Cosmopsychism and Original Sin by Harvey Cawdron

Cosmopsychism and Original Sin by Harvey Cawdron

Cawdron’s book explores the applications of cosmopsychism, the idea that the universe is conscious, to contemporary discussions of original sin in Christian analytic theology.
There are two issues in the scholarship of original sin that the book focuses on. The first is the transmission issue, which explains how original sin is transmitted between humans. The second is the apparent tension between original sin and moral responsibility. In doctrines that include original guilt, where later humans are considered guilty for the first sin, one has trouble with moral responsibility because later humans cannot have prevented something that happened before they were born. This problem also impacts doctrines that do not include original guilt, as one has to explain how people can be guilty for sinful acts if original sin makes the performance of these acts inevitable. Cawdron argues that cosmopsychism can help us resolve both of these issues, suggesting that the placing of consciousness at the fundamental level in cosmopsychism and the fact that the cosmic subject must individuate, or de-combine, to form other subjects, can provide us with a useful understanding of the transmission of original sin. Cawdron also uses cosmopsychism to develop two models of original sin – one including the doctrine of original guilt, and another that does not – to address tensions between the doctrine and moral responsibility.

In Cosmopsychism and Original Sin, Harvey Cawdron develops a strikingly novel approach to the doctrine of original sin, drawing on cutting-edge work in the philosophy of mindBy integrating insights from cosmopsychism, he offers a fresh and illuminating perspective on a longstanding theological debate. This book is a powerful example of how bridging two distinct fields can yield fruitful results. -- Yujin Nagasawa * Professor of Philosophy and Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, University of Oklahoma, USA *
Cosmopsychism and Original Sin draws on new developments in metaphysics and philosophy of mind to address a central, longstanding Christian teaching. This is a significant, refreshing, creative contribution to philosophical theology. * Charles Taliaferro, Emeritus Overby Distinguished Professor, St. Olaf College, USA *

Harvey Cawdron is a Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews, and recently completed his PhD on Cosmopsychism and the Metaphysics of Original Sin there under the supervision of Professor Oliver Crisp and Dr Joanna Leidenhag. He has published in journals like Religious Studies, Sophia, Zygon, and the Journal of Disability & Religion. Cawdron has recently been awarded the 2024 Samuel Rutherford Prize for the most distinguished doctoral thesis in English Literature, Scottish History, Church History, or Theology at the University of St Andrews.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781350532427
ISBN 10	1350532428
Title	Cosmopsychism and Original Sin
Author	Harvey Cawdron
Series	Bloomsbury Studies In Philosophy Of Religion
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2025-10-16
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.