Donald A. Crosby
Encyclopedia
Donald Allen Crosby is currently (Jan.2009) Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Colorado State University and Adjunct Instructor in the philosophy department at Florida State University
. Crosby's interests focus on metaphysics, American pragmatism, philosophy of nature, existentialism, and philosophy of religion. He is a member of the Highlands Institute of American Religious and Philosophical Thought (HAIRPT) and has been a leader in the discussions on Religious Naturalism
.
"Crosby argues that nature, rather than anything supernatural, deserves reverence and devotion. He sets forth a vision of life and the universe that is as hopeful as it is realistic." -- Nancy K. Frankenberry, editor of Radical Interpretation in Religion…"I have seldom read a work that so deeply challenged me to rethink my views on the various topics this author interweaves into his argument. He is such a clear and compelling writer, providing rigorous yet easily readable arguments, that I would encourage any class in philosophy of religion, theology, or religious studies to include his text as required reading." -- Mary Doak, author of Reclaiming Narrative for Public Theology ... Relying upon philosophers like Alfred North Whitehead
and William James
, he espouses a literal religion of nature: "we need not go any further than nature to probe the depths of our existence and the powers that sustain our being." Seeing nature as metaphysically ultimate, he offers a systematic religious naturalism devoid of talk of God but that allows for prayer and spirituality focused on the intrinsic religious rightness of the universe itself. "
He was born in Mansfield, Ohio, and grew up in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Davidson College in North Carolina and trained for the Presbyterian ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was minister of a Presbyterian church in Christiana, Delaware, for three years and decided after that time to study for a doctorate in religion, with emphasis on philosophy of religion and ethics, in the joint program in religion at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York City. During the first two years of his doctoral work he served as part-time assistant minister at the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk, Connecticut. Following upon his doctoral studies, he became an assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. In the fall of 1965 he began teaching religious studies and philosophy in the philosophy department at Colorado State University, from which he retired as Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in 2001.
Crosby demitted the Presbyterian ministry in 1969 and began to develop his version of religious naturalism in writings dating from the early 1990s, reaching fuller expression in A Religion of Nature in 2002, and continuing to the present. Impetus for this process of development also dates from the writing of his book on philosophical nihilism, The Specter of the Absurd, published in 1988 and from his study of, and constructive work on, theories of religion in Interpretive Theories of Religion, published in 1981. The writing of his doctoral dissertation on Horace Bushnell
’s theory of language, published in 1975 as Horace Bushnell’s Theory of Language in the Context of Other Nineteenth Century Philosophies of Language, contributed greatly to the freeing of his mind from any vestiges of biblical or theological literalism, as did his studies of the origins and characters of the Hebrew and Jewish scriptures at Princeton.
In addition, Crosby’s exposure to the field of world religions at Columbia helped to broaden his thought far beyond its earlier religious conservatism. The God is Dead
movement in the 1960s, and especially its reflections on theological implications of the atrocities of the Nazi regime and the carnage of World War II, had an important influence on his abandonment of traditional theism. Finally, teaching courses on the philosophy of religion and on various philosophical systems in a secular university challenged him constantly to reflect on the relevance of religious and philosophical thought for his time and to continue to work out his own religious and philosophical outlook. He has been strongly influenced by the thought of William James
, John Dewey
, Alfred North Whitehead
, and Paul Tillich
in doing so, but other great philosophical and religious thinkers of the Western tradition have made their decisive contributions to his outlook as well, as have important writers about Eastern ways of thinking and living. Still another major influence on Crosby’s outlook is the findings of contemporary science, especially in the fields of cosmology, evolutionary biology, and ecology.
Crosby summarizes much of his current mode of religious and philosophical thought with four “Ps”: pluralism
, perspectivism
, processism, and pragmatism
. Discussion of the natures and interrelations of these four themes in his philosophy is presented, among other places, in his 2005 book Novelty and in the book Living with Ambiguity. To these four major themes typifying Crosby’s philosophical and religious outlook should be added the theme of his religious and philosophical naturalism. A sixth basic theme, also developed in his book Novelty, is the theme of emergentism, especially the emergence
of life from non-life and of conscious life from organic life in general. A final important theme brought to the fore in this book is his defense of indeterminism
and freedom. All these themes have far-reaching consequences for philosophy of nature and a religious naturalism.
The individual perspectives on Religious Naturalism of Loyal Rue
, Jerome A. Stone
, Ursula Goodenough
and Crosby are discussed by Michael Hogue in his 2010 book The Promise of Religious Naturalism.
