Introduction

care of the self, the city, and creation

pp. 1-26

in: , Exercises in new creation from Paul to Kierkegaard, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

Abstract

This chapter argues for the relevance of a wisdom approach to philosophical theology for the ecological crisis. This approach—drawing upon the work of Foucault, Hadot, and Latour—frames exercises of reading and writing within the context of a way of life. These intellectual exercises play a role in webs of life and are potential sites for change. On this account, philosophical theology is not simply concerned with knowledge, information, or the formulation of doctrine, but is centered on practices of care embedded in political and ecological structures. The introduction illustrates the contemporary relevance of these practices by placing them in dialogue with political ecology and political theology.