Background
Montague Brown was born on May 11, 1952, in Portland, Maine, United States. He is the son of Fletcher and Margaret (Coleman) Brown.
(A study of reason, as an invitation to explore and discov...)
A study of reason, as an invitation to explore and discover a new life of meaning, The Romance of Reason is an attempt to put the philosophical basis of Aquinas’ thinking into nontechnical language and make it accessible to the general reader.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932506968/?tag=2022091-20
1993
(A concise, yet engaging introduction to the field of ethi...)
A concise, yet engaging introduction to the field of ethics, this volume offers a systematic study of the foundations of moral responsibility. Montague Brown guides the reader on an examination of a wide range of ethical positions, including relativism, emotivism, egoism, utilitarianism, Kantian formalism, and natural law. Brown explains not only the history behind the development of each position, but also the roles science, democracy, and religion play in moral thinking today. Students and teachers of philosophy, ethics, and religion, as well as the general reader, will find that this book tackles the serious issues and offers an insightful, accessible introduction to major ethical positions and the great moral philosophers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878406131/?tag=2022091-20
1996
(To get a hearing for Catholic truth and values today, we ...)
To get a hearing for Catholic truth and values today, we have to speak in sound bites: simply, clearly, and quickly . . . or people just walk away. The One-Minute Philosopher solves that problem. With plain-spoken wisdom, it explains over 175 fundamental concepts that form the basis of any decent human life. Plus, since The One-Minute Philosopher is a basic primer that relies on common sense rather than on theology, its quick arguments are accessible to all thinking persons: you don t have to be Catholic in order to understand the explanations in this book. That makes it a terrific tool for helping people make the distinctions that will ultimately lead them to God s truth. The One-Minute Philosopher is perfect for parents, teachers, and everyone who wants to restore sanity and clear thinking to our fractious society!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1928832555/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(Discover the truth (and the falsehood) in the sound bites...)
Discover the truth (and the falsehood) in the sound bites that rule so much of your life! Today they're called sound bits, but they're older by far than sound bites, and they play a larger role in your life those pithy, quotable phrass that capture in a few words the wisdom of the world: " If it ain't broke, don't fix it." "Talk is cheap." "It doesn't matter what you believe, so long as you're sincere." "Love is blind." "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." In a few words wisdom in shorthand they speak truth won from generations of experience ( and we know from our mothers that "experience is the best teacher "). These sayings survive because they work; which is why, in good times and bad, we use them to guide our actions and even to resolve intractable disputes ("Hey, let's just agree to disagree"). The problem is that most of them are not really true: they're half-truths. And when we rely on them uncritically ( as often we do ) they lead us out of one difficulty right smack into another. That's why philosopher Montague Brown, author The One Minute Philosopher, has here taken up the task of considering over 75 of these popular sayings, plucking from each the wisdom they contain while showing just where they steer you wrong. Presented here in an easy-to-read format are the common understandings of each saying, plus the additional insights you need to transform each from a dangerous cliché into a living truth that will improve your understanding and effectiveness in our world. But this is mor than just a book of aphorisms; taken togehter, it's a delightful mini-course in philosophy, studied by means of the perennial wisdom that's been embodied in these sayings over the years. Hey, why not try it? After all, "The proof is in the pudding!"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1928832636/?tag=2022091-20
2003
(Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophers arbitrarily re...)
Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophers arbitrarily restricted reason, with disastrous consequences for human understanding. This book explains why the restoration of reason to its full breadth and power is in order. Montague Brown discusses how and why modern thought focused its efforts too narrowly on one portion of the spectrum of realities with which human reason ought to concern itself (truth) and so became incapable of handling moral (goodness) and aesthetic (beauty) topics adequately. The new focus produced unprecedented achievements in science and technology, but in other areas it produced significant losses. Brown explains how pre-Enlightenment thought avoided such narrowing and how post-Enlightenment philosophers have tried to redress it. Finally, he presents his own classically grounded proposal. Philosophy and theology students and thoughtful lay readers will appreciate this book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801031540/?tag=2022091-20
(Freedom, Philosophy, and Faith: The Transformational Role...)
Freedom, Philosophy, and Faith: The Transformational Role of Freedom in the Thought of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas highlights the essential role freedom plays in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Montague Brown argues that that freedom, taken in its most essential form as understood by the Judeo-Christian tradition, has been transformative in all aspects of human thought, from metaphysics to politics. In particular, the book traces the fundamental role freedom plays in the thought of St. Augustine (as it transforms his Platonism) and in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas (as it transforms his Aristotelianism). Brown introduces the topic of freedom in the rich context of the Judeo-Christian intellectual tradition of "faith seeking understanding," and traces the role of freedom in metaphysics, time and history, morality, marriage, economics, and politics. Through each aspect, Brown delves deep into the thoughts of St. Augustine and St. Thomas, showing how their positions are superior to the materialist pluralism and idealist monism that inform much ancient and modern thought and which are clearly incompatible with freedom. His discussion in supplemented with more contemporary thinkers, including papal teaching.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0739150901/?tag=2022091-20
Montague Brown was born on May 11, 1952, in Portland, Maine, United States. He is the son of Fletcher and Margaret (Coleman) Brown.
Brown earned Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California at Berkely, in 1978. Five years later he graduated from the Boston College as a Master of Arts, also obtaining his Doctor of Philosophy degree from that college in 1986.
Montague Brown began a lifelong affair with the Saint Anselm College in 1986, when he started to work there at the position of a professor of philosophy.
His writings include The One-Minute Philosopher, Half-Truths, and Romance of Reason.
Among his research interests there can be named such as medieval philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and philosophy of God.
(Discover the truth (and the falsehood) in the sound bites...)
2003(A study of reason, as an invitation to explore and discov...)
1993(A concise, yet engaging introduction to the field of ethi...)
1996(Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophers arbitrarily re...)
(To get a hearing for Catholic truth and values today, we ...)
2001(Freedom, Philosophy, and Faith: The Transformational Role...)
Browm married Meeta Graham King, on August 21, 1976. The couple has 4 children - Aroostine, Graham, Louisa, and Kristina.