Wonder in the Pedagogy of Antiquity

The article aims to analyse wonder as a pedagogical phenomenon in ancient philosophy and religion. Aristotle’s judgment about mythologists and their interest in the miraculous, which is initially close to philosophy, is reinforced in a rich ancient narrative about amazing people who made amazing discoveries (such as Aristeas from Proconnes, who probably reached Siberia). At the same time, the wonder that the ancient tradition writes about does not have a romantic and aesthetic nature at all, which is often attributed to it. On the contrary, the god Thaumas («Amazing»), mentioned by Plato in «Theaetetus», personifies the numinous phenomena of the sea. Among his descendants is not only the goddess Iris, but also the harpies. Analysis of the texts of Plato and Aristotle shows that the theme of wonder in them is directly related to the themes of blindness, difficulty and even pain that accompany the birth of knowledge. Perhaps the most revealing one is the initiation into philosophy depicted by Plato in «Parmenides», and the myth of cave from the «Republic». The danger from the presence of the gods, which epic theology tells us about, is duplicated by the effort and danger of blindness in the philosophy and rational theology

Spinoza and the Possibility of a Philosophical Religion

What is a philosophical religion? Carlos Fraenkel proposes that we use this term to describe “the interpretation of the historical forms of a religion in philosophical terms”. Such a philosophical interpretation allows religious traditions to be utilized in service of a political-pedagogical program, the goal of which is orienting society towards the highest good: human excellence. Here, I outline the idea of a philosophical religion as it can be found in the Arabic tradition of rationalist Aristotelianism and scrutinize Spinoza’s ambiguous response to this idea. Despite his programmatic separation of theology and philosophy, I argue, Spinoza, at least in some crucial passages, shows himself to be engaged in the project of retrieving the truths of philosophy through the interpretation of Scripture. Thus, there are two contradictory strains at work in Spinoza’s philosophy of religion: he systematically denies that Scripture is the locus of truth, yet he articulates parts of his philosophical anthropology and rational theology by means of Scriptural exegesis. Both of these strains, however, depend on the claim that the final arbiter of truth about the divine and the one true act of worship of God is metaphysics.

Immanuel Kants transzendentaler Kritizismus und die Frage nach Gott

For those who are interested, the study of Kant's relevant writings is facilitated here, especially that of the ´Critique of Pure Reason´. Immanuel Kant's transcendental philosophy and criticism of reason has left a lasting mark on modern thinking. The author gives an overview of Kant´s criticism. The focus is on Kant's philosophical treatment of the subject of God and his criticism of affirmative rational theology. If one wants to understand Kant, the God theme is of outstanding importance. Moreover, it is gaining increased philosophical interest nowadays. The author concludes with an outlook on the philosophical theologies in German idealism.

The Religious beliefs of Critias the Sophist: Rational Theology or Atheism?

Sextus Empiricus (Adv. Math. IX. 54. = B 25 DK) has preserved a fragment of a work attributed to the sophist and tyrant Critias. This fragment has long been considered a manifesto not only of atheism but also, perhaps, the first text in which religion is a purely political matter and the work of men's hands. Nevertheless, this text is still very problematic, because, taking into account the evidence of the primary sources, there is no real reason to believe that a) its author is precisely Critias who lead the Thirty Tyrants, b) that this is the fragment of the play "Sisyphus", c) that the "Sisyphus" is a satyr-play, d) that its author is not Euripides, and e) that it is indeed the manifesto of atheism and not a rational theological system that is completely loyal to everyday religious beliefs, which, without belittling religion, on the contrary, postulates its permanent benefit for any society. Whoever the author of this hypothetical "Sisyphus" might have been, he acted as a true sophist and rhetorician - by influencing one of the most important existential human experiences - the feeling of fear. And he had done it using logos and persuasion. The philosophical and moral issues of the fragment in question are entirely within the scope of intellectual debate in the second half of the fifth century BC. And one of the most important topics is the possibility of committing a secret crime that would not be detected not only by the law of the city of Athens but also by the gods.

Kant and the “awakening” from the rationalist principle of sufficient reason

The paper inspects Anderson’s central thesis that Kant’s dogmatic slumber was interrupted by Hume’s critique of metaphysics (rational theology) in his Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, namely, by his critique of the rationalist principle of sufficient reason, which lies at the heart of dogmatic proofs of God’s existence. I recreate the meaning of “Hume’s objection,” define the larger role the principle of sufficient reason plays in Kant’s philosophy, and evaluate the explanatory potential of Anderson’s interpretation in view of Kant’s early and critical texts, as well as his other autobiographical statements (such as his famous letter to Garve). Although Anderson’s hypothesis seems well-founded and even explicates the hidden connection between the entire critical project and the refutation of Spinozism, I argue it is almost impossible to reconcile it with the current research in Kant’s Entwicklungsgeschichte.

Rational Theology in Polemic Strategies of Early Christian Apologues

The texts of early Christian apologists are an example of a clear argumentative reaction to a number of external and internal challenges. The internal ones included changes in the size and structure of the community, increased heterodoxia, and a decrease in eschatological moods. Among the external – on the one hand, the growth of hostility and systematic persecution on the part of Rome, on the other, the specific atmosphere of the “age of the Antonines”, age of imperators who practiced, at least formally, a policy of mercy. All this stimulated the development of rhetoric in Christian literature, the formation of the genre of Christian apology, as well as specific apologetic strategies, in which early Christian rational theology was reflected. Its most important element was the formation of ideas about a righteous life as the root condition of philosophical wisdom. It is this approach that helps, for example, Justin Martyr find a way to convert ancient wisdom into a rational-theological toolkit of apologetics

The Talmudist Enlightenment: Talmudic Judaism’s Confrontational Rational Theology

Robert Brandom's "The Pragmatist Enlightenment" describes the advent of American pragmatism as signaling a sea-change in our understanding of human reason away from the top-down Euclidian models of reasoning, warrant and knowledge inspired by the physical sciences, toward the far more bottom-up, narrative, inherently fallible and dialogical forms of reasoning of the life and human sciences. It is against this backdrop that Talmudic Judaism emerges not only as an early anticipation of the pragmatist enlightenment, but as going a substantial and radical step beyond it, that in the context of religious commitment and reasoning, is unprecedented.

Contribution of NEO Modernism Thoughts on Islamic Thoughts in Indonesia

The aim of the study is to find out the contribution of NEO modernism trought on Islamic trough in Indonesia. This result of the study is Islamic Civilization" in this case, especially Nurcholish Madjid, considers that Islamic rationalism, which in the classical Islamic tradition emerged in the Mu'tazilite theology and Al-Kindi to Ibn Rushd's theology, then systematically became the rational theology of Muhammad Abduh. Basically Hellenistic, because that is not an Islamic genuin. Theological thought and Rational philosophy according to Islamic circles This civilization was built from the construction of Greek theories (especially Aristotle), which from an Islamic point of view, is actually quite problematic, because it is too Rational. The weakness of this Islam, according to the circles of 'Islamic Civilization because they lack in providing an equilibrium in religious life, which is practical and direct to the daily appreciation of God.