medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Christopher Crockett wrote:
> From: Mariano Paniello <[log in to unmask]>
>
>> ....arguments positing that historical forces are pushing cultures
>> inevitably.... ideas which seem more at home in the pages of Spengler
>> than in modern scholarship.
>
> my reading of Spengler is that he is not so much "positing historical
> forces pushing cultures" as merely making observations about quite a
> few uncanny "coincidences" which seem to be present in the history of
> various historical cultures, planet-wide.
Even if he had to distort evidence and suppress facts in order to make his
case?
Spengler's political views were more or less in tune with those of the
National Socialists, but he was disappointed in his hopes of having any
influence with them - a warning to millennialists, perhaps?
> to put the argument the other way round reminds me of the common
> mis-construing of the ancient discipline of Astrology, claiming that
> it "posits" that the "stars" dictated events on earth.
>
> when it did no such thing, actually being concerned with the
> discovery and explication of a perceived synchronisity between events
> discernable in the heavens and those unfolding on this particular
> planet.
As no one seriously suggested that future events on earth affected the
present position of heavenly bodies, you can see how the idea might have
arisen.
Not to mention the sort of intellectual confusion which resulted in events
in the New Testament narrative being described as occurring in order that
they might fulfil some prophecy or other.
John Briggs
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|