Numerous other articles, book reviews and booknotes 1966-2007
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. Crosby's interests focus on metaphysics, American pragmatism, philosophy of nature, existentialism, and philosophy of religion. He is a member of the Highlands Institute of American Religious and Philosophical Thought (HAIRPT) and has been a leader in the discussions on Religious Naturalism
Religious naturalism
Religious naturalism is an approach to spirituality that is devoid of supernaturalism. The focus is on the religious attributes of the universe/Nature, the understanding of it and our response to it . These provide for the development of an eco-morality...
.
"Crosby argues that nature, rather than anything supernatural, deserves reverence and devotion. He sets forth a vision of life and the universe that is as hopeful as it is realistic." -- Nancy K. Frankenberry, editor of Radical Interpretation in Religion…"I have seldom read a work that so deeply challenged me to rethink my views on the various topics this author interweaves into his argument. He is such a clear and compelling writer, providing rigorous yet easily readable arguments, that I would encourage any class in philosophy of religion, theology, or religious studies to include his text as required reading." -- Mary Doak, author of Reclaiming Narrative for Public Theology ... Relying upon philosophers like Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
and William James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
, he espouses a literal religion of nature: "we need not go any further than nature to probe the depths of our existence and the powers that sustain our being." Seeing nature as metaphysically ultimate, he offers a systematic religious naturalism devoid of talk of God but that allows for prayer and spirituality focused on the intrinsic religious rightness of the universe itself. "
Biography
Crosby is a Religious Naturalist having contributed to the movement with two books and a number of journal articles and chapters in books. He argues that nature itself, without notions of God, gods, animating spirits, or supernatural beings or realms of any kind, is both metaphysically and religiously ultimate, and thus an appropriate and compelling focus of religious commitment and concern. Nature can be considered sacred. This is so despite the radical ambiguities of nature, or its intricate mixtures of goods and evils, to which he calls sustained attention in his 2008 book Living with Ambiguity: Religious Naturalism and the Menace of Evil.He was born in Mansfield, Ohio, and grew up in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Davidson College in North Carolina and trained for the Presbyterian ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was minister of a Presbyterian church in Christiana, Delaware, for three years and decided after that time to study for a doctorate in religion, with emphasis on philosophy of religion and ethics, in the joint program in religion at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York City. During the first two years of his doctoral work he served as part-time assistant minister at the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk, Connecticut. Following upon his doctoral studies, he became an assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. In the fall of 1965 he began teaching religious studies and philosophy in the philosophy department at Colorado State University, from which he retired as Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in 2001.
Crosby demitted the Presbyterian ministry in 1969 and began to develop his version of religious naturalism in writings dating from the early 1990s, reaching fuller expression in A Religion of Nature in 2002, and continuing to the present. Impetus for this process of development also dates from the writing of his book on philosophical nihilism, The Specter of the Absurd, published in 1988 and from his study of, and constructive work on, theories of religion in Interpretive Theories of Religion, published in 1981. The writing of his doctoral dissertation on Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell was an American Congregational clergyman and theologian.-Life:Bushnell was a Yankee born in the village of Bantam, township of Litchfield, Connecticut. He attended Yale College where he roomed with future magazinist Nathaniel Parker Willis. Willis credited Bushnell with teaching...
’s theory of language, published in 1975 as Horace Bushnell’s Theory of Language in the Context of Other Nineteenth Century Philosophies of Language, contributed greatly to the freeing of his mind from any vestiges of biblical or theological literalism, as did his studies of the origins and characters of the Hebrew and Jewish scriptures at Princeton.
In addition, Crosby’s exposure to the field of world religions at Columbia helped to broaden his thought far beyond its earlier religious conservatism. The God is Dead
God is dead
"God is dead" is a widely-quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science , in sections 108 , 125 , and for a third time in section 343...
movement in the 1960s, and especially its reflections on theological implications of the atrocities of the Nazi regime and the carnage of World War II, had an important influence on his abandonment of traditional theism. Finally, teaching courses on the philosophy of religion and on various philosophical systems in a secular university challenged him constantly to reflect on the relevance of religious and philosophical thought for his time and to continue to work out his own religious and philosophical outlook. He has been strongly influenced by the thought of William James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
, John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
, Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
, and Paul Tillich
Paul Tillich
Paul Johannes Tillich was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. Tillich was one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century...
in doing so, but other great philosophical and religious thinkers of the Western tradition have made their decisive contributions to his outlook as well, as have important writers about Eastern ways of thinking and living. Still another major influence on Crosby’s outlook is the findings of contemporary science, especially in the fields of cosmology, evolutionary biology, and ecology.
