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This book is an elucidation and defense of four main propositions: (1) human nature is essentially rational; (2) rational nature is a conversation; (3) as the essential fabric of human nature, the reason exists as a potentiality in the formal organization of the human body; and (4) at the individual and collective levels, humanity grows and develops in the medium of conversation. Moreover, human nature is the unity of the capacities of intellect, which aims at the value of truth, goodness, which aims at the value of human love or happiness, and will, which aims at the value of freedom. Accordingly, in any type of human dialogue, or conversation, the dialogist should act as a human being and treats the other dialogist as a human being. This assumption underlies the analysis of the basic types of individual and inter-institutional dialogue.

This book is an in-depth study of the object of reflection in the activity of creating the artwork and the activity of having an aesthetic experience, as well as the epistemological and ontological conditions under which this type of activity takes place. What does the artist express, or communicate, in the activity of creating the artwork? What is the nature of reflection in this activity? What kind of mind reflects on the object of reflection? Similarly, what is object of reflection in the process of aesthetic perception? What kind of object does the perceiver contemplate in the process of aesthetic perception? How does this object come to life in the aesthetic experience? In order to answer these questions, the book relies on Malgorzata Cazarnocka's conception of symbolic truth.

One of the most difficult problems challenging the human mind is knowledge of the world in its human, natural, and supra-natural dimensions: what is the nature of this multidimensional reality? How do we know and verify the truth of our knowledge claims of this reality? A contemporary Polish philosopher, Malgorzata Czarnocka, has advanced one of the most comprehensive and insightful studies of the cognitive act and the conditions under which it takes place. The proposition explicated in this book is that Czarnocka's analysis of perception functions as a model of explanation in our attempt to know the nature of the being that underlies the universe. This analysis becomes the basis of the author's discussion of symbolic truth as a model of explanation and its other applications.

What is the meaning of human life, of living for a short period in this strange world and then leaving it alone, quietly in the silence of your soul? What is the central aim of liberal arts education? What makes the life of a human being worth living? This novel revolves around these three questions. The exploration of the first question takes place in a long conversation between Master Death and Dr. Adams, a professor of philosophy at Webster College in Jackson, Mississippi. While Master Death argues that human living is a process of human dying, Dr. Adams argues that an understanding of the reality of death is a necessary condition for leading a worthwhile life. Dr. Adams argues that the aim of liberal arts education is the cultivation of human character. The serious atmosphere of the novel shines brilliantly with a beautiful romance between one of Dr. Adams's distinguished students, David Brandon, and the daughter of his dear friend, Dr. Stanley Lawson.

This book provides a critical, systematic-analytical, and detailed analysis of creativity in art with special emphasis on the activity of artistic creation and the process of aesthetic perception. Consciously dismissed from the realm of aesthetic discourse during the past century, the book argues that the study of creativity is a primary task of aesthetic theory; understanding its dynamics, source, and the conditions under which it happens is a necessary condition for an adequate analysis of the essential nature of the artistic and the aesthetic.

This book examines the conceptual, existential, and logical conditions under which the philosophical novel can be treated as a literary genre on a par with generally recognized literary genres, such as mystery, romantic, adventure, religious, or historical novel. Michael H. Mitias argues that the philosophical novel meets these conditions. He advances a detailed analysis of the concept of literary genre, and discusses the reasons which justify the claim that philosophical novel is a distinct literary genre. This is based on the assumption that philosophical ideas can be communicated metaphorically. An analysis of this assumption necessarily leads to a detailed discussion of the concept of metaphor and the extent to which it can be the vehicle of communicating philosophical truth.

What is it like to be a God-intoxicated human being, to experience the radiance of his light, and to feel the warmth of his presence? Divine Light is written by a mystic, one who experiences God's presence in the different dimensions of nature and human life. This book is a collection of mystical poems. It is composed of two parts. The focal point of the first part is that God dwells in the human heart and that this dwelling is the source of the love that makes human life worth living. The mystic thinks, feels, acts, and understands the world from the standpoint of his or her love for God. The second part consists of a long poem. The theme of this poem is the power of love on the cross. Jesus became a divine being on the cross. His suffering during his crucifixion is the suffering of the loving heart in this world. This poem emphasizes that genuine love is an absolute value and that it is worth dying for.

