Although Descartes was evidently personally a Catholic, the radicality of the Cartesian cogito rules out any affinity between
Cartesianism and Catholic Christianity. In this connection, the Thomist metaphysician Cornelio Fabro has delineated the counter-
Catholic Tendenz in Descartes. Fabro's book on this subject is God in Exile: A Study of the Internal Dynamic of Modern Atheism, from its Roots in the Cartesian Cogito to the Present Day, trans. Arthur Gibson (New York: Newman Press, 1968), original Italian edition Introduzione all' Ateismo Moderno (1964).
John F. Maguire
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 12:51:50 -0400From: [log in to unmask]: Re: FILM-PHILOSOPHY Digest - 25 Apr 2008 - Special issue (#2008-158)To: [log in to unmask]
i see it all more clearly now: bill harris is interested in god and theology and grace, and important stuff like that – stuff that by his own account is “nothing more than bullshit” . . . and all i’m interested in is narratology . . . narratology is not part of the “infinities of religious speculation,” it’s just an attempt to sort out how we make sense of narratives . . . narratives about gods follow the same narratological principles as narratives about dogs
From: Film-Philosophy Salon [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of bill harrisSent: Friday, May 02, 2008 11:00 AMTo: [log in to unmask]: Re: FILM-PHILOSOPHY Digest - 25 Apr 2008 - Special issue (#2008-158)
Caps and exactitudes aside, Mike has offered a clear illustration of the Cartesian-Catholic version of events. Humans are "wild reeds" --full of innate passions which must be controlled. Enter The Church, which informs us of ethical standards, love, and grace. Abe justifiably loves god because he has demonstrated the "higher way" which Paul will refer to in 1 Cor 13. Cinematically, I refer to Bresson/Bernanos.
To continue along these lines with with Weil: All human behavior falls under the laws of nature roughly analogous to gravity-- excepting grace. Superficially, it would seem obvious that Hollywood-based heroism easily conforms to this search-for-grace mode. Yet as happy endings preclude the requisite sense of tragedy, grace remains within the European canon. For example, Smilla.
However, a Spinozan-styled theology might be just as viable. In this regard, God isn't just responsible for grace 'n goodness. As the Great Dutch Master observed, the three stated "omnis" would hold god accountable for evil, as well. In this case, there would be no ontic distinction between acts of good and those of evil, and therefore we are not closer to god because we do good. Perhaps Veerhoven best exemplifies this attitude, although I understand him to be, personally, a deeply-committed Christian.
Unlike the Cartesian god, that of Spinoza might be said to talk in two voices; one of instinct, one of intellect. This, of course, would roughly correspond to Mike's first goddish duo, that of El and Yahweh. In passing, I would also like to mention that both of these theologies are post hoc glosses by the order of two thousand plus years.
Yet this is not to say that I'm suggesting any sort of "contradiction" between these two perspectives. After all, I'm not a Jesuit. Rather, I'm only emphasizing the Cantoresque infinity of all religious explanations. This, furthermore, is to say that religion is nothing less than high-order speculation, and nothing more than bullshit.
Therefore, after all of the infinities of religious speculation have worked their way out, we are left alone with our own singularity of lived history. Abe was the Ur-Psycho.
Bill Harris
----- Original Message -----
From: Frank, Michael
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 7:01 AM
Subject: Re: FILM-PHILOSOPHY Digest - 25 Apr 2008 - Special issue (#2008-158)
let’s try ths just one more time
bill says:
An atheist, mind-centered understanding of Abe would indicate that his desire to kill Isaac makes him a psychopath, regardless of the outcome
and it seems to me that this is EXACTLY what the text itself indicates -- not what god says in either of his names, though the second name seems to agree with this and not what religion says and not what abe says, but what the text itself says . . . paraphrase it this way:
“if some [psychopathic] urge makes you want to sacrifice your son, don’t do it because there are moral principles in the world that take precedence and preclude it”
mike
.
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