The Foundations of Philosophy: Epistemological Self-Consciousness - Paperback

by Michael Pòl MacNeil (Author)

This work is about philosophy and what makes a philosophy distinctively Christian in character, arguing that it is indeed possible for philosophy to be conceived of as first Christian and not just philosophy done by people that happen to be Christians. Christian philosophy is epistemologically self-conscious philosophy conducted in a manner honoring to the revelation of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. It is argued that philosophy should be transformative rather than just therapeutic or elucidatory. The author examines competing philosophical and scientific accounts from both the empiricist and rationalist schools, arguing they are coherent and successful only to the degree that they have imported, consciously or unconsciously, Christian transcendentals. He then applies this insight to explore the character and practice of a Christian political philosophy.

Author Biography

I have always had a great love of science and of literature. At the age of 17 I asked myself the question, will science or poetry make me rich? Obviously the answer at 17 was 'science' so, much to the disappointment of my English professor I took the scientific route. I studied Electronic Engineering and obtained a BSc and an MSc. I trained as a science teacher and worked in High school until my first wife's illness meant I began working at home building PCs and typing theses. This evolved into working as an IT contractor writing software which I have been writing ever since, my current position being a web developer working with four different languages. However, in 2007, I had an experience where I felt I was being arrested and challenged, causing me to return to study, I completed part-time a BD, an MA and finally a PhD in philosophy. My passion is to encourage people to think about the why of their existence, rather than just existing.