Crosby summarizes much of his current mode of religious and philosophical thought with four “Ps”: pluralism
Religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of various religions, and is used in a number of related ways:* As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus that at least some truths and true values...
, perspectivism
Perspectivism
Perspectivism is the philosophical view developed by Friedrich Nietzsche that all ideations take place from particular perspectives. This means that there are many possible conceptual schemes, or perspectives in which judgment of truth or value can be made...
, processism, and pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
. Discussion of the natures and interrelations of these four themes in his philosophy is presented, among other places, in his 2005 book Novelty and in the book Living with Ambiguity. To these four major themes typifying Crosby’s philosophical and religious outlook should be added the theme of his religious and philosophical naturalism. A sixth basic theme, also developed in his book Novelty, is the theme of emergentism, especially the emergence
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
of life from non-life and of conscious life from organic life in general. A final important theme brought to the fore in this book is his defense of indeterminism
Indeterminism
Indeterminism is the concept that events are not caused, or not caused deterministically by prior events. It is the opposite of determinism and related to chance...
and freedom. All these themes have far-reaching consequences for philosophy of nature and a religious naturalism.
The individual perspectives on Religious Naturalism of Loyal Rue
Loyal Rue
Dr. Loyal D. Rue is professor of religion and philosophy at Luther College of Decorah, Iowa , and focuses on naturalistic theories of religion.He has been awarded two John Templeton Foundation fellowships....
, Jerome A. Stone
Jerome A. Stone
Jerome Stone—author, philosopher, and theologian—is best known for helping to develop the religious movement of Religious Naturalism. Dr. Stone is on the Adjunct Faculty of Meadville Lombard Theological School; is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at William Rainey Harper College; is in Preliminary...
, Ursula Goodenough
Ursula Goodenough
Ursula W. Goodenough is a Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the best selling book Sacred Depths of Nature...
and Crosby are discussed by Michael Hogue in his 2010 book The Promise of Religious Naturalism.
Professional societies and positions
- American Academy of Religion
- American Philosophical Association
- Society for the Study of Process Philosophies
- Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought
- Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy
- Association for Process Philosophy of Education
- Metaphysical Society of America
- Associate Editor and member of the Executive Committee and Editorial Board of The American Journal of Theology and Philosophy
- 1998—2004 Vice-President of the Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought (the name was changed in the summer of 1998)
- 1991—1996 Board of Directors of International Society for Study of Human Ideas on Ultimate Reality and Meaning
- 1992—2004 Board of Directors of the Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought,
- 1990—1991 Executive Committee of Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought
- 1989—1995 Regional Secretary of Rocky-Mountain Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion and member of the national AAR Board of Directors
- 1975—1977 Vice-President and then President of the Rocky-Mountain/ Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature
Awards
- 1994 - John N. Stern Distinguished Professor Award for Teaching and Research College of Liberal Arts, Colorado State University
- 1989 - Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Graduate Teaching and Research, Colorado State University
- 1981 - Honors Professor Teaching Award, Colorado State University
- 1959—1962 - Lilly Tuition Scholarship, Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York
- 1955 - Robert L. Maitland Prize in New Testament Exegesis, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey
- 1955 - Archibald Alexander Hodge Prize in Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey
Books
- 2008 - Living with Ambiguity: Religious Naturalism and the Menace of Evil, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press
- 2005 - Novelty Lanham, MD: Lexington Books
- 2002 - A Religion of Nature, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
- 1988 - The Specter of the Absurd: Sources and Criticisms of Modern Nihilism, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press
- 1981 - Interpretive Theories of Religion, The Hague: Mouton Publishers
- 1975 - Horace Bushnell’s Theory of Language, in the Context of Other Nineteenth-Century Philosophies of Language, The Hague, Mouton Publishers
Edited volumes
- 2001 - Religion in a Pluralistic Age (with Charley D. Hardwick), Selected Papers from the Third International Conference on Philosophical Theology, Evangelische Akadamie, Bad Boll, Germany, July 29-August 3, 1998. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
- 1997 - Pragmatism, Neo-Pragmatism, and Religion: Conversations with Richard Rorty (with Charley D. Hardwick), Selected Papers from Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought Conference Meeting with Richard Rorty in Highlands, North Carolina, June 20–24. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
- 1996 - Religious Experience and Ecological Responsibility (with Charley D. Hardwick), Selected Papers from the Second International Conference on Philosophical Theology University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Scotland, August 5–9, 1993. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Articles and chapters on Religious Naturalism
- 2007 - A Case for Religion of Nature and Further Contributions to the Dialogue, Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, 1/4: 489-502, 508-509.
