New Thinking for a New Year
New Thinking for a New Year
By Carson Weitnauer | Plus, C. Stephen Evans on the Relationship Between Philosophy and Religion
Quotable
One important lesson to be drawn from the history of Western philosophy concerns the relationship between philosophy and religion. It is not uncommon to find thinkers, mostly secular but including some religious people, who draw a sharp line between philosophy and the kind of thinking about religion generally called theology. There are many examples of this kind of "boundary-policing." For example, in contemporary philosophy of religion, philosophers who defend religious views, particularly Christian views, are sometimes criticized as "not really being philosophers." Real philosophers must be objective and neutral in their approach to religious questions, and genuine religious commitments, if they exist, ought to be bracketed or put aside.
Another example can be found in the way the history of ancient philosophy is often portrayed in textbooks. The story often is told like this: philosophy begins when thinkers begin to recognize the problems with religious views (such as those found in Homer's descriptions of the gods), and look for natural, scientific explanations for natural phenomena. On this account, philosophy is a kind of replacement for religion; philosophy paves the way for a scientific worldview that displaces a religious worldview.
I think the true story of ancient philosophy, as developed in chapters two through six, is very different. It is correct that most ancient philosophers subject the Homeric deities to critical scrutiny and find them rationally deficient. And it is also true that many ancient philosophers are the recognizable ancestors of what we today describe as natural science. But to claim that such a concern for natural explanation somehow displaces religious views and concerns is just mistaken. Although Socrates was executed partly for his critique of Athenian religion, it is clear that Socrates himself was deeply religious, and even that he saw his philosophical work as a divine calling (see chap. 3). Plato and Aristotle, while critical of Homeric views of the gods, see thinking about what is divine as essential to their philosophy, and their conceptions of the divine remain deeply influential on the theologies of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (see chaps. 4 and 5). Even the Epicureans, with their mechanistic view of nature, continued to believe in the gods. In fact, it is plausible that their claim that the gods do not intervene in human affairs and do not care about human beings was itself religiously motivated. Much of the ancient world was gripped by fear of the gods, a fear that was reasonable given the Homeric depictions of the gods. What Epicurus offered to his followers was deliverance from the anxiety caused by bad theology, but the rejection of bad theology can still be seen as a kind of theology. Indeed, the great scholar Pierre Hadot has argued that the ancient schools of philosophy were themselves very much religious communities, whose members not only practiced logical thinking but also functioned much like groups of monks, with practical exercises, liturgies, and ceremonies.
The attempt to divorce philosophy from religion also has a baneful effect on how medieval philosophy is viewed. Since medieval philosophy is so obviously shaped by religious concerns and views, many prestigious departments of philosophy more or less ignore this period, or give it minimal attention. Courses in ancient philosophy and modern philosophy may be offered or even required, but courses in medieval philosophy are much less central to the curriculum. The medieval period is often caricatured as "the Dark Ages" when in fact it was a period of great intellectual advance and creativity.
One can also see the bad effects of the divorce of religion from philosophy in the way the history of modern philosophy is often presented. The religious concerns and views of philosophers are frequently ignored or minimized. I have, for example, seen serious scholars who claimed that John Locke was a deist, even though Locke wrote a book titled The Reasonableness of Christianity, in which he appeals to miracles and fulfilled prophecies. Spinoza is frequently described as a naturalist or even an atheist, although no concept seems more central to Spinoza than the concept of God. True, Spinoza rejects the personal God of Judaism and Christianity, but it hardly seems reasonable to deny that he was in many ways a profoundly religious man, one who was devoted to the "intellectual love of God," as he understood it. The religious views of thinkers such as Descartes are frequently not taken seriously. Kant is often celebrated for having demolished the traditional arguments for God's existence, but many Kant scholars fail to take Kant's own moral argument for faith in God very seriously. Kant's moral philosophy is correctly seen as one that stresses human autonomy, but Kant's claims that we should see all of our moral duties as divine commands and that God is himself the sovereign of the "kingdom of ends" are often ignored entirely.
— C. Stephen Evans, A History of Western Philosophy: From the Pre-Socratics to Postmodernism (IVP Academic, 2018), 574-576.
New Thinking for A New Year
by Carson Weitnauer
Can the truth of Christianity change? Surely the answer is a clear and unambiguous “no.”
From the perspective of orthodoxy, these questions seem to be non-starters. Of course the truth of Christianity is absolute, non-relative, unchanging. As we might say, the one who claimed to be the Truth is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
To hint that the truth of Christianity can change might appear to be illogical if not heretical.
