final oral thesis statements

7/23/2019 Final Oral Thesis Statements

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Final Oral Thesis StatementPhilosophy of Religion

Mark Joseph Calano

1. An analysis of the conict et!een philosophy an" theology lea"s #s to a share"in"ecisi$e in"eterminacy et!een the t!o sciences. %t entails #n"erstan"ing ofprinciples gi$en in the kno!le"ge of e&perience' gi$en in a non(imme"iateempirical !ay' an" yet e)ecti$ely gi$en. *The e$ent+for it is in"ee" an e$ent+ofthe Re$elation' in givingthis asol#tely #nforeseeale e&perience' !hich in asense is asol#tely impossile accor"ing to the criteria of metaphysicalscienti,city' - para"o&ically opens a space for ne! kno!le"ge' a ,el" ofphenomena !hich !o#l" ha$e other!ise remaine" in$isile. An" th#s it givesthepossiility metaphysically impossile/ of a comprehension' that is to say it o)ersan e&tension of the ,el" of rationality-. Re$elation o)ers a given comparale toe$ery other gi$en of e$ery other science. 0#t the proce"#res of access to thisgi$en call for a "i)erent epistemology herethe gi$en has nothing imme"iateao#t it eca#se it is necessary to elie$e it in or"er to recei$e it an" to e$ent#allyreach a partial an" al!ays pro$isional comprehension of it. %n fact' to elie$e here

means m#ch more than to hol" as tr#e-2 to elie$e "eman"s lo$ing eca#se itres#lts from a gracio#s gift a grace/' #t ao$e all eca#se it concerns in the lastinstance an" from the $ery eginning the re$elation of lo$e itself. 3o$e plays a roleof epistemological me"iation2 it is a re4#ire" con"ition of access to the re$eale"gi$en.5

Philo $s ReligionPhilo no one ans!er

1. Tha#ma6ein!on"er/ think7reect f#rther' life changing' concrete e&periences8. Aisthesis ea#tif#l/ attract #s' "esire for the impossile' can9t e graspe"' call

for "iscernment

:. 3ogos lang#age/ artic#late e&periences' talk ao#t itReligion manifeste" in mo$ement1. ;i$eness here an" no!8. 0rokeness not perfect' % h#rt people an" people h#rt me' forgi$eness par"on/:. Possiility of a ;o"


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8. *B$ery phenomenon appears' #t it appears only to the e&tent that it sho!s itself.5The concrete manifestation of this sho!ing is the fact that there are e$ents. B$entsare not simply oects t#rne" into e$ents. There are oects2 there are e$ents.B$ents are al!ays historical an" in time. 0irth an" "eath are e&amples of e$ents.0#t irth is "i)erent. *%t happens to me e&actly in that it happens' an" happensadvenirD only in that it en"o!s me !ith a f#t#re lavenirD. My irth is not calle" aphenomenon that of the non(originary origin/ eca#se it sho!s itself' #t eca#se'in the $ery asence of any "irect monstration' it comes to pass as an e$ent that

!as ne$er present an" al!ays alrea"y "ate" passED' #t ne$er o#t"ate""epasseD+in fcat' al!ays to(come. My irth "oes phenomenali6e itself' #t as ap#re e$ent' #npre"ictale' irrepro"#cile' e&cee"ing all ca#se' an" making theimpossile possile that is to say' my al!ays ne! life/' s#rpassing all e&pectation'all promise' an" all pre"iction. This phenomenon' !hich is accomplishe" in aperfect re"#ction of that !hich sho!s itself' th#s testi,es in an e&ceptional an"para"igmatic !ay that its phenomenality o!s "irectly from the fact that it gi$esitself.5 The self is oth the gi$en an" the gi$en to. *The gi$en(to is characteri6e"therefore y reception. To e s#re' reception implies passi$e recepti$ity' #t it alsore4#ires acti$e capacity2 the capacity capacitas/' in or"er to gro! to the meas#reof the gi$en an" to maintain its happening' m#st p#t itself to !ork+the !ork of the

gi$en to e recei$e"' the !ork on itself to recei$e-. The gi$en re$eals itself to thegi$en(to y re$ealing the gi$en(to to itself. Bach phenomenali6es the other as there$eale"' !hich is characteri6e" y this essential phenomenal reciprocity' !hereseeing implies the mo"i,cation of the seer y the seen as m#ch as of the seen ythe seer. The gi$en(to f#nctions as the re$elator of the gi$en an" the gi$en as there$elator of the gi$en(to.5

