Post-Atheism: from Apophatic Theology to "Minimal Religion"
Mikhail Epstein Post-Atheism: from Apophatic Theology to "Minimal Religion" In the book: Russian Postmodernism: New Perspectives on Post-Soviet Culture (with Alexander Genis and Slobodanka Vladiv-Glover, in the series Studies in Slavic Literature, Culture, and Society, vol. 3). New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 1999, 528 pp.345-393. . From Apophatic Theology to Atheism 2. Secularization and the "New Middle Ages" 3. Theomorphism: the "Other" in Culture 4. Angelism as a Postmodern Religion 5. Post-Atheist Spirituality in Russia: Minimal Religion We are turning demystification inside out: within the profane, we are discovering the sacred. Mirca Eliade There are numerous philosophical investigations into the relationship between religion and art. However, what interests me in the present chapter is not the eternal question traditionally broached, but the phenomenon of a new type of religious consciousnessor, more precisely, a religious unconsciousthat is coming into existence in twentieth century Russian culture. The term 'religious unconscious' is applied here specifically to the state of Russian spirituality in the Soviet epoch and in particular to its latest phases when the official atheism is succeeded by various forms of post-atheist mentality. What is commonly understood by the term 'unconscious' is the sphere of primal drives and vital instincts, which
Kant's Philosophy
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804), German philosopher, considered by many the most influential thinker of modern times. (I) Life Born in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), April 22, 1724, Kant received his education at the Collegium Fredericianum and the University of Königsberg1. At the college he studied chiefly the classics, and at the university he studied physics and mathematics. After his father died, he was compelled to halt his university career and earn his living as a private tutor. In 1755, aided by a friend, he resumed his studies and obtained his doctorate. Thereafter, for 15 years he taught at the university, lecturing first on science and mathematics, but gradually enlarging his field of concentration to cover almost all branches of philosophy2. Although Kant's lectures and works written during this period established his reputation as an original philosopher, he did not receive a chair at the university until 1770, when he was made professor of logic and metaphysics3. For the next 27 years he continued to teach and attracted large numbers of students to Königsberg. Kant's unorthodox religious teachings, which were based on rationalism rather than revelation, brought him into conflict with the government of Prussia, and in 1792 he was forbidden by Frederick William II, king of Prussia, to teach or write on religious subjects. Kant
Looking at the Babylon's Society during Hummurabi's regime by analyzing the Code of Hammurabi.
To: Professor E. L. Chan Fm: Lee Sun wah Hermony (student number 020012) Contact telephone number (81028818) CLASS: General Western History TOPIC Looking at the Babylon's Society during Hummurabi's regime by analyzing the Code of Hammurabi CONTENTS TOPIC 1 Looking at the Babylon's Society during Hummurabi's regime by analyzing the Code of Hammurabi 1 Introduction 3 Background 3 Research Problem: 3 Objective: 3 Methodology: 3 Approach: 3 Remarks/Legends: 3 B. Hammurabi & his Codes 4 C. Political Aspect 4 God 4 Offence of God 4 God be the Judge 4 God be the Witness 5 God be the Final Resort 5 The King 5 Offence to the King 5 King being Ultimate Beneficiary 5 King being Setter of Standards 6 The Elders 6 D. Economical Aspect 6 Introduction 6 Gold Standard 6 Agriculture Industries 7 Agricultural 7 Role of Ox 7 Types of corps 7 Herd Raising 8 Commerce 8 Unit 8 Money 8 Occupation 9 Trading 10 Banking 11 Forms of contract 11 E. Sociological Aspect 11 Social Structure 11 Social Class 12 F. Appendix: The Code of Humurrabi 14 Introduction Background Hammurabi is amongst the famous rulers in the Ancient Babylon. The discovery of the Hammurabi Code and the legal principle it has on the western legal system is vital in many respect. In fact, scrutinizing the code in details reveals a lot of legal principles tablete I the code is still
It has sometimes been remarked how much has been written, both by friends and enemies, concerning the truth of religion, and h
It has sometimes been remarked how much has been written, both by friends and enemies, concerning the truth of religion, and how little, at least in the way of discussion or controversy, concerning its usefulness. This, however, might have been expected; for the truth, in matters which so deeply affect us, is our first concernment. If religion, or any particular form of it, is true, its usefulness follows without other proof. If to know authentically in what order of things, under what government of the universe it is our destiny to live, were not useful, it is difficult to imagine what could be considered so. Whether a person is in a pleasant or in an unpleasant place, a palace or a prison, it cannot be otherwise than useful to him to know where he is. So long, therefore, as men accepted the teachings Of their religion as positive facts, no more a matter of doubt than their own existence or the existence of the objects around them, to ask the use of believing it could not possibly occur to them. The utility of religion did not need to be asserted until the arguments for its truth bad in a great measure ceased to convince. People must either have ceased to believe, or have ceased to rely on the belief of others, before they could take that inferior ground of defence without a consciousness of lowering what they were endeavouring to raise. An argument for the utility of
Life of Rumi.