Is dialogue between the major religions of the world possible? If it is possible, under what conditions? In this book, Michael H. Mitias argues that it is possible provided various conditions are met. These conditions include mutual respect, mutual understanding, and God-centeredness. First, how can a religion that is unusually complex­—composed of a doctrine founded in a unique divine revelation, a leadership class of theologians, teachers, clergy, and administrators, and a community across global cultures—show uniform respect to another religion? How can a complex institution like a religion truly understand another religion? Third, can the different religions worship the same God if their conceptions of God are based on their unique doctrines? Mitias addresses these questions and argues that it is possible for religions to respect and understand one another. Further, he argues that the different conceptions of God are necessarily founded in a belief in the existence of a transcendent, infinite, and wise being.

This novel is a story of the transformative power of love, of how Nick Mitya, who was nourished by a patriarchal, religiously bigoted, sexually chauvinist, materialist, and hypocritical culture, is transformed into a compassionate, caring, tolerant, and honest human being. This story is a vivid depiction of the challenges, struggles, and obstacles that stand in the way of Nick's endeavor to liberate himself from the oppressive traditions, customs, beliefs, and values of that culture and how the patient, tolerant, confident, healing fire of love illuminated Nick's mind with the light of truth, enlivened his heart with the warmth of humanity, and armed his will with the courage to be himself. This same love is also a fertile soil for the growth of a tender, yet passionate, romantic love between a German scholar, Johannes Mitya, and a Syrian political science graduate, Tina Sarkisian. The growth of this love adds luster and nobility to love as a transformative power and as an essential condition of human happiness.

What does it mean to die? What is the role of death in human life? The theme of this novel focuses on these two questions in the medium of a duel between the god of death, Mowt, and Dr. Athenaion, a devotee of the god of love. In the course of delineating the duel, the author spotlights the meaning of death as a human phenomenon in the context of a truly loving family. Mowt inflicts several devastating calamities upon Dr. Athenaion, but in spite of this infliction, two love affairs sprout and see the light of day in the Athenaion family.

What is it like to meet God, to converse with him about the most important questions of human life, and then to have union with him? What is it like for a finite being to stand in the presence of the infinite being? James Amore, a philosopher, is in quest of God. This quest originated from a strong desire to have union with the sun of all suns: God. This desire took hold of his heart and mind when he was a young man; it grew and developed into an overwhelming passion when he became an adult. Relying on information he received from his grandmother, who was a clandestine mystic, he decided to meet God on the Peakless Mountain. After twelve days of ascent, which was dangerous and exposed him to death a few times, he met God. To his surprise, God speaks, and he spoke to him in English. He had a two-day conversation with him, and then he declared to God that he would not leave until he had union with him. God warned him against this request, but James Amore was determined to sit in his lap and listen to the music of his heartbeats. Well, God granted him his wish. We do not know how long this union lasted, but we know that when James emerged from it, he was an old man and a deaf flute player! We meet him playing his flute at St. John the Divine, a cathedral in Jackson, Tennessee.

Seeking God is a Platonic dialogue on the nature of the religious experience and the conditions under which this experience is possible. The dialogue takes place between three characters, a philosopher, a Sufi, and a Christian monk. They meet in the Syrian Desert and share their views and experiences on what it takes to have a union with God. The main premise that is presented and analyzed in the dialogue is that God reveals himself in nature, human civilization, and the human heart. Love is the beginning and end of the path that leads to the quest for God and the light that illumines this path. Living from the standpoint of the Divine is the basis of the good life. This book presents a vivid picture of the beauty and sublimity of the Divine, the joy of the religious experience, and the joy of life.

Friendship was recognized as a central moral value in the classical period, but it was dismissed from medieval, modern, and twentieth century moral theories. This book argues that this dismissal is unjustifiable. The validity of this claim is established in four steps. First, it proposes the concept of moral paradigm. This concept enables us to explore the source of moral value and to provide a criterion for the evaluation of the adequacy of moral theory. Second, the book explains why medieval, modern and twentieth century moral theorists neglected friendship as a central moral value in their analysis of moral behavior and why this neglect was unjustifiable. Third, it explains why the classical moral philosophers viewed friendship as a central moral value. Fourth, it argues that friendship is an ontological need, therefore, a necessary condition of the moral life. This need is implicitly recognized in the moral paradigms that underlie the moral theories of the medieval, modern, and twentieth century moral theories. Accordingly it cannot be neglected in the process of moral theorizing.