"The theories of the major philosophers of the 18th century secular enlightenment were biblical and theological in spite of themselves"
- M. H. Abrams
About this Quote
M. H. Abrams' assertion that the theories of significant philosophers of the 18th-century secular Enlightenment were "scriptural and doctrinal in spite of themselves" provides a nuanced point of view on the Enlightenment duration. This age is frequently defined by a shift towards factor, science, and secularism, distancing itself from the heavy influence of faith and theology that controlled the medieval and early modern durations. However, Abrams recommends that even as these thinkers sought to establish nonreligious viewpoints, their ideas were accidentally imbued with scriptural and doctrinal components.
To translate this, we should think about the cultural and intellectual context of the Enlightenment. Lots of Enlightenment thinkers were raised and informed in a primarily Christian Europe where scriptural and doctrinal structures discreetly shaped their worldview. Even as they pursued rationalist and empiricist approaches, these underlying influences may have remained in their conceptual structures. For example, the Enlightenment's emphasis on ethical development and human perfectibility can trace its roots to Christian eschatological optimism. Concepts of natural rights and human equality might echo the biblical concept of people made in the image of God, having intrinsic worth.
Additionally, the approaches used by Enlightenment thinkers, such as the look for universal principles and structured systems, bear similarity to doctrinal questions. The rigor with which these theorists approached ethics, metaphysics, and politics could be viewed as analogous to theological exegesis. Immanuel Kant's moral law, which is intrinsic and rational, mirrors the moral imperatives of religious doctrine.
Furthermore, specific key figures of the Enlightenment, such as John Locke, used spiritual arguments to strengthen their secular theories. Locke's concepts on government and specific rights were infused with his interpretations of Christian theology, demonstrating a mindful intertwining of secular and biblical ideas.
Thus, Abrams' declaration highlights a paradoxical symbiosis: as Enlightenment thinkers ventured to distance themselves from spiritual ideologies, the intellectual inheritance of scriptural and doctrinal thought persisted, discreetly notifying their innovative ideas and approaches, forming the contemporary trajectory of Western idea.
This quote is written / told by M. H. Abrams somewhere between July 23, 1912 and today. He/she was a famous Critic.
The author also have 11 other quotes.
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"Conservative New Testament studies could also provide an intellectually satisfying alternative to German biblical criticism and to the liberal theology that accompanied it"
"Left Behind takes what to some people may be unbelievable predictions from the Bible and shows how they might play out. It makes the events of biblical prophecy understandable and thus believable"
"The New Right, in many cases, is doing nothing less than placing a heretical claim on Christian faith that distorts, confuses, and destroys the opportunity for a biblical understanding of Jesus Christ and of his gospel for millions of people"
"Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical authors had missed the most important revelation of all! Could it be that they were not really privy to the thoughts of God?"
"My effort has been not only to put the Biblical incident in the original setting... but at the same time give the human touch to convey to my public the reverence and elevation these subjects impart to me"
"Jesus was not denying the legitimacy of biblical law. On the contrary, He was affirming biblical law. We love God first; God commands us to keep His word; therefore, we must enforce the law on ourselves"
