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A Trinitarian Modal-Spherical Method of Apologetics and Cultural Redemption: Perspectives on Religion and Contemporary Culture

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A Trinitarian Modal-Spherical Method of Apologetics and Cultural Redemption: Perspectives on Religion and Contemporary Culture A Trinitarian modal-spherical method of apologetics and cultural redemption: perspectives on religion and contemporary culture by Guilherme Braun Junior 2013191065 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements in respect of the Doctoral Degree in Philosophy in the Department of Religion Studies in the Faculty of Theology at the University of the Free State October 2016 Promoter: Dr M Sukdaven Co-promoter: Dr A Roux 1 I, Guilherme Braun Junior, declare that the thesis (or publishable, interrelated articles or mini-thesis) that I herewith submit for the Doctoral Degree in Religion at the University of the Free State, is my independent work, and that I have not previously submitted it for a qualification at another institution of higher education. I, Guilherme Braun Junior, hereby declare that I am aware that the copyright is vested in the University of the Free State. I, Guilherme Braun Junior, declare that all royalties as regards intellectual property that was developed during the course of and/or in connection with the study at the University of the Free State, will accrue to the University. I, Guilherme Braun Junior, hereby declare that I am aware that the research may only be published with the promoter‟s approval. 28th of September of 2015 2 Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 5 1.1. Introduction of the research ............................................................................................................. 5 1.2. Positioning of the research ............................................................................................................... 6 1.3. Presupposition, research design and methodology ........................................................................ 10 CHAPTER TWO – TECHNOLOGY AND EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE ......................................... 12 2.1. Introducing preliminary questions and goals ................................................................................. 13 2.2. Basic distinctions and characteristics concerning technology ....................................................... 14 2.3. Anticipating the transcendent-transcendental approach ................................................................. 17 2.4. Recapitulation and crossing point .................................................................................................. 18 2.5. Humans as technological beings .................................................................................................... 20 2.6. Towards human-technology relations ............................................................................................ 21 2.7. Binding up -TMSA and technology ............................................................................................... 27 2.8. Technology and revelation ............................................................................................................. 28 2.9. Technology and lifeworld .............................................................................................................. 28 2.10. Technological viewpoints and human-technology relationships ................................................. 29 2.12. Conclusions - TMSA and technology .......................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER THREE – MUSIC AND POPULAR CULTURE .............................................................. 37 3.1. Preliminary thoughts on music ...................................................................................................... 37 3.2. Music and everyday experience ..................................................................................................... 38 3.3. Schopenhauer as starting point ...................................................................................................... 40 3.4. Schopenhauer‟s metaphysics of music .......................................................................................... 41 3.5. From Schopenhauer to popular music ........................................................................................... 45 3.6. From Schopenhauer to Nietzsche .................................................................................................. 46 3.7. From Nietzsche to Adorno ............................................................................................................. 48 3.8. Adorno on music ............................................................................................................................ 49 3.9. Adorno on music and language ...................................................................................................... 49 3.10. Adorno on popular music ............................................................................................................. 54 3.11. The musical material of popular music ........................................................................................ 55 3.12. Provisional conclusions ............................................................................................................... 59 3.13. Linking up with the previous focus area - music and technology ................................................ 59 3.14. Adorno and the religious absolutization of the aesthetical .......................................................... 60 3.15. Continental music philosophy and the horizon of human experience ......................................... 62 3 3.16. Sketching out a multi-aspectual approximation ........................................................................... 63 3.17. On Adorno‟s criticism of popular music ...................................................................................... 65 3.18. Popular culture ............................................................................................................................. 66 3.19. Storey‟s six definitions of popular culture ................................................................................... 67 3.20. Approximating popular culture and music (via the six definitions)............................................. 69 CHAPTER FOUR – ROMANTIC LOVE AND ECONOMIC FREEDOM ........................................ 75 4.1. Preliminary thoughts ...................................................................................................................... 75 4.2. Basic presuppositions on the religious function of romance ......................................................... 76 4.3. Romantic love and the emancipation from the tribe ...................................................................... 78 4.4. Romantic love and the contemporary lifeworld ............................................................................. 80 4.5. Provisional conclusions ................................................................................................................. 81 4.6. Capitalism and the emancipation from tribalism ........................................................................... 83 4.7. Ayn Rand on capitalism and tribalism ........................................................................................... 84 4.8. Stoker and TMSA‟s transcendent-transcendental view ................................................................. 86 4.9. TMSA‟s basic Trinitarian and transcendental presuppositions ..................................................... 87 4.10. Moving towards the end of the focus area ................................................................................... 88 4.11. Stoker on human freedom ............................................................................................................ 89 4.12. On the coherence between economic freedom and romantic love ............................................... 90 4.13. Romantic love and the restoration of culture ............................................................................... 91 4.14. Redeeming romantic love in contemporary culture ..................................................................... 94 4.15. Final conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 95 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... 97 ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................................................ 97 SLEUTELWOORDE ............................................................................................................................ 98 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 98 4 CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION 1.1. Introduction of the research The following study will be designed as an application of the recently developed Trinitarian modal-spherical method of apologetics, TMSA, to the field of Religious Studies. (Braun 2013). Therein, TMSA will function as the lenses (see 4.8 and 4.9), through which three selected focus areas will be tackled. Those are: (1) technology and everyday experience, (2) music and popular culture and (3) romantic love and economic freedom. The above foci areas do not imply the pretension of completeness. But rather, points of entry will be provided in order to approach contemporary human beings and their culture from
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