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Pinisi Journal of Art, Humanity & Social Studies ISSN 2747-2671 (online) PINISI JOURNAL OF ART, HUMANITY & SOCIAL STUDIES Vol. 1 No. 3, 2021 Problem of God and the Absolute: The Radhakrishnan View Peter. O. O. Ottuh1, Onos Godwin Idjakpo 2 1 Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria. * [email protected] Abstract The problem of Ultimate Reality is one of the most important problems in the history of philosophy. In the enquiry into the nature of Ultimate Reality philosophers are also advocating a kind of dualism signifying two ultimate principles irreducible to each other, namely God and the Absolute. Since, the Absolute is the Ultimate Reality from the metaphysical standpoint and from the religious stand point God is regarded as the Supreme Reality, a question generally arises whether we identify the God of religion with the Absolute of metaphysics or we maintain a distinction between them. Although various solutions have been offered by different philosophers at different times, it was mainly Radhakrishnan, who has been credited as being the great reconciler of the problem of the relation between God and the Absolute. Hence in this present work an attempt has been made to highlight the solution offered by Radhakrishnan in this connection. Keywords: Ultimate Reality; Radhakrishnan; The problem of God. 1. INTRODUCTION will. Spinoza, the first great absolutist thinker of Hastings Rashdall (1912) states that the modern Europe holds that God is identical with the Absolute is not God alone, but God and all other Absolute (Connelly 2015). Again he says that God spirits forming with Him a system or unity. He is identical with the Infinite Substance which is the makes a distinction between God and the Absolute one and the only reality. Hegel identifies the and takes God in the ordinary sense of a finite ii Absolute of his philosophy with the God of personal being. According to Rashdall, the religion. According to Hegel the only difference Absolute cannot be identified with God. The between the Absolute and God is that the former is ground on the basis of which Rashdall draws a the Ultimate Reality interpreted in terms of pure distinction between God and the Absolute is that, thought, whereas the latter is the same reality while God is to be regarded as a self conscious represented pictorially i.e. in terms of imagination unity of selves or spirits, the Absolute is the unity and emotion (Gabriel 2016). Bradley (1985) draws a of God and the selves, but that unity is not the mere distinction between God and the Absolute and unity of self-conscious spirit. Besides this logical admits that the idea of God tends to pass into that ground there is a religious demand which also of the Absolute. For Bradley the Absolute is not compels man to make such distinction between God and that God has no meaning outside of the God and the Absolute. The problem of Ultimate religious consciousness and is essentially practical. Reality is a very vexed problem in the history of The Absolute for him cannot be God, because in the philosophy both Indian and Western. Although it end the Absolute is related to nothing and there is a very old problem it has not lost its novelty cannot be a practical relation between it and finite considering the ever new theories springing up 26 Pinisi Journal of Art, Humanity and Social Studies everyday. The Brahmasutra of Śaṅkara starts with conveniently define the Absolute as that structure the proposal of the enquiry after Ultimate Reality of the world system which any and every internally and this proves the importance of this problem in consistent purpose must recognize as the condition philosophy and particularly in the Vedānta system of its own fulfillment. So deny the existence of an (Sharma 1992). In the enquiry into the nature of Absolute thus defined, is in principle to reduce the Ultimate Reality philosophers are also advocating a world and life to a mere chaos” (Taylor 2018, p. 53). kind of dualism signifying two ultimate principles, An Absolute is the sort of entity which not irreducible to each other. The problem of God and only occupies a prime ontic category, but also the Absolute is one of the fundamental problems in occupies necessarily and unconditionally. An the philosophy of East and West. Absolute is such that it admits of no alternatives. If Generally God is regarded as the highest there is an Absolute of that essential sort, then it is principle of the theological interpretation of the meaningless to support that there might instead universe (Asadu & Nzuanke 2014, pp. 129-130), have been an Absolute of some other some what whereas the Absolute is the Ultimate Reality from different nature or essence (Duke 2016; Duke 2018; the metaphysical stand point. God is personal and Duke & John 2019; Duke 2020). When we make the Absolute is above personality (Ekpenyong & enquiry with our imperfect insight into modality, Okoi 2018). There is a basic unanimity among the we find that there are alternative Absolutes, but theologions that God is a personal being with our perfect insight into modality all such responding to our prayers and similar unanimity alternatively would vanish. The Absolute may be exists among Absolutists that the Absolute is an articulated into a number of members, each of impersonal Reality. But both God and the Absolute which requires and so includes all the others. An cannot be regarded to be equally real and ultimate Absolute must be taken as containing within itself at the same time. Therefore it has given rise to the the source of the Absoluteness claiming realm of serious problem of God and the Absolute. There values; it must be such as to embody all such are various philosophers who have discussed the values and to explain their detailed content. And if problem. The most impressive solution to the the Absoluteness and the claim of values can be problem of the relation between God and the shown to rest confusion, then there are and can be Absolute was offered by Radhakrishnan. In this no Absolutes. work we shall make a study of the Again, the Absolute may be conceived as a Radhakrishnan’s solution to this problem along concrete individuality, which is at the same time a with the views of some modern philosophers. concrete universal encouraging reality of all that experienced, of matter, life and spirit in their 2. CONCEPT OF THE ABSOLUTE relations and inter relations. It allows no gap Absolute is that which is not in any respect among these different elements, each of which is subject to conditions or limited; the first being directed towards the realization of values that are which is independent, subsistent, possessing embodied in the Absolute. Matter, life and Spirit within itself the reason for its existence and its are thus no appearances, but are different levels of qualifications, the fullness of being, the fullness of self-expression in the life of the Absolute. Another perfection (Victor 1992). The term Absolute is used feature which distinguishes this conception of the by the philosophers to signify the Ultimate Reality Absolute is that on it the individual selves instead regarded as one and yet as the source of variety; as of being appearances have been given a scope for complete or perfect and yet as not divorced from approximation to the unity and totality of Absolute the finite, imperfect world. The idea of the values. In this approximation lies the progressive Absolute is generally associated with a personality of the individual self which grows out transcendent Being divested of all concrete contexts of an antagonism between the self and the world and beyond all categorical determinations, setting up his rights and duties. The antagonism principally spatial, temporal and causal. Such a between the self of man and his not self pursues transcendent Being is an abstract universal, him and he is in the struggle so long as the ideals unchanging and unchangeable, not an object of or values he will be striving after will be held out to thought or discursive reason, but one of unique him as so many external goals. This happens so experience or intuition. “We may, in fact, long as he regards himself as a self centred moral 27 Pinisi Journal of Art, Humanity and Social Studies person. The inward realization of the presence of philosophy, the Absolute was understood as the the ideal by man within himself may be said to primordial and fundamental, the basic factor of the constitute the true significance of Divine cosmos. In ancient philosophy the problem of Immanence of the sphere of religion. In religion Absolute was posed by Thales of Miletus (Whitrow therefore the horizon of human ideals is so 1940). According to him, the Absolute principle or widened as to merge into the wider sphere of the cause of all reality is water. For Aristotle the objective values and perfection which are Absolute was being in the absolute sense, the most embodied in the being of God. In religion perfect Substance. The Absolute is identified with antagonism between the individual self and the unity and good, the intellect, the self-thinking Absolute reaches the vanishing point though such thought. In modern philosophy, according to a state does not mean annihilation but rather Descartes the Absolute is an infinite and perfect enrichment of the individual self in the Absolute. being whose essence is to be the cause of itself. The Religion thus conceived leaves a very thin line of Absolute is the cause of the idea of the Infinite distinction between God and the Absolute.
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