Scriptures and the Guidance of Language: Evaluating a Religious Authority in Communicative Action

Smith, Steven G.

ISBN 10: 1108473210 / ISBN 13: 9781108473217

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 18379792218

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Scriptures and the Guidance of Language: Evaluating a Religious Authority in Communicative Action
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108473210
• ISBN 13: 9781108473217
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this book, Steven G. Smith focuses on the guidance function in language and scripture and evaluates the assumptions and ideals of scriptural religion in global perspective. He brings to language studies a new pragmatic emphasis on the shared modeling of life-in-the-world by communicators constantly depending on each other's guidance. Using concepts of axiality and axialization derived from Jaspers' description of the 'Axial Age', he shows the essential role of scripture in the historical progress of communicative action. This volume clarifies the formative power of scriptures in religions of the 'world religion' type and brings scripture into philosophy of religion as a major cross-cultural category of study, thereby helping philosophy of religion find a needed cross-cultural footing.

About the Author

Steven G. Smith is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Millsaps College, Mississippi and the author of numerous works in philosophy of religion and related fields, including The Concept of the Spiritual (1988), Gender Thinking (1992), Worth Doing (2004), Appeal and Attitude (2005), Full History (2016), and Centering and Extending (2017).