Life of Rumi Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. Love alone is capable of revealing the truth of Love and being a Lover. The way of our prophets is the way of Truth. If you want to live, die in Love; die in Love if you want to remain alive. I silently moaned so that for a hundred centuries to come, The world will echo in the sound of my hayhâ1 hayhâ and hayhât, a corruption of the same term in Persian means 'alas' or 'woe to me!' It will turn on the axis of my hayhât (Divan, 562:7) The name Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi stands for Love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. Rumi is one of the great spiritual masters and poetical geniuses of mankind and was the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order, a leading mystical brotherhood of Islam. Rumi was born in Wakhsh (Tajikistan) under the administration of Balkh in 30 September 1207 to a family of learned theologians. Escaping the Mongol invasion and destruction, Rumi and his family traveled extensively in the Muslim lands, performed pilgrimage to Mecca and finally settled in Konya, Anatolia, then part of Seljuk Empire. When his father Bahaduddin Valad passed away, Rumi succeeded his father in 1231 as professor in religious sciences. Rumi 24 years old, was an already accomplished scholar in religious and positive sciences. He was introduced into the mystical path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin of Tabriz. His
Anselm of Canterbury, also known as Anselm of Aosta and Anselm of Bec or Saint Anselm, was first a student, then a monk, later prior and finally abbot of the monastery of Bec in Normandy, before being elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093.
Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Anselm of Canterbury, also known as Anselm of Aosta and Anselm of Bec or Saint Anselm, was first a student, then a monk, later prior and finally abbot of the monastery of Bec in Normandy, before being elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. He remains one of the best-known and most readily engaging philosophers and theologians of medieval Europe. His literary corpus consists of eleven treatises or dialogues, the most important of which are the philosophical works Monologion and Proslogion and the magnificent theological work Cur deus homo (Why God Became a [God-]man). He also left three meditations, nineteen prayers, 374 extant letters including Epistolae de Sacramentis (Letters on the Sacraments) and a collection of philosophical fragments, together with a compilation of his sayings (Dicta Anselmi) by Alexander, a monk of Canterbury, and a compilation of his reflections on virtue, De morum qualitate per exemplorum coaptationem (On Virtues and Vices as Illustrated by a Collage of Examples), possibly also by a monk at Canterbury. At Bec Anselm wrote his first philosophical treatise, the Monologion, a title signifying a soliloquy. This work was followed by the Proslogion, the title meaning an address (of the soul to God). At Bec he also completed the philosophical dialogues De grammatico (On (an) Expert in Grammar), De veritate (On Truth), De
Tolkien - The Myth Of Middle-Earth.
The Myth of Middle-Earth Justin Weichel Wesley Hellman Senior Seminar Weichel, pg.1 The Myth Of Middle-Earth It is a world of elves, dwarves, and men. It is a world of supreme evil and ultimate good. It is the world of Middle-Earth. It is a world that began in a children's story, and became something much more. It is the creation of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien's works introduces the reader into a new world where reality can be suspended for a while, and imagination can run free. It brings the reader into a world where trees can talk, little men known as hobbits become unlikely heroes, and evil comes in many forms. Many interesting characters are met and at times lost. It is a world where good is challenged and at times overwhelmed. In the end, good always triumphs. This paper will show that Tolkien's works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings can be seen as a form of myth, but more importantly a modern Norse myth. First, I will show different interpretations of what makes a myth and then come up with a definition that will be used to show that Tolkien's works fit this definition. I will then show how a couple mythological archetypes fit into both of Tolkien's stories and in Norse myth. Finally, I'll show similarities that the Tolkien's books share with the Norse mythologies. Middle-Earth is the creation of J.R.R. Tolkien. He first introduced the world to
Doctor Faustus.
