Critical Thinkers on the Threshold s of Posthuman Philosophy

William Gladstone & George Tyrrell

Allan M. Savage, D. Litt.

© 2020

Compar atively few persons have a “turn” for anything. Our capacities are chiefly developed out of elements which before culture were not distinctly discernible.

W. E. Gladstone to his son W. H. Gladstone

Our task is one, not of argument, but of exposition; We have but to let Truth appear, and then bid men “Come and see!” And of these, some will go away according to the power of seeing they bring with them.

George Tyrrell

The phenomenological method is not the diametric oppo site of the ontological; It is a more comprehensive one than the latter, whose merits it preserves and whose inadequacies it tries to remedy.

Leslie Dewart

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I

BACKGROUND

In this essay I contemplate the possibility of posthuman philosophy within the r eligious and theological schools of thought . In doing this, I do not focus on the traditional philosophical humanism which characterizes the scholastic and neo - scholastic approach with in Western philosophy. Rather, I focus on a “dehellenized” philosophical way of thinking that , I hold, characterizes the threshold s of a philosophical con sciousness. That is to say, the Hellenistic philosophical principles that support Western humanism, are not used to support my understanding of a philosophy appropriate to posthumani ty. As an existential philosopher, with a view to evolving as a posthuman philosopher, I evaluate aspects of the philosophical consciousness of William Gladstone (1809 - 1898) politician and George Tyrrell (theologian) in terms of both human ism and posthuman ism from a phenomenological philosophical perspective. I reali ze that the phenomenological notion of humanity (in contrast to the classical idea of humanism) may not be adequately grasped by all philosophers. It seem s t o me that although many professionals appear to be somewhat conversant with general philosophical and theological notions that are pertinent to humanity, they nonet h eless

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 2 - are struggling to clarify their understanding of a n emerging posthuman philosoph y. Yet, de spite the growing popularity of research into posthumanism in academia , most academics, have but a general and somewhat sketchy knowledge of the significance of posthuman philosophy. Not all research into posthumanity is undertaken as philosophy . But r athe r most is undertaken as a dramatic exercise of human imagination or of fantastic reasoning. Thus, it is understandable that some researchers l ack a n adequate philosophical vocabulary to express their thoughts for a philosophy on the thresholds of posthuman ity.

My intention in this essay is to explore a new philosophical path, somewhat similar to Immanuel Kant’s (1724 - 1804) intention, but with an eye to posthumanity, that includes freeing philosophy from its traditional dependence on dogmatism. Kant wrote: I am obliged to the learned public for the silence with which it has honoured my Critique for a considerable time; for this proves a postponement of judgement and thus some suspicion that in a work which leaves all accustomed paths and sets out on a new o ne in which one cannot at once find one’s way, something may perhaps lie through which an important but at present dead branch of human knowledge may receive new life and fruitfulness, and also a care not to break and destroy the delicate shoot by an overh asty judgement. 1

1 Kant, Immanuel (1953:151) Pr olegomena to any Future Metaphysics that will be able to present itself as a Science Manchester University Press.

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This essay is intended to bring relief for the “seasoned” and tired analytic philosopher weary of entering upon a process of moving from the known to the unknown. In light of a looming posthuman philosophy, I make no effort to further refine my efforts at philosophizing within the classical tradition , but take inspiration from Kant , and with an eye to posthuman philosophical understanding , engage in philosophizing in a new way which may not at once be readily appreciated. My hop e is that a philosophical continuity between the human being and the posthuman being will eventually be recognized by serious , non - trendy , contemporary thinkers. Contrary to popular , and trendy , opinion, I hold that non - living entities do not qualify, or a t least, do not merit human attributes (except in science fiction) but not in philosophy. My invitation , therefore, is for the reader to consider the phenomenological philosophical method of interpretation of human experience as an alternative to the analy tic approach in understand ing posthumanity. Once grasped, the phenomenological approach avoids many of the epistemological pitfalls of analytic philosophy and heightens one’s consciousness to p rovid e a satisfying experience in the posthuman context of phil osophizing .

