We tend to think of the Imago Dei in terms of rationality. Tolkien's thought, however, focuses on... more We tend to think of the Imago Dei in terms of rationality. Tolkien's thought, however, focuses on the way we participate in the divine through our acts of creation. In this lecture I look at the importance of creativity in understanding human nature and the ethics that would follow from this emphasis.
In Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger presents an evocative claim about the way the Temple to A... more In Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger presents an evocative claim about the way the Temple to Athena on the Acropolis, opens a world rich with meaning and resonant with significance that orients the Athenian people within reality thus allowing their relations to others and to nature to appear as meaningful and ultimately nourishing. In other words, the Temple, like all great works of art, opens a world that is also a home. This article reviews the import of Heidegger’s reflection on monumental art, but we quickly turn to the principle objection to Heidegger’s thought, which is that the entire venture by which an artistic, religious, or poetic event organizes a world for “a people” is fundamentally illegitimate because of the way it binds individuals to an identity that outgroups the “foreigners” that do not belong to this identity and thus marginalizes them.This objection is a central motivating force for liberalism, and since World War II, and particularly since the fall of the S...
We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religi... more We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, resources that are equally unexpected and deeply moving. In particular, in Ricoeur’s late turn we see the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. The result is the realization that an ethics of hope is only truly completed in a philosophy of praise, eschatology pointing toward doxology.
In North America, across the political spectrum, we have a strong tendency to reduce religion to ... more In North America, across the political spectrum, we have a strong tendency to reduce religion to nothing more than a tool to promote our own socio-political views. This is a natural consequence of our hyper-polarized culture and our impoverished view of "religion." It is also, however, a problem-particularly for those inspired by the call to renewal through an integration of the quest for social justice and the pursuit of the spiritual life. By focusing on the value of participating in religious liturgy, I show how a renewed respect for religion can help the proponents of social justice fulfil some of the foundational desires of the original aggiornamento movement and, thereby, to bring to fruition some of its dormant promise. This includes, in particular, the desire for social harmony and the desire to pay greater attention to our concrete reality.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution. Abstract: We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. This is remarkable, for Ricoeur was among the foremost 20th Century proponents of the eschatological meaning of religious desire and, indeed, was quite hostile to any form of “theophany” or “nature mysticism” for much of his life. However, Ricoeur’s final phase of thought also provides the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. Recognizing this helps us understand Ricoeur in a more holistic way, but it also puts Ricoeur’s methodological rigor to work for developing a more balanced intellectual culture that includes the corporeal and organic without falling into the opposite dangers of irrationalism and occultism. Ricoeur, thus, provides a philosophical orientation that unites both ritual and text, eros and agape, nature and language—an orientation that is inspired by a theology of hope but that finds its completion in a theology of praise. Keywords: Liturgical theology; Ricoeur; Song of Songs; Baptism; Sacrament; Theological Turn.
We tend to think of the Imago Dei in terms of rationality. Tolkien's thought, however, focuses on... more We tend to think of the Imago Dei in terms of rationality. Tolkien's thought, however, focuses on the way we participate in the divine through our acts of creation. In this lecture I look at the importance of creativity in understanding human nature and the ethics that would follow from this emphasis.
In Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger presents an evocative claim about the way the Temple to A... more In Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger presents an evocative claim about the way the Temple to Athena on the Acropolis, opens a world rich with meaning and resonant with significance that orients the Athenian people within reality thus allowing their relations to others and to nature to appear as meaningful and ultimately nourishing. In other words, the Temple, like all great works of art, opens a world that is also a home. This article reviews the import of Heidegger’s reflection on monumental art, but we quickly turn to the principle objection to Heidegger’s thought, which is that the entire venture by which an artistic, religious, or poetic event organizes a world for “a people” is fundamentally illegitimate because of the way it binds individuals to an identity that outgroups the “foreigners” that do not belong to this identity and thus marginalizes them.This objection is a central motivating force for liberalism, and since World War II, and particularly since the fall of the S...
We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religi... more We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, resources that are equally unexpected and deeply moving. In particular, in Ricoeur’s late turn we see the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. The result is the realization that an ethics of hope is only truly completed in a philosophy of praise, eschatology pointing toward doxology.
In North America, across the political spectrum, we have a strong tendency to reduce religion to ... more In North America, across the political spectrum, we have a strong tendency to reduce religion to nothing more than a tool to promote our own socio-political views. This is a natural consequence of our hyper-polarized culture and our impoverished view of "religion." It is also, however, a problem-particularly for those inspired by the call to renewal through an integration of the quest for social justice and the pursuit of the spiritual life. By focusing on the value of participating in religious liturgy, I show how a renewed respect for religion can help the proponents of social justice fulfil some of the foundational desires of the original aggiornamento movement and, thereby, to bring to fruition some of its dormant promise. This includes, in particular, the desire for social harmony and the desire to pay greater attention to our concrete reality.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution. Abstract: We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. This is remarkable, for Ricoeur was among the foremost 20th Century proponents of the eschatological meaning of religious desire and, indeed, was quite hostile to any form of “theophany” or “nature mysticism” for much of his life. However, Ricoeur’s final phase of thought also provides the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. Recognizing this helps us understand Ricoeur in a more holistic way, but it also puts Ricoeur’s methodological rigor to work for developing a more balanced intellectual culture that includes the corporeal and organic without falling into the opposite dangers of irrationalism and occultism. Ricoeur, thus, provides a philosophical orientation that unites both ritual and text, eros and agape, nature and language—an orientation that is inspired by a theology of hope but that finds its completion in a theology of praise. Keywords: Liturgical theology; Ricoeur; Song of Songs; Baptism; Sacrament; Theological Turn.
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Abstract:
We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. This is remarkable, for Ricoeur was among the foremost 20th Century proponents of the eschatological meaning of religious desire and, indeed, was quite hostile to any form of “theophany” or “nature mysticism” for much of his life. However, Ricoeur’s final phase of thought also provides the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. Recognizing this helps us understand Ricoeur in a more holistic way, but it also puts Ricoeur’s methodological rigor to work for developing a more balanced intellectual culture that includes the corporeal and organic without falling into the opposite dangers of irrationalism and occultism. Ricoeur, thus, provides a philosophical orientation that unites both ritual and text, eros and agape, nature and language—an orientation that is inspired by a theology of hope but that finds its completion in a theology of praise.
Keywords:
Liturgical theology; Ricoeur; Song of Songs; Baptism; Sacrament; Theological Turn.
Abstract:
We are now witnessing a great renewal of philosophical interest in the material aspects of religiosity. In this article I show that we have resources for this work in the very late philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. This is remarkable, for Ricoeur was among the foremost 20th Century proponents of the eschatological meaning of religious desire and, indeed, was quite hostile to any form of “theophany” or “nature mysticism” for much of his life. However, Ricoeur’s final phase of thought also provides the promising beginnings of a sacramental philosophy that links Baptism and the Song of Songs to show how liturgical practice is fundamentally tied to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. Recognizing this helps us understand Ricoeur in a more holistic way, but it also puts Ricoeur’s methodological rigor to work for developing a more balanced intellectual culture that includes the corporeal and organic without falling into the opposite dangers of irrationalism and occultism. Ricoeur, thus, provides a philosophical orientation that unites both ritual and text, eros and agape, nature and language—an orientation that is inspired by a theology of hope but that finds its completion in a theology of praise.
Keywords:
Liturgical theology; Ricoeur; Song of Songs; Baptism; Sacrament; Theological Turn.