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8 pages, 226 KB

Open AccessArticle

Black Skins, European Masks: Transforming the Collective Unconscious in Cameroon

by Daniel John Pratt Morris-Chapman

Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040113 - 15 Oct 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1233

Over the last decade, Cameroon has been embroiled in a violent civil conflict. In 2016, protests within the minority Anglophone regions against the obligatory use of French in schools triggered a period of considerable unrest, in which hundreds of people have been incarcerated and killed. Following an increased security presence in the English-speaking regions, armed groups surfaced calling for secession—the creation of an independent nation of Ambazonia. The failure to resolve the crisis peacefully through dialogue has resulted in a spiral of violence between armed separatists and the military. Building on the work of Frantz Fanon, this paper offers an analysis of the construction of these identities before and after European colonisation. In mapping the contours of Francophone and Anglophone assimilation it seeks to explore how the current crisis might be resolved through what Fanon describes as a transformation of the collective unconscious and what the Nigerian philosopher Cyril Orji describes as a psychological transition away from prejudice against the Other. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decolonizing East African Genealogies of Power)

11 pages, 234 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Priority of Interior Life: Berdyaev and Lonergan in Dialogue on Democracy

by Francesca Zaccaron

Religions 2025, 16(3), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030308 - 27 Feb 2025

Viewed by 1455

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the priority of interior life for democracy, imagining a dialogue between Nicolai Berdyaev and Bernard Lonergan. My claim is that Berdyaev and Lonergan converge on the same perspective, while affirming that only a subject who considers the spiritual life as the source of her own life and actions and is open to conversion, is able to collaborate with others in building what Lonergan calls a cosmopolis, which represents a core aspect of democracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)

11 pages, 240 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Spirituality for Cosmopolis

by Timothy P. Muldoon

Religions 2024, 15(12), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121466 - 1 Dec 2024

Viewed by 2454

Abstract

This essay will draw from the classical Greek notions of cosmopolis and cosmopolitanism—world citizenship—as a heuristic for contemplating the question of contemporary participation in a wholly good global society. The first part of this paper will explore how the ancient notion of cosmopolis offers contemporary thinkers a compelling hermeneutic for considering cultural growth over history. Then, in part two, it will focus on spirituality, returning to the ancient Greek world through the lens of Pierre Hadot’s work on philosophy as spiritual exercise. Finally, this essay will engage Bernard Lonergan’s suggestion that cosmopolis as a heuristic is fundamentally oriented toward reversing the kinds of decline that emerge from shortsightedness and various forms of bias. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)

15 pages, 327 KB

Open AccessArticle

Kenotic Solidarity in Discernment

by Ligita Ryliškytė

Religions 2024, 15(12), 1453; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121453 - 28 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1882

Abstract

This article employs a Christological lens, deeply informed by Bernard J. F. Lonergan’s theology of history and soteriology, to discern the conditions necessary for all-inclusive solidarity. It highlights the twofold kenotic aspect of solidarity, addressing a gap in mainstream theological discourses that often emphasize ‘particular’ solidarity with those in need while neglecting its ‘universal’ (all-inclusive) dimension. Affirming ‘universal’ solidarity necessitates guarding against a misleading notion of neutrality and against totalization, as well as resisting a truncated understanding of intersubjectivity that is prone to group bias. After laying the foundations for understanding solidarity in light of its secular origins and Christian theological context, the article concludes that redemptive solidarity cannot exist without a christomorphic kenosis, which encompasses two incommensurable dimensions: solidarity with victims and solidarity with victimizers as potential converts (that is, as capable of metanoia). In the pursuit of transforming evil into good in history, kenotic solidarity requires prioritizing the common good over personal advantage, even to the extent of refusing to exploit what is (or seems to be) rightfully one’s own—whether privilege, possessions, or the right to strict retribution— just as Christ did when he did not exploit his equality with God to his own advantage (Phil 2:6). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)