In the posthuman context, t he focus on the theological q u estio n of God will s hift from a classical Hellenistic speculative perspective on the nature of God , to the existential que s tion o n the nature of the person with in the presence of God. The former is an epistemological (objective) focus, whereas the latter is a phenomenological

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(subjective) focus. Many theologian s have ob s erved that talking a bout God in any traditional sense does not interest philosophers today. M y e mph as i s , therefore, is not on the traditional Western approach to argument s for God ’ s exi s tence , but on exi s tential issues relevant to posthuman experience interpreted through a non - hellenized philosophy, i.e., phenomenology. It i s preci s ely the s e existential issues that posthuman philosoph y needs to address in preparation for future theological discussion. I do not rely on the traditional epi s temological s y s tem s of We s tern Euro pean philo s ophy and theology when envisioning the threshold s of posthuman philosophy. Rather, I suggest that the notion of human consciousness be taken as the means of investigation. W hile some p s ychologi s t s and s ocial scienti s t s may he s itate to claim know ledge about a de facto posthuman culture, all of us have some knowledge of present human culture, albeit interpreted through Hellenic principles — in the Western context at least. In Western culture w e have experienc ed human organic life as natural ly evolving . W e soon became conscious that the evolving organic life end s . To the contrary, m ost Christians believe that life , or the soul, is eternal and continu es in s ome manner b eyond our pre s ent organically embodied con s ciou s state. To under s t a nd human li fe as evolving at the threshold s of posthumanity , is as natural as it was for our immediate predecessors to understand life as evolving from brute animal to humanity.

In critically reflecting about the threshold s of posthumanity, I

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 5 - h a ve cho s en a holi s tic , and per s on - centred , philosophical path to que s tion s concerning hum a n meaning (or consciousness). The per s on - centred and holi s tic approach to reflection on the posthuman philosophical threshold s that I offer is an alternati v e to the traditional a nd the oretical humanistic per s pective . I maintain that theology, holistically understood, will present a n authentic interpretation of the transcendental que s tion s of the presence of God in posthuman life. My hope is that individual s , particular ly seasoned and disaffected philosophers, will be able to graduate beyond classical epistemology and consider consciousness as a more appropriate means to p hilosophical understanding in the posthuman context .

In this essay, I do not present either a histori cal , nor a s y s tematic examination of the notion of posthumanity. Rather , I undertake a phenomenological (de - hellenized) approach to understanding posthumanity. Following upon the section “Outside the Guild” below, I present some ways of reflecting on emerging posthuman philosophical issues. I consider five evolutionary turning - points in human consciousness. The first turning - point is to begin t hinking d iversely , which recognizes the evolutionary process in posthuman consciousness as furthering diversity, not focusing on identifying uniformity or oneness, as traditionally done in humanism. The second turning - point is to begin c onceiving p hilosophically , which marks an intellectual shift in understanding from popular folk - lore perspe ctives to formal reasoned philosophical perspectives. The

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 6 - third turning - point consists of u nderstanding h olistically , which acknowledges the acceptance of a transcendent factor , yet unknown, in human experience. By holistic understanding I mean that the identity of the consciously thinking agent is greater than the sum of its parts. The fourth turning - point is r eflecting t heologically , an intellectual stance that imports the humanist concept of God for re - considerati on (re - location) within a posthuman experience. Or, alternatively expressed , where is “god” in the posthuman world? The fifth turning - point is a cting c reatively , which inaugurates a new status of the human being as agent and as participant in creation, i.e ., not only as an observer of creation. To my mind, these evolutionary turning - points are best understood, at this time at least, as “ preliminaries ” to philosophical reflection s on the threshold s of posthumanity. Research into a philosophy on the threshold s of posthumanity may be done by a ny thinking human agent conscious of the evolutionary development of classical humanism to existential posthumanism .

My research was inspired by the writings of two late 19 th and early 20 th century Western religious thinkers. They are George Tyrrell and William Gladstone . As precursors of posthumanism , I reflect on some of the ir interpretations of Christian theology in light of preparing thresholds of posthuman philosophy. While they are not our contemporaries, they are part of recent Western modern history and many of the issues they raised remain relevant for us contemplating the threshold s of posthuman philosoph y. Each

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 7 - thinker has offered differing , but complementary points of view to his understanding of Christian theology within Victorian cultur e. The reason for choosing these two authors is that sufficient time has passed to allow us to view their thinking in relation to our thoughts on entering the threshold s of posthuman ity. To be cons cious of the development of their philosophical and theological thought is helpful for us today as we reflect on our past understanding and re - configur e our knowledge in terms proper for a posthuman context.

