Carl G. Vaught chairs the Department of Philosophy at The Pennsylvania State University. The holder of both a master's degree and doctorate in Philosophy from Yale University, he has published several articles dealing with the philosophy of religion and philosophy in literature. Vaught also has lectured extensively on philosophy, religion, and the quest for wholeness.

• PrefaceIntroduction: Fragmentation, Wholeness, and Concrete Reflection 1. Fragmentation and the Quest for FulfillmentOrigins The Power of NegativityDispersion and Unity Power and self-annihilationMystery and self-acceptanceSalvation and self-discovery 2. Revelation, Individuation, and the Recovery of Origins The Radical Reversal of Tribalism Abraham's journeyThe sacrifice of IsaacAbraham's children Moses and the Burning BushThe Name of God Reflective interpretationConcrete embodiment 3. The Conflict between Religion and Philosophy The Family, the City, and the Task of PhilosophyInitial Definitions of PietyThe Linguistic Conflict between Theology and PhilosophyThe Quest for Completeness and the Emergence of Identity-in-Difference 4. Art, Religion, and the Absolute Standpoint The Conquest of External OppositionThe Artisitc and Religious Resistance to the Philosophical Quest for CompletenessOpenness, Otherness, and Systematic Reflection Notes Index

"What impresses me most about this book is the way in which it accomplishes the author's intent: to address real human issues and problems from a philosophical standpoint which is not located on an abstract, Olympian summit accessible only to professional philosophers. I am intrigued by Vaught's methodology and by his brilliant success in using it. He uses classic instances of human experience—as expressed in their most concrete forms (i.e., art, myth, dialogue)—and exposes the structures of that concreteness, thereby allowing the various movements toward wholeness to shine forth. I found his treatment of Moby Dick and of the biblical accounts particularly compelling and unusually insightful." — Elizabeth M. Kraus, Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University