Absolute Power and Contingency: on the Theological Structure of Meillassouxs Speculative Philosophy
Although Quentin Meillassouxs philosophy desires to be postmetaphysical and posttheological, I argue in this paper that it remains structurally theological. Specifically, I argue that Meillassouxs speculative thesis on the contingency of nature and its laws repeats at a formal level the medieval t...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[2015]
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| In: |
Sophia
Year: 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 3, Pages: 343-362 |
| IxTheo Classification: | FA Theology KAE Church history 900-1300; high Middle Ages NBC Doctrine of God TK Recent history VA Philosophy |
| Further subjects: | B
Duns Scotus
B Gods ordained power B Omnipotence B Correlationism B Gods absolute power B Thomas Aquinas B Metaphysics B Speculative Philosophy B Contingency B Hyper-Chaos B Quentin Meillassoux |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Although Quentin Meillassouxs philosophy desires to be postmetaphysical and posttheological, I argue in this paper that it remains structurally theological. Specifically, I argue that Meillassouxs speculative thesis on the contingency of nature and its laws repeats at a formal level the medieval theological distinction between Gods absolute power and Gods ordained power. The first part of this paper discusses how this distinction allowed medieval theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus to understand and have faith in the stable contingency of the present order of things in light of divine omnipotence. The second part of this paper discusses how Meillassoux repeats this distinction, intentionally or not, between Gods absolute power and Gods ordained power in his attempt to think the absolute contingency of the laws of nature as an effect of hyper-Chaos. Although, unlike the medieval God, Meillassouxs hyper-Chaos remains fundamentally without reason and devoid of any moral valence, I argue in the third section of this paper that Meillassoux sneaks in an existential faith in the present and future order of things with his appeal to hope in a speculative resurrection of the dead, a move that brings him further in line with the substance of the distinction between Gods absolute power and Gods ordained power. |
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| ISSN: | 1873-930X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sophia
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11841-014-0449-6 |