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How Does God Change Into Human Being?

Posted on:2008-02-08Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:J DuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360215499802Subject:Foreign philosophy
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
In spite of a huge contrast in the "subj ect-matter", the Christian theology and the modern spirit actually shared some similarities in the spirit. As to belief, the "Reverences" to "God" in Middle Ages and to "Reason" in modern times have no difference. If the two beliefs have something in common, then it is the God who had been a god in Middle Ages has changed into the human being in the process of modernization. In the middle ages, God is the ultimate goal of life and the highest principle of reason. In the modern world, human reason itself is of the rational criteria, and mundane life is of the final purpose. In the middle Ages, "self-consciousness" is regarded as an evidence of the departure from God, while the modem world regards it as the root of the unity of existence. Descartes' philosophical thought played an important role in the process of modernization; therefore, it should include the secret of the transformation and the Incarnation."Rational entity" and "self-consciousness" are two possible perspectives of the differences between Cartesian thought and Christian theology. "Rational entity" was the core of traditional theology, constituting the actual content of God. As long as the "rational entity" concept is preserved, the "Entity-God" must be extemal to survival. By interpreting the issue of "certainty" phenomenonally, Descartes changed "objective reason" into a procedural concept. "God", while still being regarded as the "ultimate entity", loses its "objective reason" meaning and ceased to be outside of human survival."Self-consciousness" is not a new concept in traditional thinking, in Christian theological discourse; it represents a departure from God. Originally, there was no "self-consciousness" in God's "absolute sense"; and "self-consciousness" is in it a clear indication of the departure of "absolute" and "etemal". But Christianity does not unconditionally eliminate "self-consciousness". The doctrine of "Trinity" and "Incarnation" shows God's arrival to the world, thus "self-consciousness" is the hub for reconciliation with God. By treating "I" as "thinking entity", Descartes combined "thinking" and the "Being" together. In this way, "Self-Consciousness of Guilt" is not only the survival of the "legitimacy", but also the survival of the "sacred." "Sacred mundane life" is an important contribution of Descartes to Modernization."Rational theology" is an important issue that Christianity faced in the process of modernization. Some of Descartes' thoughts are intrinsically linked to the trend. "Trinity" is the basic theory of traditional Christianity while "Unitarianism" is the basic theory of "Deism" in modern world. Descartes' theory has both supported "Unitarianism "and "Deism". Descartes' "God Theory" also has a covert meaning linked to "Pantheism".
Keywords/Search Tags:Cartesian philosophy, Christian theology, the Relationship between God Human being
PDF Full Text Request
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