B$ent( irrepro"#cile' no ca#se' #nforeseeale( makes possile time' #nfol"s tr#e time' recogni6es time' go thro#gh in time( it stages yo#( look thro#gh a !in"o!' see something f#rther

eath( manifeste" in time( can only speak of it( only e&perience" thro#gh the "eath of the other( accomplishe" fact( can9t capt#re it' it escapes yo#

S#ici"e( re"#ce "eath to an oect( no one can "ie for #s' my o!n "eath in$ol$es me completely

0irth( gi$en onto o#rsel$es' perfect gi$ing( yo# aren9t a!are yetGnot conscio#s( sat#rate" phenomena


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:. Forgi$eness operates !ithin the aporetic logic of forgi$ale an" the #nforgi$ale'!ithin an" !itho#t the economy of e&change. The con"itional an" the#ncon"itional are asol#tely irre"#cile to one another' #t are also at the sametime in"issociale. *There is in forgi$eness' in the $ery meaning of forgi$eness' aforce' a "esire' an impet#s' a mo$ement' an appeal call it !hat yo# !ill/ that"eman"s that forgi$eness e grante"' if it can e' e$en to someone !ho "oes notask for it' !ho "oes not repent or confess or impro$e or re"eem itself' eyon"'conse4#ently' an entirely i"enti,catory' spirit#al' !hether s#lime or not'

economy' eyon" all e&piation e$en-. HForgi$ing oneself9+if % ha" to ans!er' %!o#l" say' on the one han"' % ne$er forgi$e myself' an" on the other han"' % al!aysforgi$e myself. %n oth cases' it !o#l" imply that % am not alone !ith myself either!hen % forgi$e myself' eca#se % s#mmon someone !ho helps me' or !hen % "o notforgi$e myself' eca#se there is another one of me !ho !ill not forgi$e me-. Thepeople !ho ha$e faith in ;o"((since faith is not certainty an" since faith is a risk+are also tempte" to acc#se or "eno#nce ;o". That is part of the risk of faith.5

To forgi$e3ang#age( Al!ays alrea"y f#l,lling the promise to speak the tr#th

( @inting at the tr#thPar"on( Mention an" ask( B&plain G ask for an apology

=hy>Par"on $s Merci G m#ltiplicity of interpretations( Ise lang#age as an archi(promise G f#n"amental' fo#n"ational( Speak of an e$ent' #t it9s alrea"y "one( =or" G attempt to talk of an e$ent that happene"( 3ang#age G can9t grasp !hat is alrea"y accomplishe"

Forgi$eness is a gift G Pharmakon poison an" gift/( Poison G tool for manip#lation( ;ift G gi$en to #nforgi$ale

In/con"itional forgi$eness( @#man is "e6ein( Inforgi$ale m#st al!ays pass thro#gh con"itions( Incon"itional only makes sense in con"itionality' no *!hy5

o Challenge con"itionalityo B&pan" thro#gh shattering

Forgi$eness takes practiceCan yo# forgi$e yo#rself>

( J#st gi$e #st eca#se%nprescriptaility $s Inforgi$aility

( Forgi$eness an" ref#sal G hyperolic ethics


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?. *Prayer is religio#s e&perience par e&cellence for it is the sole h#man act thatopens the religio#s "imension an" ne$er come to #n"er!rite' to s#pport' an" tos#)er his opening.5 There is nothing that ;o" "oes not kno!. 0#t the !or"s spokenin prayer constit#te many semantic le$els. e$ertheless' it remains a !o#n"e"!or".


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K. Anselm9s Proslogionis a manifestation of credo ut intelligam. *O 3or"' % "o notattempt to gain access to Lo#r loftiness' eca#se % "o not at all consi"er myintellect to e e4#al to this task. 0#t % yearn to #n"erstan" some meas#re of Lo#rtr#th' !hich my heart elie$es an" lo$es.5 Anselm "esires for aliquatenusto get to#n"erstan" sicuti est. An" he #n"erstan"s that ;o"' !ho is Summum Bonum' isnot only id quo maius cogitari nequit#t is also quiddam maius quam cogitaripossit.*Lo# alone' 3or"' are !hat Lo# are es quod es/ an" are =ho Lo# are et tues qui es/-. 0#t Lo# are !hat Lo# are' eca#se that !hich Lo# e$er or in any !ay

are' this Lo# are as a !hole n" al!ays hoc totus et semper es.5 Anselm sho!s #sthat it is not a 4#estion of #n"erstan"ing the same ;o" as it is a 4#estion of !hathappens to #s in the p#rs#it of this ;o".