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II

THEOLOGIZING OUTSIDE THE GUILD

Professional t heology originate d a s a formal a ctivity with th e establishment of the univer s itie s . Professional theology was intended to ser v e the Church in clarifying and formalizin g doctrine and dogma. At the time of the academic guilds it was used by some pastors (Protestant and Catholic) in the spiritual direction of their better - educated parishioners. However , my current purpo s e i s not spiritual direction, but to theologize outside any contemporary ecclesial guild . T he contemporary term e c c l es ial refers to democratic relation s hip s within the Chri s tian faith - life . T he c la ss ical term , ecc l es i ast i ca l , refer s to the hierarchical government of th e Chri s tian communit y . The former is subjective with emphasis on the agent , the latter is objective with emphasis on the object (i.e. the non - agent). The doctrin al and do g matic statements extant in ec c lesia s tical in s titution s deri v e from theological controversies concerning the belief of the church a s founded philosophically on Hellenistic principles. A s a con s equence, over the centurie s variou s rhetoric a l accretio n s h ave c l o ud ed reflection in t h eo l ogy preventing the development of an epistemology that would have kept pace with contemporary belief. This was so, s ince the philosop hical language supporting theology which had developed in the medieval period

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 9 - and had become stagnant in the face of novel s cientific discoveries. Th e existential theological reflection on novel s cientific discoveries continued to take p lace in an eccle s ial context that differ ed from the speculative theological reasoning that took place in an ecclesiastical context.

I undertake this t heological reflection as preparation for future thinking at the thresholds of posthumanity. Critical theological ref lection i s a unique human activity and an innate capacity of the human mind to interpret religious experience. In this critical reflection I choose consciousness instead of epistemology as the means of theological interpretation. C onscious c ritical thinkin g reache s into the d e pth s of the mind and discloses “other s , ” who are “not - me.” C onscious c ritic a l thinking incorporates the believers’ be s t effort s at formulating a n authentic Chri s ti a n anthropology and an under s tanding of life and purpo s e in light of organic evolution. I conceive critical thinking , or critical consciousness, in theology as undertaking three roles. The first i s to relate the human being to ac t ual experience. The second i s to understand truth as a n authentic r elation s hip betw een “m e” and “not - me.” The third i s to advance the ec c le s ial community in self - understanding appropriate to a posthuman context.

Critical consciousness reveal s that the human mind can tran s cend the s ocial , political and r eligiou s experience that wa s

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 10 - originally expre s sed within a traditional theologic a l guild. 2 Critical consciousness di s close s that philo s ophical a nd theological s y s tem s are not univer s al, but are contingent upon the culture th a t s upport s them. It further shows that our We s tern heritag e reveals a movement from monarchical g overnment of an ecclesiastical hierarchy to democratic governance of eccle s ial authority. In short, critical consciousness discloses the threshold s to a posthuman philosophical interpretation of life, at least in the Western world. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768 - 1834) wa s among the first philosophers to recognize the beginning of posthuman thresholds in philosophy. He held th a t pre - theoretical humanity acted a s a se lf - organizing whole who s e activi ty was not based on the fixed law s of s ocial and s cientific mechanic s . Pre - theoretical humanity acted according to the consciousness of the human s pirit . These have been identified as holi s m , emergent evolution , and various other philo s ophie s of evolutiona ry and historical development. 3 Theoretical a nd metaphy s ic a l concepts do not create the vital urge s with which humanity organize s itself, rather, existential (political) experience does. 4 In posthuman philosophy the notion of agency (cause and effect) takes on a new meaning in light of the created human being

2 Thomas, E. E. (1938:183 - 90) The Political Aspect of Religious Development Heritage & Unicorn Press. 3 Brandt, Richard (1941:55) The Philosophy of Schleiermacher: The Development of His Theory of Scientific and Religious Knowledge Harper & Brothers. 4 Thomas, E. E. (1938:202) The Political Aspect of Religious Development Heritage & Unicorn Press.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 11 - exercising a co - creative political role in life.

