Plato's Mantle
Feb 24, 2017 17:31:20 GMT -6
Post by Todd on Feb 24, 2017 17:31:20 GMT -6
I would like to encourage anyone even slightly interested in philosophy, theology, semantics, political science, or sociology, to go to our sister Web Site(Bible Research Web Site on the navigation menu above, then > For those who like to read > Plato's Mantle). It helps one define his terms in time and reality, thereby showing interrelationships of different “parts” of the Philosophical universe.
Briefly, the upper level comprises everything not having physical existence, while the lower level contains all that is physical, i.e., all that changes. The left side is all that pertains to the Subject, i.e., all that can have spirit, mind, perceptions or emotions. This is the area of the subject, or the "knower." The right side of the chart is that of the object, and anything that is not of the subject is here. This is the area of what is "knowable."
The area above and below form a continuum of being, abstract at top, concrete at bottom, but, for most early philosophers, sharing real being. The areas on the two sides are not a continuum, but form a radical dichotomy between the knower (subject) and knowable (object).
We have a universe where Love, an abstract entity, is (for most of us) every bit as real as a baseball, just not physical. This is how something can be, but not exist, for existence means “to stand our of.” What is physical, thus “stands out of” the field of being. So love is, but it does not exist (i.e., it is not physical in its reality). Christian understanding of theological tenets and ethical teachings are aided by using the Philosopher’s Universe as a means of diagraming the concept.
The upper level of the universe is timeless, permanent, and changeless. So what Christians call “fallenness” or sinfulness, will never change; it will always be sinful. But There is also the unchanging character of righteousness, another defining form that never changes. When we speak of the Christian as receiving a “New Nature,” what exactly do we mean? Does the Old Nature go away? How do we know in our temporal, changing bodies and minds what this New Nature of righteousness is? How do we know that we have it? It all becomes clear when it is put on the chart.
For the Christian, the Grace/nature pair is primary, and is roughly the equivalent of Creator/creation. Another relationship, position (also called State, or Standing)/walk, is also of extreme importance and parallels so many other vertical pairs, such as Spirit/flesh, Faith/works, Forgiveness/confession.
Theologically, these vertical pairs help us define our world and beliefs. For example, rational thought, the upstairs mode of learning, may produce logical truths unrelated to reality, such as the truth that “unicorns are vertebrates,” and so forth. Flights of fantasy are produced in the imagination and ironed into fiction by the mind. Superstition is also the product of unaided rational processes. How can we tell fiction from fact? This is important if we are going to understand and defend the objective, historical faith of Christianity currently under attack both within and without the Church.
There is very little that cannot be represented on the Philosopher’s Universe. And doing so provides one with the questions that should be answered. Todd
Briefly, the upper level comprises everything not having physical existence, while the lower level contains all that is physical, i.e., all that changes. The left side is all that pertains to the Subject, i.e., all that can have spirit, mind, perceptions or emotions. This is the area of the subject, or the "knower." The right side of the chart is that of the object, and anything that is not of the subject is here. This is the area of what is "knowable."
The area above and below form a continuum of being, abstract at top, concrete at bottom, but, for most early philosophers, sharing real being. The areas on the two sides are not a continuum, but form a radical dichotomy between the knower (subject) and knowable (object).
We have a universe where Love, an abstract entity, is (for most of us) every bit as real as a baseball, just not physical. This is how something can be, but not exist, for existence means “to stand our of.” What is physical, thus “stands out of” the field of being. So love is, but it does not exist (i.e., it is not physical in its reality). Christian understanding of theological tenets and ethical teachings are aided by using the Philosopher’s Universe as a means of diagraming the concept.
The upper level of the universe is timeless, permanent, and changeless. So what Christians call “fallenness” or sinfulness, will never change; it will always be sinful. But There is also the unchanging character of righteousness, another defining form that never changes. When we speak of the Christian as receiving a “New Nature,” what exactly do we mean? Does the Old Nature go away? How do we know in our temporal, changing bodies and minds what this New Nature of righteousness is? How do we know that we have it? It all becomes clear when it is put on the chart.
For the Christian, the Grace/nature pair is primary, and is roughly the equivalent of Creator/creation. Another relationship, position (also called State, or Standing)/walk, is also of extreme importance and parallels so many other vertical pairs, such as Spirit/flesh, Faith/works, Forgiveness/confession.
Theologically, these vertical pairs help us define our world and beliefs. For example, rational thought, the upstairs mode of learning, may produce logical truths unrelated to reality, such as the truth that “unicorns are vertebrates,” and so forth. Flights of fantasy are produced in the imagination and ironed into fiction by the mind. Superstition is also the product of unaided rational processes. How can we tell fiction from fact? This is important if we are going to understand and defend the objective, historical faith of Christianity currently under attack both within and without the Church.
There is very little that cannot be represented on the Philosopher’s Universe. And doing so provides one with the questions that should be answered. Todd