Idols to Die
 Dust-jacket illustration from the first edition | |
| Author | Kuruvilla Pandikattu |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Philosophy |
| Publisher | Intercultural Publications |
Publication date | November 2000 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 349 pp |
| ISBN | 9788185574370 |
| OCLC | 45499558 |
| Followed by | Dialogue as way of life |
Idols to Die is the second scholarly book by Kuruvilla Pandikattu. It is about Paul Ricoeur's attempts at understanding symbols, idols and religion.
This book deals with the need for interpretation or hermeneutics in our life. It goes beyond the naive understandings of symbols and idols and applies them to the religious and ordinary life. Its basic insight is that everything - including God - can be positively or negatively interpreted and experienced. So the need for eternal vigilance, so that we are aware of our human tendencies to idolise almost anything in our life.
This book understands hermeneuticsnot merely an intellectual but as an existential activity.
The full title of the book is: Idols to die, symbols to live : dynamic interaction between language, reality, and the divine. It is based on his doctoral thesis completed at the University of Innsbruck, in 1996. The book is a study on Paul Ricoeur, the French philosopher.