ition of theology on rational principles. Among these writings were his views on existence.
Writing within this tradition, Owens sets about examining "being," a key element of existence as perceived on many different levels, including sensation and intellect. To do this, he divides the study of existence into six parts: the problem, the grasp, its characteristics, its cause, bestowal and the meaning of the concept.
To illustrate the "problem" of existence, Owens asks us to consider the question: "If I simply said to you, 'It is,' would I be giving you any information at all?" (p. 1). As he points out, several answers are possible, all based on well developed philosophies from such men as Kant and G.E. Moore. But several factors come into play in attempting to answer what can be a most difficult question, and these include linguistics, historical and religious connotations and idioms, which in turn provide some of the answer. For example, to say "It is" in English is very awkwa
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