I reject the form o f the earlier Medieval Chri s tian theology, influenced a s it i s by outdated Hellenic principles. This rejection is necessary because Medieval theology does not resonate with a contemporary cosmology, as noted by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. 5 B y reflecting out s ide the guild, I avoid the baggage of the disputed ecclesia stical political and power - related issues that emerged at the Reformation/counter - Reformation period but which are no longer culturally relevant . Thus, t he way is opened for posthuman investigations in Theological Philosophy . 6 In philosophically contemplating religiou s experience, I take seriously t he contributions of the Enlightenment with it s epistemological, historical, and evolutionary insights. The Enlightenment, which began in Europe, ha d introduced new and legitimate human i nterpretations of religiou s experience which, however, have become problematic today. North America , given its historical patrimony, continues to suffer from an inadequate philosophy in theological thinking as evidenced in the unsatisfied legacy traceable to the philosophical and theological issues once prevalent in pre - Victorian England. 7 During thi s time and , well into the reign of

5 Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre (1957: 40) Le Milieu Divin Collins. 6 I use the term as coined by Leslie Dewart (1969:11) in The Foundations of Belief Herder & Herder. 7 From a political philosophical perspective, George Grant (19 18 - 1988) writes: “It is only possible to write here generally abo ut the relation between Protestant theology and the new science. It sprang initially from one negative agreement:

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Victoria, England remained virtually isolated from Continental philosophical thought . However , critical examination of Engl ish philosophical and theological texts reveals some influence of German theological perspectives.

Selecting the philosopher - theologians William Gladstone and George Tyrrell, I assess their thinking in the culture of Victorian England as it wa s beginning to be influenced by Continental , and particularly German , thought . In evaluating the work of William Gladstone and George Tyrrell, I do not necessarily endorse their respective conclusion s . I pre s ent their thinking becau s e they found themselves h aving to respond to a changing cultural land s cape that affected the interpretation of their religious experience. I find myself in a similar s ituation of having to respond to the changing cultural landscape of a n inherited Hellenistic philosophical traditi on bringing about what I recognize as threshold s to posthuman philosophy. Both men were Chri s tian and s ought way s to relate their faith experience within the s ocial order of their day. In Tyrrell ’s case the Roman Catholic Church f o rmed the s ocial context o f his thought

both the theologians and the scientists wished to free the minds of men from the formulations of mediaeval Aristotelianism, though for differe nt reasons. … The y criticized the mediaeval teleological doctrine with its substantial forms as preventing men from observing and understanding the world as it is. The criticism by the theologians is less well known and less easily understandable in an age such as ours. They attacked the mediaeval theological doctrine as the foundation of what they called “natural” theology, and that theology was attacked because it led men away from fundamental reliance on Christian revelation.” Technology and Empire Anans i (1 969 :20) .

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 13 - and in Gladstone’ s case it was the political structure of England that formed the context of his thought. Each found that the inherited s tructure s of the ec c le s iastical and the political order ( both founded on Hellenic philosophical principles) were not adequately equipped to relate to the changing cultural and s ocial environment of the time . As a re s ult of the Continental philosophical influence, the ology in Victorian England was challenged to revise its classical philosophical foundation. This revision contributed to the construction of the thresholds to posthuman philosophy.

At the beginning of the 19 th Century , Rationali s m wa s in vogue in England and on the Continent . Elliot - Binn s has di s tingui s hed two attitudes of r a tional thought that were hostile to religiou s, and in p a rticular Chri s tian , consciousness. One attitude of thought w as the open and complete rejection of the whole Chri s ti a n s y s tem, typic a l of France ; the other attitude , which typified Germany, tolerated Christianity , but gradually reduced it to a caricature of it s former s elf . 8 The exi s tential and le ss ration a li s tic Germanic thought , that later evolved into phenomenological philo s oph y under the influence of Martin Heidegger a nd Edmund Hu ss erl , re s onated with George Tyrrell . Although he died before any formal development of the phenomenological s chool of thought in England , hi s thinking was definitely head ed in th at direction .

8 Elliot - Binns L. E. (1964:133) Religion in the Victorian Era Lutterworth Press .

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My investigation of some preliminaries to the threshold s of posthuman philosophy continue s in that direction . Phenomenological reflection on the legacy of classical philosophy s ati s fie s one’s s ubjectivi s t mo o d and , as well, consciously engage s contemporary critic a l thinker s . And m y critic a l consciousness of the legacy of classical philosophy is a subjective awareness of the shift towards posthuman philosoph ical thresholds.

