Spirit, Qi, and the Multitude [electronic resource] : a comparative theology for the democracy of creation / Hyo-Dong Lee.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: -- Preface -- Prologue: A Meeting of Two Stories -- Introduction: A Decolonizing Asian Theology of Spirit as a Comparative Theology of Spirit-Qi -- 1. The Psychophysical Energy of the Way in Daoist Thought -- 2. The Psychophysical Energy of the Great Ultimate: A Neo-Confucian Adventure of the Idea in Zhu Xi -- 3. Creativity and a Democracy of Fellow Creatures: The Challenge of Whitehead's Radical Ontological Pluralism -- 4. The Great Ultimate as Primordial Manyone: The Promise and Peril of Toegye's Neo-Confucian "Heterodoxy" -- 5. From the Divine Idea to the Concrete Unity of the Spirit: Hegel's Shapes of Freedom and the Domination of Nature -- 6. Pattern and Psychophysical Energy Are Equally Actual: The Empathetic Plurisingularity of the Great Ultimate in Nongmun's Thought -- 7. The Chaosmos and the Great Ultimate: A Neo-Confucian Trinity in Conversation with Deleuze and Keller -- 8. The Democracy of Numinous Spirits: The Panentheism of "Subaltern" Ultimate Energy in Donghak -- Epilogue: The Spirit-Qi of the Multitude under the Cross of Empire -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

"A comparative theological and philosophical analysis of the concept of spirit in the West and the concept of qi (ch'i) in East Asia in regard to their respective and mutually illuminating potentials for sustaining a pluralistic and democratic metaphysical vision of the cosmos"-- Provided by publisher.

"We live in an increasingly global, interconnected, and interdependent world, in which various forms of systemic imbalance in power have given birth to a growing demand for genuine pluralism and democracy. As befits a world so interconnected, this book presents a comparative theological and philosophical attempt to construct new underpinnings for the idea of democracy by bringing the Western concept of spirit into dialogue with the East Asian nondualistic and nonhierarchical notion of qi. The book follows the historical adventures of the idea of qi through some of its Confucian and Daoist textual histories in East Asia, mainly Laozi, Zhu Xi, Toegye, Nongmun, and Su-un, and compares them with analogous conceptualizations of the ultimate creative and spiritual power found in the intellectual constellations of Western and/or Christian thought namely, Whitehead's Creativity, Hegel's Geist, Deleuze's chaosmos, and Catherine Keller's Tehom. The book adds to the growing body of pneumatocentric (Spirit-centered), panentheistic Christian theologies that emphasize God's liberating, equalizing, and pluralizing immanence in the cosmos. Furthermore, it injects into the theological and philosophical dialogue between the West and Confucian and Daoist East Asia, which has heretofore been dominated by the American pragmatist and process traditions, a fresh voice shaped by Hegelian, postmodern, and postcolonial thought. This enriches the ways in which the pluralistic and democratic implications of the notion of qi may be articulated. In addition, by offering a valuable introduction to some representative Korean thinkers who are largely unknown to Western scholars, the book advances the study of East Asia and Neo-Confucianism in particular. Last but not least, the book provides a model of Asian contextual theology that draws on the religious and philosophical resources of East Asia to offer a vision of pluralism and democracy. A reader interested in the conversation between the East and West in light of the global reality of political oppression, economic exploitation, and cultural marginalization will find this book informative, engaging, and enlightening"-- Provided by publisher.

Description based on print version record.