Context Born in Canterbury in 1564, the same year as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe was an actor, poet, and playwright during the reign of Britain's Queen Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603). Marlowe attended Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University and received degrees in 1584 and 1587. Traditionally, the education that he received would have prepared him to become a clergyman, but Marlowe chose not to join the ministry. For a time, Cambridge even wanted to withhold his degree, apparently suspecting him of having converted to Catholicism, a forbidden faith in late-sixteenth-century England, where Protestantism was the state-supported religion. Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council intervened on his behalf, saying that Marlowe had "done her majesty good service" in "matters touching the benefit of the country." This odd sequence of events has led some to theorize that Marlowe worked as a spy for the crown, possibly by infiltrating Catholic communities in France. After leaving Cambridge, Marlowe moved to London, where he became a playwright and led a turbulent, scandal-plagued life. He produced seven plays, all of which were immensely popular. Among the most well known of his plays are Tamburlaine,The Jew of Malta, and Doctor Faustus. In his writing, he pioneered the use of blank verse-nonrhyming lines of iambic pentameter-which many of his contemporaries, including
"An acceptance of the practice of abortion is incompatible with Christian belief in the sanctity of life, but not with the attitudes of ethical philosophers or popular politicians." Discuss.
"An acceptance of the practice of abortion is incompatible with Christian belief in the sanctity of life, but not with the attitudes of ethical philosophers or popular politicians." Discuss. By Stephen Tunstall, March 2005 Abortion - forever one of civilised society's primary ethical dilemmas. Ever since the basic means and methods were discovered in antiquity, thinkers, courts, and leaders have pondered over the conflicting merits of the emotive issue of abortion. With the number of abortions now being as high as 180,0001 a year in the UK, the issue is gaining prominence in religion, the media, and politics. This essay will look at many aspects of abortion, with the main body of the writing being devoted to assessing whether abortion can be tolerated by Christianity, given the idea of the sanctity of life, and whether abortion is justifiable through ethical philosophy. Emphasis will then move briefly to examine political perspectives on the issue, bringing contemporary relevance to the paper, before concluding what has been discovered in the process of this discussion. A - An introduction to abortion - explanation and a brief history The accepted definition of abortion is that it's the induced termination and expulsion of an embryo or foetus from the uterus. There are alternative classifications, such as therapeutic abortion, which depend on the varying circumstances of
B.R. Chopras interpretative rendition of Ludhianvis poem in the movie Sadhna, aims to symbolically capture this subtle irony. He uses light, mirrors, statues and choreography to capture both the essence of Ludhianvis poem and to subtly mock
Aurat By Sahir Ludhianvi (1958) Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko 2 Mardon ne ussey bazaar diya 3 Jab jee chaha masla kuchla 4 Jab jee chaha dutkaar diya 5 Tulti hai kaheen dinaron mein 6 Biktee hai kaheen bazaaron mein 7 Nangee nachvayee jaati hai 8 Ayashon ke darbaron mein 9 Yeh voh beizaat cheez hai jo 0 Bat jaati hai izaat daron mein 1 Mardon ke liye har zulam ravan 2 Aurat ke liye rona be khataa 3 Mardon ke liye lakhon sezein 4 Aurat ke liye bas eik chitah 5 Mardon ke liye har aish ka haq 6 Aurat ke liye jeena bhi sazah 7 Jin hothon ne inko pyaar diya 8 Un hothon ka beopaar kiya 9 Jis kokh mein inka jism dhalaa 20 Us kokh ka karobaar kiya 21 Jis tan se ughe kopal banke 22 Us tan ko zaleelo khaar kiya 23 Mardon ne banayee jo rasme 24 Unko haq ka furmaan diya 25 Aurat ke zindaa jalne ko 26 Qurbaani aur balidaan kaha 27 Kismat ke badle roti di 28 Aur isko bhi ehsaan kaha 29 Sansaar ki har aik behsharmee 30 Gurbat ki godh mein palti hai 31 Chaklon mein hee ah ke rukti hai 32 Phakon se jo raah nikal ti hai 33 Mardon ki hawas hai jo aksar 34 Aurat ke paap mein dhal ti hai 35 Aurat hi sansaar ki ksmet hai 36 Phir bhi taqdeer ki haitee hai 37 Avtaar peyambar janti hai 38 Phir bhi shaitaan ki beti hai 39 Yeh voh badkismet maa hai jo 40 Beton ki sejj peh laitee hai
