Publisher's Synopsis
This issue of Sophia contains the much anticipated response to Stephen Hawkings' recent book, Grand Design, by the renowned traditional Catholic thinker, Wolfgang Smith. In his powerful essay, Smith sets forth Grand Design's key conceptions and the overall logic of its argument, offers a five-fold refutation, based upon both philosophic and scientific grounds, and, finally, places the phenomenon of Hawking's best-seller in perspective by reflecting upon the nature, motivation, and limits of the scientific enterprise as such. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, the revered Muslim author and philosopher, offers profound insights into the meaning of "The Self and the Other" and how they must be re-evaluated in light of the crossroads at which we find ourselves today, focusing particularly on Jewish/Islamic relations. Charles Upton gives readers a glimpse into Quranic verses pertaining to the world of nature in "Tafsir of the Natural World"; Thomas Block writes on the spiritual teachings tales that are found in both Sufism and Hasidism; Larry Rinehart shares his insights in "Apologia for a Lutheran Mystical Gnosis"; and in "The Transcendental Unity of Revelations according to Nicholas of Cusa" Jean Borella presents Nicholas of Cusa's concept of the transcendental unity of revelations and the implicit recognition of this unity in the medieval and ancient Christianity preceding him. Darrell Blakeway's review essay of HRH Prince Charles' book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at our World, provides an in depth look at the dedicated work of Prince Charles, his urgent call for environmental renewal, and his view of the way forward to the realization of the goal of humanity living in harmony with nature.
