There is an argument sometimes made that the termination of a religious tradition reflects poorly on the object(s) of that tradition. Maybe it means the God and its entourage never existed in the first place, or that they were defeated, or at least that they abandoned their people. But whatever it means, it isn’t good. … Continue reading On the Problem of Pagan Eclipse
Polytheism
Some Thoughts about ‘On Volitive Knowing’
If you are not subscribed to parhypostaton's Substack Waking Soliloquies, you should be. The recent 'On Volitive Knowing' is a banger, and it inspired too many thoughts in me to record anywhere else than here. So, guess who has to hear them now? In particular, I want to focus on the inexistence of the One, … Continue reading Some Thoughts about ‘On Volitive Knowing’
Spiritual Advice for the Weary Soul
This post is surely not for everyone. But if anyone out there is yearning for more religious surety in today's world, this short reflection might be for you. I believe that our society is living in an era of epistemic crisis: normalized exposure to conflicting information from seemingly equally credentialed, enthusiastic sources on just about … Continue reading Spiritual Advice for the Weary Soul
From Anselm to Entelecheia: Free Flowing Thoughts
For this week, I wanted to share some free-flowing thoughts on various points of interest that have been on my mind lately. Matthew Levering says that "Anselm raises the possibility that there might be more than one nature that is inferior to no other nature. This would entail that the supreme natures be equals. But, … Continue reading From Anselm to Entelecheia: Free Flowing Thoughts
Polytheism and Classical Natural Theology
I am currently taking a course in Natural Theology, which is understood to be the discipline or science that proves or demonstrates the existence and attributes of God (classically conceived). Two of the works we are reading are Edward Feser's Five Proofs of the Existence of God and Matthew Levering's Proofs of God: Classical Arguments … Continue reading Polytheism and Classical Natural Theology
Phenomenality as Imaging the Gods
Suppose that the term 'God' and all such cognates represent an intellectual labor, such as the articulation of a form, genericity, or some other correlate of intellect. If something like that is correct, then it seems that while 'God' designates a one as such, nevertheless, this one as such does not consist in, but precedes … Continue reading Phenomenality as Imaging the Gods
Agent -> Structure = Soil -> Roots
Whilst in the throes of a grueling leg day this morning, lost in lectures on Heidegger and Gadamer, I had a flash of insight related to yesterday's post that I thought might pardon interrupting your regularly scheduled programming: the meta-level concept, posture, orientation, or approach underlying Polytheism that I was after is pre-metaphysical. In my … Continue reading Agent -> Structure = Soil -> Roots
One Before Each
Summer is almost over, dear reader, but what a summer it was. No exotic trips, or unforgettable moments in the sun. It was a lot of work, actually, with coordinating, juggling, managing, all through a jam packed semester--though with only two weeks left. But, for all of that, it was a time of self-confrontation, destruction, … Continue reading One Before Each
Dialoguing with Aquinas on Polytheism
We are at a point in two of my courses where we are deep-diving into Thomas Aquinas. While studying various of his texts, such as his Disputed Questions, his Summas, and various Commentaries, I decided to return to Aquinas' interaction with polytheism. There was one objection of his that particularly struck me as a fruitful … Continue reading Dialoguing with Aquinas on Polytheism
(Mis)appropriating Polycentricity
It can sound mysterious to say that there is no determinate upper bound number of Gods; or, that this upper bound amount cannot be counted, or that this kind of state of affairs is due to the fact that Deity precedes everything, even Number. This can make it sound like at the highest level of … Continue reading (Mis)appropriating Polycentricity
The Analytic Pagan 