place in the order of the existence should read--and argue with--this fine book."
--Bruce P. Frohnen, Ohio Northern University College of Law
"Long ago, Socrates once said, 'wisdom begins in wonder.' And 'wonder' is precisely the reason why anyone should read Dr. Caiazza's book, The Ethics of Cosmology. When one views the cosmos as a whole, it should first begin to evoke a sense of all-inspiring awe. . . . The Ethics of Cosmology, astutely discusses the place of the human person in the universe. It then provides an answer to the age-old question of whether there is a permanent and universal source of ethical knowledge that applies to personal behavior. In detailed fashion, Dr. Caiazza establishes a systematic connection between natural right, politics, ethics, God, and cosmology."
--Mike Hickey, author/writer
