 |
| ABC Doooyeweerd 6 (illustration free for non-profit re-use) |
Previous Next
CONTEXT of QUOTE:
The Cartesian "Cogito" in contra-distinction to
the theoretic nous as the Archimedian point of Greek metaphysics.
After much
preparation in various sorts of directions (especially in the system of
NICOLAUS CUSANUS) the principles of Humanistic philosophical thought received
their first clear formulation in the system of DESCARTES. The cogito in which
this thinker supposed he had found his Archimedean point is in no sense
identical with the "logos" or "nous" ["mind, reason, intellect"] of classic Greek philosophy.
In the latter, human reason was conceived of as bound to an objective
metaphysical order of being in which the thinking subject only has a part.
This metaphysical order was considered as the standard of truth in respect to
theoretical thought. Quite different from this Greek conception of reason is
that of the founder of Humanistic philosophy.
By means of the
"cogito" DESCARTES called to a halt the universal methodical
scepticism with respect to all the data of experience. The given world should
be broken up in a methodical theoretical way in order to reconstruct it from
autonomous mathematical thought. It is the new ideal of personality which is
active behind this philosophical experiment. It does not accept any order or
law that the sovereign personality of man had not itself prescribed in rational
thought. Although DESCARTES substantialized this cogito to a "res
cogitans" ["thinking thing/entity"], and thereby seemed to fall back upon scholastic metaphysics, no
one should fail to recognize that in his new regulatives for methodical thought
the Humanistic motive of freedom and of the domination of nature is the driving
force.
From his "cogito, ergo sum" the French
thinker directly proceeds to the Idea of God, and therein discovers the
foundation of all further knowledge. This Idea of God is nothing but the
absolutizing of mathematical thought to divine thought, which cannot mislead
us. The whole Idea of God serves to imprint upon the new mathematical method
the mark of infallibility.
The Jansenists of
Port Royal who accepted Cartesianism as an exact method of thinking, supposed
they had found an inner affinity between DESCARTES' founding of all knowledge
in self-consciousness and the immanent Idea of God, and AUGUSTINE'S "Deum
et animam scire volo" ["I wish to know God and soul"]. This was a grave error.
There is no relationship between DESCARTES' and AUGUSTINE'S
Archimedean point. The misconception of the Jansenists of Port Royal on this
issue.
For this inner affinity does not exist, in
spite of the appearance of the contrary.
In an unsurpassed manner CALVIN expounded in his Institutio the authentic Christian conception of AUGUSTINE which
made all knowledge of the cosmos dependent upon self-knowledge, and made our
self-knowledge dependent upon our knowledge of God. Moreover, CALVIN
dissociated this conception from AUGUSTINE'S scholastic standpoint with regard
to philosophy as "ancilla theologiae" ["handmaid of theology"]. This view is radically opposed to the conception of DESCARTES. In his
"cogito", the latter implicitly proclaimed the sovereignty of
mathematical thought and deified it in his Idea of God, in a typically
Humanistic attitude towards knowledge.
Consequently, there
is no inner connection between AUGUSTINE'S refutation of scepticism by
referring to the certainty of thought which doubts, and DESCARTES'
"cogito, ergo sum". AUGUSTINE never intended to declare the naturalis ratio [natural reason] to be autonomous and unaffected by the fall.
(Herman
Dooyeweerd, A New Critique of Theoretical
Thought, Part 2, pp195-196)
"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone... and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him. On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also —He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. " (John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, chap 1:1, 1:2, trans. by Henry Beveridge)
________________________
CALVIN -
"Toute la somme de nostre saigesse, laquelle mérite d'estre appellée vraie et certaine saigesse, est quasi comprinse en deux parties, à sçavoir la congnoissance de Dieu, et de nousmesmes...Ainsi par le sentiment de nostre petitesse, rudesse, vanité, mesmes aussi perversité et corruption, nous recongnoissons que la vraie grandeur, sapience, verité, justice et pureté gist en Dieu. Finalement nous sommes esmeuz par noz misères à considerer les biens du Seigneur, et ne pouvons pas affectueusement aspirer à luy, devant que nous aions commencé de nous desplaire du tout en nousmesmes. Car qui est celuy des hommes qui ne reposast voluntiers en soy mesmes? qui est celuy qui n'y repose pour le temps que, se mescongnoissant, il est content de ses propres facultez, et ne voit point sa calamité? Parquoy un chascun de nous n'est seulement incité à chercher Dieu par la congnoissance de soymesme, mais est conduict et quasi mené par la main à le trouver. D'autre part il est notoire, que l'homme ne vient jamais à la claire congnoissance de soy mesme, sinon que premièrement il est contemplé la face du Seigneur, et aprez l'avoir considerée, descende à se regarder. Car ceste arrogance est enracinée en nous tous: que tousjours il nous semble advis que nous sommes juste, et veritables, saiges et sainctz, sinon que par signes évidens nous soyons convaincuz d'injustice, mensonge, folie et immundicitée. Or nous n'en sommes point convaincuz si nous regardons seulement à nous, et non au Seigneur pareillement; qui est la reigle unicque, à laquelle il fault que ce jugement soit conforme." (Jean Calvin, Institution de la Religion Chrestienne, Société d'Edition "Les Belles Lettres", présenté par Jacques Pannier, Paris 1961)"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone... and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him. On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also —He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. " (John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, chap 1:1, 1:2, trans. by Henry Beveridge)
