Theories of Consciousness and the Problem of Evil in the History of Ideas

In this book, Ben Lazare Mijuskovic uses both an interdisciplinary and History of Ideas approach to discuss four forms of intertwined theories of human consciousness and reflexive self-consciousness (Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Leibniz, Kant, and Hegel; Schopenhauer's subconscious irrational Will; Brentano and Husserl's transcendent intentionality; and Freud's dynamic ego). Mijuskovic explores these theories within the context of psychological issues, where the discussion is undergirded by the conflict between loneliness and intimacy. He also explores them in the context of ethics, where the dynamic is between the values of good and evil. The book historically traces these issues in both a personal as well as a political framework. Ben Lazare Mijuskovic was associate professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, USA, prior to retirement. He is also a licensed clinical therapist and has worked for many years with the San Diego and Los Angeles Departments of Mental Health Contents 6 About the Author 8 List of Figures 10 Chapter 1: The Battle Between the Gods and the Giants: The Idealists and the Materialists 11 Chapter 2: Historical and Conceptual Background: The Achilles of Rationalist Arguments 27 Chapter 3: Can Senseless Matter Alone Think? 43 Chart of Ethical Principles and Criteria 48 Chapter 4: Is Perception or Self-Consciousness Primary? To Which First Principle Does Personal Identity Belong? 50 Chapter 5: The Role Freedom, Spontaneity, and Genius Assume Within Ethical, Epistemic, and Aesthetic Contexts Versus Scientific Determinism 76 Chapter 6: Time-Consciousness, Subjective Idealism, and Personal Identity 108 Chapter 7: The Philosophical Application of the Concepts of Freedom, Spontaneity, and Genius in Various Contexts 127 Chapter 8: On the Distinction Between the Ought and the Is, Values and Facts, and Ethics and Science 135 Chapter 9: Narcissism, Loneliness, and the Problem of Evil 147 Chapter 10: Déjà Vu and the Problem of Evil: A Case Study of Political Narcissism and Sadism 184 Postscript 188 Aftermath 189 Afterword 203 Chapter 11: Are the Environmental and Existential Conditions of Mankind Improving or Deteriorating? 208 Chapter 12: Is the History of Our Universe and Mankind Cyclical or Linear? 211 Appendix 215 Name Index 218 Subject Index 222