- 2007 - Religious Naturalism, entry in The Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Religion, ed. Paul Copan and Chad V. Meister. London: Routledge, 1145-62.
- 2005 - The Emergentist Alternative: A Critique of Pansubjectivism, in Nature, Truth, and Value, ed. George Allan and Merle Allshouse, a Festschrift volume in honor of Frederick Ferré. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 67-81.
- 2003 - Transcendence and Immanence in a Religion of Nature,” American Journal of Theology and Philosophy, 24/3: 245-259.
- 2003 - Naturism as a Type of Religious Naturalism, Zygon, 38/1: 117-120.
- 1998 - Nature and Human Nature: Impacts and Implications of Science Since 1859 (with Charles Smith), in Perspectives on the Unity and Integration of Knowledge ed. Garth Benson, et al. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., Counterpoints, vol. 39, 39-53.
- 1993 - The Ultimacy of Nature: An Essay on Physidicy, in The American Journal of Theology and Philosophy, 14/3: 2-14.
Editorial work
- 1991—Present - Executive Advisory Committee to the Editor, American Journal of Theology and Philosophy.
- 1990—Present - Evaluator of book manuscripts for the State University of New York Press
- 1996—Present - General Editor (with W. Creighton Peden) of book series American Liberal Religious Thought, published by Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York. Eight volumes published
Numerous other articles, book reviews and booknotes 1966-2007
See also
- EmergenceEmergenceIn philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
- ImmanenceImmanenceImmanence refers to philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence, in which the divine is seen to be manifested in or encompassing of the material world. It is often contrasted with theories of transcendence, in which the divine is seen to be outside the material world...
- metaphorMetaphorA metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
- NaturalismNaturalism (philosophy)Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
- Religious HumanismReligious humanismReligious humanism is an integration of humanist ethical philosophy with religious rituals and beliefs that center on human needs, interests, and abilities.-Origins:...
- self-organizationSelf-organizationSelf-organization is the process where a structure or pattern appears in a system without a central authority or external element imposing it through planning...
- Spiritual NaturalismSpiritual NaturalismNaturalistic Spirituality and Spiritual Naturalism are interchangeable terms for the same philosophical perspective, with the latter term more commonly used...
Further reading
- 2008- Jerome A. StoneJerome A. StoneJerome Stone—author, philosopher, and theologian—is best known for helping to develop the religious movement of Religious Naturalism. Dr. Stone is on the Adjunct Faculty of Meadville Lombard Theological School; is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at William Rainey Harper College; is in Preliminary...
- Religious Naturalism Today: The Rebirth of a Forgotten Alternative, State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
(Dec 2008), ISBN 0-7914-7537-9 - 2008- Chet RaymoChet RaymoChet Raymo is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years. This is now a daily blog by him...
- When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy: Making of a Religious Naturalist, Sorin Books (September 2008), ISBN 1-933495-13-8 - 2006- Loyal RueLoyal RueDr. Loyal D. Rue is professor of religion and philosophy at Luther College of Decorah, Iowa , and focuses on naturalistic theories of religion.He has been awarded two John Templeton Foundation fellowships....
- Religion is not About God, Rutgers University PressRutgers University PressRutgers University Press is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in Piscataway, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University.-History:...
(September 25, 2006), ISBN 0-8135-3955-2 - 2006- William R. Murry - Reason and Reverence, Skinner House BooksSkinner House BooksSkinner House Books is a book publisher run by the Unitarian Universalist Association , specializing in books for Unitarian Universalists -- meditation manuals, worship and church resources, and books on theology, UU history and social justice concerns...
(November 6, 2006), ISBN 1-55896-518-1 - 2004- Gordon Kaufman - In the Beginning….Creativity, Augsburg Fortress PublishersAugsburg FortressAugsburg Fortress is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and also publishes for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada as Augsburg Fortress Canada...
(July 2004), ISBN 0-8006-6093-5 - 2002- Karl PetersKarl PetersKarl Peters , was a German colonial ruler, explorer, politician and author, the prime mover behind the foundation of the German colony of East Africa...
- Dancing with the Sacred, Trinity Press International (August 2002), ISBN 1-56338-393-4 - 2000- Ursula GoodenoughUrsula GoodenoughUrsula W. Goodenough is a Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the best selling book Sacred Depths of Nature...
- The Sacred Depths of Nature, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, USA; 1 edition (June 15, 2000), ISBN 0-19-513629-2 - 2000- Paul TillichPaul TillichPaul Johannes Tillich was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. Tillich was one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century...
- The Courage to Be, Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
; 2 Sub edition (July 11, 2000), ISBN 0-300-08471-4