Modern French Philosophy: a Study of the Development Since ComteGunn, John Alexander
Philosophy
Modern French Philosophy: a Study of the Development Since Comte
Gunn, John Alexander
Philosophy, French; Philosophy, Modern
they saw these things they created a deity. They were more concerned
with the immortality of good souls than the eternal existence of one
supreme being; they were free-thinkers, creators of beauty and seekers
after truth, and believers in freedom. The humanism of Greece stands in
contrast to the idolatrous theocracy of the Hebrews.
The unity of God previously mentioned does not exclude the possibility
of a plurality of divine persons. God the one would be the first and
foremost, _rex hominum deorumque_. Some there may be that rise through
saintliness to divinity, Sons of God, persons surpassing man in
intelligence, power and morality. To take sides in this matter is
equivalent to professing a particular religion. We must avoid the
absolutist spirit in religion no less than in philosophy. By this
Renouvier means that brutal fanaticism which prohibits the Gods of
other people by passion and hatred, which aims at establishing and
imposing its own God (which is, after all, but its own idea of God) as
the imperialist plants his flag, his kind and his customs in new
territory, in the spirit of war and conquest. Such a “holy war” is an
outrage, based not upon real religion, but on intolerant fanaticism in
which freedom and the inherent rights of personality to construct its
own particular faith are denied.
Renouvier finds a parallelism between the worship of the State in
politics and of the One God in religion. The systems in which unity or
plurality of divine personality appears differ from one another in the
same way in which monarchal and republican ideas differ. Monarchy in
religion offers the same obstacles to progress as it has done in
politics. It involves a parallel enslavement of one’s entire self and
goods, a conscription which is hateful to freedom and detrimental to
personality. To this supreme and regal Providence all is due; it alone
in any real sense exists. Persons are shadows, of no reality, serfs
less than the dust, to whom a miserable dole is given called grace, for
which prayer and sacrifice are to be unceasingly made or chastisements
from the Almighty will follow. This notion is the product of monarchy
in politics, and with monarchy it will perish. The two are bound up,
for “by the grace of God” we are told monarchs hold their thrones, by
his favour their sceptre sways and their battalions move on to victory.
This monarchal God, this King of kings and Lord of hosts, ruler of
heaven and earth, is the last refuge of monarchs on the earth.
Confidence in both has been shaken, and both, Renouvier asserts, will
disappear and give place to a real democracy, not only to republics on
earth, but to the conception of the whole universe as a republic. Men
raise up saints and intercessors to bridge the gulf between the divine
Monarch and his slaves. They conceive angels as doing his work in
heaven; they tolerate priests to bring down grace to them here and now.
The doctrine of unity thus gives rise to fanatical religious devotion
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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