Demythologizing Christian Philosophy: An Outline

In this paper I investigate the tradition of “philosophy” and “philosopher” with respect to their importance in Christianity. I argue that the meaning of the traditional notion of philosophy as an abstract science has importantly changed. The reason for this is that the “cosmo-theological” character of traditional philosophy proved to be untenable. If this pattern is not valid in our days, then the question arises if the role of philosophy, as conceived during the Christian centuries, can be continued in and beyond our age. My answer has two aspects: on the one hand, the cosmo-theological character of philosophy needs to be explored or “demythologized;” on the other hand, Christian thought still has the potential to open itself to a future renewal. Thinking philosophically is a fundamental human feature, and I suggest that “trying to become wise,” the striving for the discovery and realization of the meaningfulness of reality is still the main concern of human beings reflecting on their historical existence today. In this sense, the encyclical letter of Fides et ratio by John Paul II offers guidance, inasmuch as its author calls for “courage” in thinking. Following this call, the present paper contends that the three mains tasks of a Christian philosophy today are as follows: 1. A sufficient understanding of the tradition determined by cosmo-theology; 2. A sufficient understanding of the importance of the trauma of totalitarianism of the twentieth century as the dividing line between tradition and contemporary reflections; and 3. A sufficient understanding of human beings striving to grasp the meaning of personhood in an open universe on the basis of the meaningfulness of reality.In this paper I investigate the tradition of “philosophy” and “philosopher” with respect to their importance in Christianity. I argue that the meaning of the traditional notion of philosophy as an abstract science has importantly changed. The reason for this is that the “cosmo-theological” character of traditional philosophy proved to be untenable. If this pattern is not valid in our days, then the question arises if the role of philosophy, as conceived during the Christian centuries, can be continued in and beyond our age. My answer has two aspects: on the one hand, the cosmo-theological character of philosophy needs to be explored or “demythologized;” on the other hand, Christian thought still has the potential to open itself to a future renewal. Thinking philosophically is a fundamental human feature, and I suggest that “trying to become wise,” the striving for the discovery and realization of the meaningfulness of reality is still the main concern of human beings reflecting on their historical existence today. In this sense, the encyclical letter of Fides et ratio by John Paul II offers guidance, inasmuch as its author calls for “courage” in thinking. Following this call, the present paper contends that the three mains tasks of a Christian philosophy today are as follows: 1. A sufficient understanding of the tradition determined by cosmo-theology; 2. A sufficient understanding of the importance of the trauma of totalitarianism of the twentieth century as the dividing line between tradition and contemporary reflections; and 3. A sufficient understanding of human beings striving to grasp the meaning of personhood in an open universe on the basis of the meaningfulness of reality

Realist Phenomenology and Philosophy of Religion. A Critical Reflection

The aim of the present paper is to show that Catholicism is not a closed segment of contemporary philosophy but rather a rich source of traditions and developments which are alive even today and can help to understand our philosophical situation and contribute to a renaissance of influential philosophy in our culture. In more detail, I shall focus on the importance of Catholic philosophy in its history and present day situation as part and parcel of our general philosophical traditions. I offer a list of models describing the possible relationships between Catholicism and philosophy. I identify the unity model as a model connected to phenomenological realism; and I will detail the important contribution of Josef Seifert to such a phenomenological realism. Phenomenological realism as an expression is offered here as a modification of realist phenomenology, a modification based on the recognition of what I term the entangled nature of reality

Properties of the Liquid-Vapor Interface of Acetone-Water Mixtures. A Computer Simulation and ITIM Analysis Study

Molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid-vapor interface of acetone-water mixtures of different compositions, covering the entire composition range have been performed on the canonical (N, V, T) ensemble at 298 K, using a model combination that excellently describes the mixing properties of these compounds. The properties of the intrinsic liquid surfaces have been analyzed in terms of the Identification of the Truly Interfacial Molecules (ITIM) method. Thus, the composition, width, roughness, and separation of the subsurface molecular layers, as well as self-association, orientation, and dynamics of exchange with the bulk phase of the surface molecules have been analyzed in detail. Our results show that acetone molecules are strongly adsorbed at the liquid surface, and this adsorption extends to several molecular layers. Like molecules in the surface layer are found to form relatively large lateral self-associates. The effect of the vicinity of the vapor phase on a number of properties of the liquid phase vanishes beyond the first molecular layer, with the second subsurface layer already part of the bulk liquid phase in these respects. The orientational preferences of the surface molecules are governed primarily by the dipole-dipole interaction of the neighboring acetone molecules, and hydrogen bonding interaction of the neighboring acetone-water pairs. (Figure Presented). © 2015 American Chemical Society

Apocalyptic Phenomenology: The Culmination of the Phenomenological Movement

In this article, I delineate a notion of phenomenology, which differs in many ways from earlier approaches. I term this understanding apocalyptic in the sense that this phenomenology discloses not only the essences of particular things, logical entities, ideas, and transcendental processes, but beyond them, it reveals reality in its essential openness to newness. The term apocalupsis refers not simply to the unveiling of something unknown earlier, but more importantly to the central determinant of reality in that it discloses irreducible newness. I show that the phenomenon of self-disclosure or revelation was at the center of the work of the first phenomenologists, such as Franz Brentano and Edmund Husserl; I emphasize the notion of phenomenological revelation in the thought of Max Scheler and Martin Heidegger. In this context, I offer an interpretation of the phenomenologies of Emmanuel Lévinas, Michel Henry, and Jean-Luc Marion. I argue that the notion of nouveauté novatrice of Miklos Vetö is a phenomenologically inspired insight into the nature of the essence of phenomenology. I claim that newness is the core of reality engendering a new conception of phenomenology as a philosophy of reality–a phenomenology aptly termed neology, a development of what is known as “the phenomenological movement”

Demythologizing Christian Philosophy: An Outline

In this paper I investigate the tradition of “philosophy” and “philosopher” with respect to their importance in Christianity. I argue that the meaning of the traditional notion of philosophy as an abstract science has importantly changed. The reason for this is that the “cosmo-theological” character of traditional philosophy proved to be untenable. If this pattern is not valid in our days, then the question arises if the role of philosophy, as conceived during the Christian centuries, can be continued in and beyond our age. My answer has two aspects: on the one hand, the cosmo-theological character of philosophy needs to be explored or “demythologized;” on the other hand, Christian thought still has the potential to open itself to a future renewal. Thinking philosophically is a fundamental human feature, and I suggest that “trying to become wise,” the striving for the discovery and realization of the meaningfulness of reality is still the main concern of human beings reflecting on their historical existence today. In this sense, the encyclical letter of Fides et ratio by John Paul II offers guidance, inasmuch as its author calls for “courage” in thinking. Following this call, the present paper contends that the three mains tasks of a Christian philosophy today are as follows: 1. A sufficient understanding of the tradition determined by cosmo-theology; 2. A sufficient understanding of the importance of the trauma of totalitarianism of the twentieth century as the dividing line between tradition and contemporary reflections; and 3. A sufficient understanding of human beings striving to grasp the meaning of personhood in an open universe on the basis of the meaningfulness of reality