Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering By Eleonore Stump

Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering

Eleonore Stump
OUP Oxford, Sep 23, 2010 - Religion - 688 pages

Wandering in Darkness
Narrative and the Problem of Suffering
Eleonore Stump
A highly original approach to the problem of evil
Draws together philosophical, religious, and scientific perspectives on the human condition
Offers a way to make sense of existence in a world of suffering
The magnum opus of a leading figure in the philosophy of religion
Demonstrates the continuing value of Aquinas's theodicy for philosophers and theologians today
Features illuminating exegeses of central biblical narratives


Only the most naïve or tendentious among us would deny the extent and intensity of suffering in the world. Can one hold, consistently with the common view of suffering in the world, that there is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God? This book argues that one can. Wandering in Darkness first presents the moral psychology and value theory within which one typical traditional theodicy, namely, that of Thomas Aquinas, is embedded. It explicates Aquinas's account of the good for human beings, including the nature of love and union among persons. Eleonore Stump also makes use of developments in neurobiology and developmental psychology to illuminate the nature of such union. Stump then turns to an examination of narratives. In a methodological section focused on epistemological issues, the book uses recent research involving autism spectrum disorder to argue that some philosophical problems are best considered in the context of narratives. Using the methodology argued for, the book gives detailed, innovative exegeses of the stories of Job, Samson, Abraham and Isaac, and Mary of Bethany. In the context of these stories and against the backdrop of Aquinas's other views, Stump presents Aquinas's own theodicy, and shows that Aquinas's theodicy gives a powerful explanation for God's allowing suffering. She concludes by arguing that this explanation constitutes a consistent and cogent defense for the problem of suffering.

About the author (2010)

Eleonore Stump is The Robert J. Henle, SJ, Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University, where she has taught since 1992. She received a Ph.D. in medieval studies and medieval philosophy from Cornell University in 1975.

Bibliographic information

Title	Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering
Author	Eleonore Stump
Publisher	OUP Oxford, 2010
ISBN	0199277427, 9780199277421
Length	688 pages

Table of Contents

Incipit
Part I: The Nature of the Project 
1. Suffering, Theodicy, and Defense
2. Philosophy and Narrative
3. Narrative as a Means of Knowledge: Francis and Dominic
4. Narrative and the Knowledge of Persons
Part II: The World at Large: Love and Loneliness 
5. The Nature of Love
6. Union, Presence, and Omnipresence
7. Willed Loneliness
8. Other-worldly Redemption
Part III: The World of the Stories: Suffering in Particular 
9. The Story of Job: Suffering and the Second-personal
10. The Story of Samson: Self-Destroying Evil
11. The Story of Abraham: The Desires of the Heart
12. The Story of Mary of Bethany: Heartbrokenness and Shame
Part IV: Other-worldly Theodicy: What We Care About in a Defense 
13. Theodicy in Another World
14. What We Care About: the Desires of the Heart
15. The Defense of the Defense: Suffering, Flourishing, and the Desires of the Heart
Desinit