Worship Weblog
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Philosophy and Liturgy - Update 3
Update from the Philosophy and Liturgy conference:
Josh Reeves spoke about why philosophers have historically prioritized belief over practice, theory over action. He traced this back to Aristotle, who prioritized ‘epistome’ (theoretical knowledge) over ‘tekne’ (practical skill), especially as Aristotle’s thought was appropriated in medieval philosophy. The empiricist emphasis on “disembodied knowledge over embodied knowledge” led philosophers to fear error above all else, and thus to consider skepticism safer than belief. In religion, however, actions are essential to belief; consider, for instance, the gospels’ emphasis on authentic action as superior to words, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Later, though, the Reformers’ critique of over-emphasis on ritual led to an overcompensation in which cognitive belief was again privileged over practice, and the emphasis in liturgy was on mental activity.
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