The Metaphysics of Religion: Lucian Blaga And Contemporary Philosophy

by Michael S. Jones

Lucian Blaga was an early twentieth-century European philosopher whose work was suppressed at the height of his career by the creation of the Romanian Socialist Republic. Blaga's philosophical writings are rich and creative, spanning metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophical anthropology, aesthetics, philosophy of culture, philosophy of history, and philosophy of religion. Mircea Eliade wrote that Blaga was "the most gifted and critical original thinker" in the history of Romanian philosophy. Because of historical circumstances, Blaga's philosophy has not become known outside of his own country, although within Romania it continues to be read and discussed. Were it to become known outside of Romania, Blaga's philosophy could provide interesting contributions to contemporary philosophical discussions. The thesis of this book is that Blaga's philosophy can make valuable contributions to contemporary Anglo-American philosophy. In order to support this thesis Blaga's philosophical system is explained in detail so that the reader may see how it can be applied to a variety of philosophical issues. Then it is applied to issues discussed in contemporary Anglo-American philosophy of religion in order to demonstrate that it can contribute to contemporary Anglo-American discussions.

287 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006