Author: C. Fred Alford File Type: pdf Are there universal values of right and wrong, good and bad, shared by virtually every human? The tradition of natural law argues that there is. Drawing on the work of psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, whose analyses have touched upon issues related to original sin, trespass, guilt, and salvation through reparation, in this 2006 book C. Fred Alford adds an extra dimension to this argument we know natural law to be true because we have hated before we have loved and have wished to destroy before we have wanted to create. Natural law is built upon the desire to make reparation for the goodness we have destroyed, or have longed to destroy. Through reparation, we earn salvation from the most hateful part of ourselves, that which would destroy what we know to be good.ReviewFred Alford has written a marvelous little book drawing out out a distinctive way of thinking anew about natural law. With admirable virtuosity and unfailing common sense, he weaves together a diverse group of sources Melanie Kleins psychoanalysis, Thomist natural law, political theory, interview results, and Greek tragedy. The book manages to maintain a salutary sense of moral and spiritual seriousness, without ever descending into heavy-handed preaching. The reader comes away enlivened by a powerful engagement. Stephen White, University of VirginiaOur late-modern age brims over with evidence of evil - evidence too often sidelined. As Lance Morrow remarked, the children of enlightenment are often obtuse to the dangers of endarkenment. How to account for the rampant upsurge of evil everywhere, and how to combat or contain this upsurge? Fred Alford, the renowned scholar of political psychology, here probes these questions with rigor and insight. As in his other writings, Alford uncovers unsuspected linkages or affinities and opens up exciting new vistas. Regarding the notion of natural law, in particular, these affinities link together Saint Augustine, Jacques Maritain, and Melanie Klein. Viewed from that perspective, natural law means not an abstract doctrine, but the desire and need to heal injuries and to make reparations for the ravages of hatred and destruction. Fred Dallmayr, University of Notre DamePsychology and the Natural Law of Reparation seeks to invigorate the latent resonance of reparation and natural law contained within our culture and evident to us through our history. And for that reason alone, his arguments are worthy of our consideration. - James M. Hepburn, PsycCritiques Book DescriptionThe tradition of natural law argues that there are universal values of right and wrong shared by every human. Drawing on the work of psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, whose analyses have touched upon issues related to original sin, trespass, guilt, and salvation, this 2006 text adds another dimension to this argument.

Author: Anne Commons File Type: pdf Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (fl. ca. 690) is generally regarded as one of the pre-eminent poets of premodern Japan. While most existing scholarship on Hitomaro is concerned with his poetry, this study foregrounds the process of his reception and canonization as a deity of Japanese poetry. Building on new interest in issues of canon formation in premodern Japanese literature, this book traces the reception history of Hitomaro from its earliest beginnings to the early modern period, documenting and analysing the phases of the process through which Hitomaro was transformed from an admired poet to a poetic deity. The result is a new perspective on a familiar literary figure through his placement within the broader context of Japanese poetic culture.About the AuthorAnne Commons received her Ph.D. in premodern Japanese literature from Columbia University in 2003 and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Alberta. Her research interests include premodern Japanese poetry and poetic criticism.