The Affirmations of Reason: On Karl Barth’s Speculative Theology

Description

This book examines the speculative core of Karl Barth’s theology, reconsidering the relationship between theory and practice in Barth’s thinking. A consequence of this reconsideration is the recognition that Barth’s own account of his theological development is largely correct. Sigurd Baark draws heavily on the philosophical tradition of German Idealism, arguing that an important part of what makes Barth a speculative theologian is the way his thinking is informed by the nexus of self-consciousness, reason and, freedom, which was most fully developed by Kant, Fichte, and Hegel. The book provides a new interpretation of Barth’s theology, and shows how a speculative understanding of theology is useful in today’s intellectual climate. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii Introduction (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 1-6 The Speculative Aspect (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 7-29 Front Matter ....Pages 31-31 Kant’s Critical Philosophy (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 33-68 Fichte and Hegel on Knowledge and Self-Consciousness (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 69-111 Front Matter ....Pages 113-113 The Early Dialectical Theology of Barth and Thurneysen (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 115-170 The Form of Barth’s Speculative Theology (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 171-229 Barth’s Speculative Theology and the Kirchliche Dogmatik (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 231-278 Conclusion (Sigurd Baark)....Pages 279-283 Back Matter ....Pages 285-291