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. Faith is not a shiel" to s#)ering. ;o" is silent2 @e remains silent e$en in the face ofall these s#)ering. Faith is not al!ays easy. *0#t Christ "i" not "ie for the goo" an"ea#tif#l. %t is easy eno#gh to "ie for the goo" an" ea#tif#l2 the har" thing is to"ie for the miserale an" corr#pt(this is the reali6ation that came home to meac#tely at that time.5 There is something ao#t o#r neighors that comes !ithfaith2 it is ne$er sel,sh. *Sin- is not !hat it is #s#ally tho#ght to e2 it is not tosteal an" tell lies. Sin is for one man to !alk r#tally o$er the life of another an" toe 4#ite oli$io#s of the !o#n"s he has left ehin".5 Rightly' *tDr#e lo$e !as to

accept h#manity !hen !aste" like rags an" tatters.5 e$ertheless' it remains to eans!ere" !hy !e s#)er an" !here is ;o" in all these. Silenceen"s !ith thesecontro$ersial lines *TrampleN TrampleN5 those eyes of pity ha" sai". *Lo#r foots#)ers in pain2 it m#st s#)er like all the feet that ha$e steppe" on this pla4#e. 0#tthat pain alone is eno#gh.5 The priest ha" sai"' *3or"' % resente" yo#r silence.5 *%!as not silent2 % s#)ere" esi"e yo#'5 ha" een the ans!er. *0#t yo# tol" J#"as togo a!ay =hat tho# "ost' "o 4#ickly. =hat happene" to J#"as>5 *J#st as % tol" yo#to step on the pla4#e' so % tol" J#"as to "o !hat he !as going to "o. For J#"as !asin ang#ish as yo# are no!.5


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. @ope is the patient seeking of the light' yet to e orn' that cannot e seen nore&perience" in moments of capti$ity' capit#lation' an" "arkness. *@ope is sit#ate"!ithin the frame!ork of the trial' not only correspon"ing to it' #t constit#ting o#reing9s $eritale response.5 %t is not optimism' $italism' Stoicism' an" ;nosticismeca#se it entails the constant "ecision nisus/ to hope an" the temptation toconstantly lose hope. %t is a positi$e non(acceptance that is not centere" on theself' #t respects the personal rhythm y !hich one #n"ergoes the process ofhope. There is openness to the sit#ation+a len" of patience an" tr#st.


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. espair is a capit#lation to an" an anticipation of repetition2 it is spirit#ala#tophagy or self("e$o#ring. Gk. auto-phagein/. %t t#rns to!ar"s the ego' makingit the center an" closing it o) from possiilities' trapping itself #p in capti$e"arkness. @ope is creati$e. %t is open to !hat can e e$en if it has yet to see theho!. @ope challenges fatuman" o$ercomes the temptation to "ecei$e one9s self!hen it is not ,&e" on a "e,nite oect an" it gro#n"s e$erything in ;o"' so#rce ofall hope. %n this sense' time chronos$s. kairos/ an" free"om are sa$e" an"properly #n"erstoo".


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1Q. @ope is al!ays gro#n"e" in comm#nion. Against the temptation to "espairan" the temptation to reect hope ase "on empiricism' there is only one reme"y'a hope that can e est e&presse" as % hope in Thee for #s. There is a "eep an"intrinsic relationship et!een lo$e an" hope. @ope' like lo$e' is not possessi$e' norosessi$e2 it is not clingy' not controlling' #t freeing. %t is non(calc#lati$e' non(oectifying' #t rather is patient an" tr#sting. Faithf#lness an" tr#thf#lness inhope is a grace' a "ecision' a call' an" a response. %n the face of "eath' hope saysto the elo$e"' *Lo# shall not "ie.5 An" *O#r comm#nion is in"estr#ctile'5 an"

*Someho!' in some !ay' % !ill see yo# again.5 The person !ho hopes "oes note&actly kno! ho! that !ill happen2 he also kno!s that he himself cannot make ithappen. %t is a recognition of hope an" lo$e as oth nostosan" kainon ti asefore' #t "i)erently an" etter than efore+a ret#rn to eing' #t in atrans,g#re" !ay.

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