15 pages, 264 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Interweaving of Love and Truth: Bernard Lonergan, Intellectual Conversion, and the Synodal Process

by Gerard Kevin Whelan

Religions 2024, 15(11), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111369 - 11 Nov 2024

Viewed by 2079

Abstract

This article explores the relatively theoretical question of what contribution academic theology is making to the synodal process and how this interaction might deepen in the years to come. It stresses the importance of what it calls foundational theological questions, employing the thought of the Jesuit philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan to define this term. It traces how a slow awareness of the importance of such questions, and an explicit attention to the question of theological method that is related to this, began emerging in the Second Vatican Council. It then suggests that such questions have come closer to the center of attention in the synodal process launched by Pope Francis. It proposes that the synodal process in the future will benefit by making further use of the thought of Lonergan. It leaves to a further study the question of how clarifying foundational and methodological questions in theology might have consequences for Catholic education in general. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catholic Education and Pope Francis’ Dream for a Synodal Church)

19 pages, 313 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Intersection of Bernard Lonergan’s Critical Realism, the Common Good, and Artificial Intelligence in Modern Religious Practices

by Steven Umbrello

Religions 2023, 14(12), 1536; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121536 - 13 Dec 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6305

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) profoundly influences a number of societal structures today, including religious dynamics. Using Bernard Lonergan’s critical realism as a lens, this article investigates the intersections of AI and religious traditions in their shared pursuit of the common good. Beginning with Lonergan’s principle that humans construct their understanding through cognitive processes, we examine how AI-mediated realities align with or challenge traditional religious tenets. By delving into specific cases, we spotlight AI’s role in reshaping religious symbols, rituals, and even creating novel spiritual meanings. Using Lonergan’s insights on the balance between subjectivity and objectivity, I analyze AI’s potential to both create new sacred spaces and challenge religious orthodoxy. The crux of the discussion centers on the negotiation between religious values and technological innovation, assessing how AI can bolster religious life while maintaining its core essence. Ultimately, this article underscores the importance of the common good in the age of AI-driven religious evolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Digital Religion, AI and Culture)

18 pages, 5728 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

SatelliteSkill5—An Augmented Reality Educational Experience Teaching Remote Sensing through the UN Sustainable Development Goals

by Eimear McNerney, Jonathan Faull, Sasha Brown, Lorraine McNerney, Ronan Foley, James Lonergan, Angela Rickard, Zerrin Doganca Kucuk, Avril Behan, Bernard Essel, Isaac Obour Mensah, Yeray Castillo Campo, Helen Cullen, Jack Ffrench, Rachel Abernethy, Patricia Cleary, Aengus Byrne and Conor Cahalane

Remote Sens. 2023, 15(23), 5480; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235480 - 23 Nov 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3479

Abstract

Advances in visualisation techniques provide new ways for us to explore how we introduce complex topics like remote sensing to non-specialist audiences. Taking inspiration from the popularity of augmented reality (AR) apps, a free, mobile digital AR app titled SatelliteSkill5, has been developed for both Androids and iPhones in Unity AR. SatelliteSkill5 helps users conceptualise remote sensing (RS) theory and technology by showcasing the potential of datasets such as multispectral images, SAR backscatter, drone orthophotography, and bathymetric LIDAR for tackling real-world challenges, with examples tackling many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the focus. Leveraging tried and tested pedagogic practices such as active learning, game-based learning, and targeting cross-curricular topics, SatelliteSkill5 introduces users to many of the fundamental geospatial data themes identified by the UN as essential for meeting the SDGs, imparting users with a familiarity of concepts such as land cover, elevation, land parcels, bathymetry, and soil. The SatelliteSkill5 app was piloted in 12 Irish schools during 2021 and 2022 and with 861 students ranging from 12 to 18 years old. This research shows that both students and teachers value learning in an easy-to-use AR environment and that SDGs help users to better understand complex remote sensing theory. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Teaching and Learning in Remote Sensing)

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