At 09:14 AM 12/2/1998 +0100, you wrote:
> If there is
>something, theologians *do* agree on, then it is the idea of the Old
>Testament of God being the Great and not fully comprehensible Other.
>
>And this is what separates our understanding of "relational", too, I think.
>This concept of otherness, which makes our body not really a good example.
>I'd rather say: we integrate our perception of the universe into our
>nature, but there still is an *Other*, which goes beyond my perception.
I particularly enjoyed reading "The Natural Alien: humankind and
environment" by Neil Evernden. The idea here is that industrial man is a
"natural alien" separated from the "things themselves" through a western
resistance to integrate the self within creation. He says for instance that
"in a society dominated by the technological vision there is no possibility
for an environmental ethic."
The dedicated dislike of western industrialization is perhaps as ancient as
western history. This dislike seems to pervade english writing from Thomas
Hardy through D.H. Lawrence, Thoreau, etc., and now lately it has become
department within departments and faculties worldwide. Even Heidegger
mentioned extensively the presence ot the "It" world, a world that was
devoid of human presence or impact as being very positive, hydrodams as
changing the ontological status of river valleys.
The motive for so much dislike varies on the basis of the authors location,
history and training. Anyway just a thought or two.
jon
>
>>please tell me in what way this is male, dominating, and imperialistic...
>>i did use the double gender when referring to God....
"God must be a Boogey Man" Joni Mitchell
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