Papers by Brian P McNeil
It is well known that Augustine favored an allegorical method of interpretation. While this exege... more It is well known that Augustine favored an allegorical method of interpretation. While this exegetical approach to faith seeking understanding is evidenced most vividly in De trinitate, it likewise can be identified in the Confessions as well-albeit less conspicuously. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to expose the discreet allegories contained within the latter of these two works and show how they serve to reify the mystical, convoluted concept of conversion.
Upon a close examination of 19 th century intellectual history, it becomes evident that Friedrich... more Upon a close examination of 19 th century intellectual history, it becomes evident that Friedrich Nietzsche's departure from subject-centered reason is directly correlated with his unyielding passion for culture. His desire that Dionysus, the god of life's exuberance, emerges for others as the premier cultural standard is reinforced through an overt appeal to the artistic instruments of art, music, and poetry. This championing of the Dionysian and individual creative-intuitive power serves as the licensing platform upon which Nietzsche dissents from the Apollonian proponents of logical order. 1 Not only does his flagrant endorsement of a Dionysian reawakening plant the seed for the imminent postmodern movement, but it simultaneously challenges the fairly solid foundations of Christianity and traditional morality.
Conference Presentations by Brian P McNeil
Dichotomize the 'Republic' presents a critical issue recognized by astute contemporary scholars o... more Dichotomize the 'Republic' presents a critical issue recognized by astute contemporary scholars of Ancient Philosophy. This concern, as the author indicates, stems from a "type of thinking in the modern period [that] is characterized by a dependence on and tendency to divide concepts." 1 The modern proclivity to bifurcate the moral and political tenets of Platonism represents a form of theoretical overreaching that contaminates the philosophical purity of Plato's central message: the need for a unity of polis in truly just regimes. By dichotomozing the city-soul analogy these interpreters not only fail to comprehend the essence of the moral-political proposal afforded by Plato in the Republic but, also, prove to encroach misguidedly upon its rightful meaning. In order to clearly explicate this encroachment, however, the nature of the city-soul analogy must be revisited. This revisitation, which will ultimately lend further credence to Antonini's main thesis, requires a preliminary examination of the underlying citizen-individual relation. The findings of this inchoative examination will, then, enable us to carefully expose the intended synthesis of the city-soul analogue.
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Papers by Brian P McNeil
Conference Presentations by Brian P McNeil