However, I would suggest to you that this way of thinking has obscured an important reality. The apologetic focus on absolute truth has, inadvertently, created a kind of blindness in the apologetic community. What do I mean by this?
First, note that the apologetic discipline is often conceptualized as an encyclopedic process:
Step one: Clarify the truth claims of Christianity (that is, the propositions of orthodox theology).
Step two: Develop and organize the best arguments in support of these truth claims.
Step three: Rebut or refute any objections or alternative worldviews.
Do you see the oversight?
As an initial hint, consider C. S. Lewis’s famous quote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
To my mind, the theological and apologetic project of the Christian community is often too narrowly focused on presenting a complete theory of the sun and defending its existence.
And so, at times, this means that we are not adequately prioritizing how the sun helps us see everything else.
Yes, every generation needs to be taught and persuaded that Jesus is the Savior of the world. The fundamentals will continue to be of great importance.
But we also need to faithfully, imaginatively, and humbly present a vision for human flourishing in a rapidly changing culture.
Because if we cannot demonstrate and present a distinctive, credible, and beautiful picture of Christian discipleship in new social contexts, our message is understandably regarded as irrelevant and uninteresting.
That is, if we cannot demonstrate that the sun enables a better vision for life, our friends will rightly question whether or not such a thing exists, or if this astronomical oddity is worth any of their time and attention.
For instance, what does Christian theology say about virtual reality? Political polarization? Climate change? Gender identity? The microphone? Fitbits? Editing our social profiles? Dating apps? Photo filters? Wikipedia? Getting answers to our questions via Google? Location tracking via smartphones? Video surveillance systems? Black Lives Matter? The MeToo and ChurchToo movements? The gig economy? Bird Box? Stranger Things?
For instance, if you were discipling a user experience designer at a technology firm, what would be the unique vantage point she could bring to work as a Christian? Perhaps she would avoid the term “user” in favor of the biblically richer phrase “image bearer.” Hopefully she would be personally honest, but perhaps she would also press for clarity and transparency in the company’s privacy policy? We might ask, what is the purpose of your company’s app? What behaviors does it seek to create? How do those contribute to human flourishing?
If the worldview that we claim to be absolutely true cannot provide a compelling anthropological and sociological vision for our time, then have we not fallen short?
How can there be such a great and luminous being as the Triune God of love if his word sheds little to no light on the great social questions of our day and age?
As we begin a new year, my challenge to The Worldview Bulletin community is that we might increasingly, prayerfully, and humbly connect the dots between our orthodox understanding of the faith, and the reasons we can know it to be true, with the pressing questions of our culture.
— Carson Weitnauer would enjoy a substantive conversation with you about these topics at RZIM Connect. Carson is on Twitter @ReasonsForGod. You can find his writings at reasonsforgod.org and your favorite online bookseller.
Book Highlight
*Unless otherwise noted, descriptions are those provided by the publisher, sometimes edited for brevity.
Plato. Aristotle. Augustine. Hume. Kant. Hegel.
These names and the philosophies associated with them ring through the minds of every student and scholar of philosophy. And in their search for knowledge, every student of philosophy needs to know the history of the philosophical discourse such giants have bequeathed us.
Noted philosopher C. Stephen Evans brings his expertise to this daunting task as he surveys the history of Western philosophy, from the Pre-Socratics to Nietzsche and postmodernism—and every major figure and movement in between.
Endorsements
"When a world-class Christian philosopher writes on the history of Western philosophy, one can expect a first-rate work that illuminates and enriches—and that is just what we find here. Evans's book effectively distills key philosophical figures and their ideas, considering both their historical context and their lasting influence. What we have in this volume is a marvelous resource that engages key thinkers and philosophical concepts judiciously, insightfully, and Christianly."
— Paul Copan, the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University, author of A Little Book for New Philosophers
"C. Stephen Evans has performed a tremendous service for Christian philosophers, especially those new to the field. A History of Western Philosophy is an excellent single-volume history of the progress of western philosophical thought. Dr. Evans hits all the major players, concentrating on the essentials of each philosopher's contribution to the ongoing discussion. His style is clear, lucid, and accessible for the novice while also presenting insightful evaluations for those who are advanced. It is a superb work that should be on the shelf of every thoughtful Christian."
— Mark W. Foreman, professor of philosophy and religion, Liberty University
Find A History of Western Philosophy at Logos, Amazon, IVP, and other major booksellers.