Quotes

Two Ancient Views of Philosophy

Published on November 1st, 2009.

Next we can compare Aristotle and Socrates as philosophers of religion. In the opening pages of Metaphysics, Book Alpha, Aristotle tells us about the science which is divine, not only because it is fit for God to engage in but also because it has God for its object. It is founded in wonder, which he interprets as sheer intellectual curiosity, the desire of knowledge for its own sake. Hence it is historically subsequent to those sciences which concern either our pleasure or our necessities. Since it is obviously a luxury, it first appears and continues to reside among the leisure class.

For Socrates, by contrast, philosophy is not born of idle curiosity, but in the experience of the cave. The awareness of the darkness and captivity in which one dwells makes it a desperate pursuit of light and freedom. It is the same experience, Shestov reminds us, to which the Psalmist refers when he says, “Out of the depths I cried unto Thee, O Lord.” If the philosopher seems a pain in the neck (gadfly) to others, for himself he is only seeking to come to grips with death, preparing to die. So far from being an act of leisure, this pursuit is so necessary that it leaves Socrates no time to attend to his business affairs. Perhaps this is why, when one speaks disparagingly of the God of the philosophers, one thinks almost immediately of Aristotle, but almost never of Socrates. Socrates’ God is somehow more like the God of Abraham. He would have understood the passage from Barth with joy. (One can almost see him standing rapt for hours reading about “The Miracle of Christmas,” “The Revelation of God as the Abolition of Religions,” etc.). Aristotle would have gone away shaking his head, totally perplexed at how such nonsense could be written by anyone fortunate enough to have lived after Kant.

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Merold Westphal, “Prolegomena to any Future Philosophy of Religion which will be Able to Come Forth as Prophecy,” in International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 4:3 (1973): 138-9.

Filled under Westphal, Merold. No Comments.

A Prophetic Philosophy of Religion

Published on October 30th, 2009.

But in developing the characteristics of prophetic speech we have gained some sketchy impressions of what a prophetic philosophy of religion might look like. And we might do a little further speculating on that point. No doubt modes of address other than the writing of a book would be employed, but perhaps there would also appear a little volume of essays entitled Speeches on Religion: To The Complacent Among Its Professors. The first essay might remind the reader that true religion does not consist in having the right morality, be it the old or the new, nor in having the true theology, be it the old or the new, but in a certain feeling, or, more precisely, a certain attitude of the heart best described as love toward God and man. It might further remind the reader that to love God is to be unwilling to use Him to sacralize our comforts; that to love the men of other countries is to wish to share our planet with them, not to dominate it; that to love the poor of our own country is to cease despising them; that to respond lovingly to social disorder is to look for causes, not scapegoats; etc.

A second essay might be composed of reflections on “America the Beautiful”, that integral part of football halftimes, stereo ads, King Family Specials, and other sacred events of our national cultic life. It might begin with the thesis that America is beautiful for her patriots, and then go on (in an ad hominem tone of voice – for who would take issue with this great hymn) to point out that what makes a patriot is the

. . . patriot dream that sees, beyond the years,

Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears.

Surely the dream of gleaming and tearless cities is beautiful enough to bring tears to one’s eyes, and the reality to which it contrasts so ugly as to turn those tears bitter. But the essay will continue by juxtaposing to the unrealized dream the unanswered prayer

America! America! God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

It will first be necessary to point out (in an ad hominem tone of voice—for who would take issue with this great hymn) that the prayer does not read “God shed his grace on thee, And make thee NUMBER ONE in the world in G.N.P., standard of living, military power, and commercial aircraft; and deliver thee from ever being a weak pitiful giant.” Once attention is focused on what we claim to believe would really make us a beautiful people, then the question will be raised as to why this prayer is so badly unanswered. Perhaps like the priests of Baal we will be told to pray a little louder (louder than the halftime show?) since our God may be asleep or on vacation. Or perhaps we will be told the truth, that the true God does not answer this sort of prayer without seeing more evidence than we have provided that we really want it answered and that it is brother-hood and not peace and quiet that we have in mind.

Perhaps this is enough speculation about this future philosophy of religion modeled on the prophets. It is clear that it will be a bitter pill, and hard to swallow. But then medicine often comes in that form.

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Merold Westphal, “Prolegomena to any Future Philosophy of Religion which will be Able to Come Forth as Prophecy,” in International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 4:3 (1973): 149-50.

Filled under Westphal, Merold. No Comments.