I follo w the phenomenological w ay o f thinking s ugge s ted by W . K . C . Guthri e (1906 - 1981) . He remind ed u s th a t philo s opher s do not think in a v oid . In fact , our thought s a re product s of three interrelated f a ctor s: our temperament s, our experience s, and our reading of previous philo s opher s, all o f which make up our particular life - world s . 9 One of the pioneer s of the phenomenological method wa s Edmund Hus s erl , who thought outside the theological guild . According to him , we can reflect on all experience , ina s much as it pre s ents itself to con s ciou s ne ss , within a c lear, existenti a l , methodological framework . All co n sc ious knowledge, in contrast to Hellenistic epistemological knowledge , is embedded in a cultural context. Hellenistic epistemological knowledge transcends cultural contexts. In p henomenolo gy the world of actual e x perience take s precedence over the a b s trac ted a nd theoretical world of the s cience s. Langdon Gilkey (1919 - 2004) who also thought outside the

9 Guthrie, W.K.C. (1975:19) The Greek Philosophers from Thales to Aristotle Harper Torchbooks.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 15 - theological guild, note s that the public t as k o f the t heologian i s p rim a ril y the analy s i s of life with re g ard to i t s religiou s beliefs and aspects , and s econd a ril y an analy s i s of life with reg a rd t o it s e c onomic , s ociological or p s ychological dimen s ion s, thou g h each o f these can have a religiou s ba sis a nd ground. 10

My contemplation on posthuman philosophical t hreshold s , thou g h undert a ken personally, i s not a n isolated and private exercise. M y interpretation ha s been influenced by reading the work s of various philo s opher s , s uch as Edmund Hu ss erl, and theologian s s uch as George Tyrrell, and politician s s uch a s William Glad s tone . But, as an a gent, I remain solely responsible for the interpretation of their thoughts. The theologi c al s tyle of thi s essay fall s within Jeff A s tley ’ s under s tanding of doing “ordin a r y theology ,” which focuses on per s on a l in s ight s ari si ng out o f e x perience and the theological consciousness that takes place out s ide the professional philosophical or theological g uild . A ccording to A s tle y, ori g inal theolog y i s r a rel y done in our day. He m a int a in s that theolo g ical t hought i s o f ten undert a ken as the s tudy of other people ’ s idea s . It is r a rel y a s el f - critic a l re f lection on one ’ s own religiou s experience and interpretation. 11 In other words, contemporary theology retains the classical character of

10 Gilkey, Langdon (1985:330 - 50) “The role of the theologian in cont emporary society” in The Thought of Paul Tillich ( eds. J. L. Adams, W. Pauk, R. Shinn ) Harper. 11 Astley, Jeff (2002) Ordinary Theology: Looking, Listening and Learning in Theology Ashgate .

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 16 - scholasticism and offer s but new variations of old ideas . Although modern theolo g y m a y have b eg un in the ac a demy , it cannot remain a theoretical a c a demic discipline, a s John Apczyn s ki noted. 12 Theology , o f it s perpetual purpo s e , mu s t addre ss the que s tion s , problem s, and d a t a that ari s e from within all aspect s of the hum a n and the posthuman context. The critical consciousness of any theologian (thi s mean s anyone trying to under s tand ultimate meaning ) addresses his or her lebenswelt (life - world) as an individual in community . A theolo g i a n ’ s lebenswelt is constituted by the existential milieu in Teilh a rd de Chardin ’ s sen s e of the cultural, social, a nd religiou s context of life .

T heologian s on the threshold s of posthuman philosophy must continually s e a rch for ne w a nd me a nin g ful way s to interpret religious experience out s ide the tradition a l theologic a l g uild of scholasticism . Today, o ne cannot under s tand the leg a cy o f the p as t a s fixed a nd d ea d any more than one can consider the li v e s of tho se former c r itical thinker s as historical fossils . From th e phenomenologic a l per s pecti v e , these thinkers may be phy s ically dead , but the ir “ living ” legacy continue s to s hape the pre s ent , as it did the past . Their living leg a cy e x i s t s, not by virtue o f it s own historical right , but by v irtue of it s si gnificance for the pre s ent moment in philosophical consciousness of the threshold s of

12 Apczynski, John (1999) Theology and the University 1987 Annual P ublication of the College Theological Society vol 33 ( University Press of America ) .

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 17 - posthumanity. Critical phenomenological contemplation, in a Chr is tian ecclesial context , must be in conscious di alogue with arti s ts, musician s , novelist s , poets , psycholo gi s ts, and always with the Scripture s . Omitting the Christian aspect, is often characteristic of the Western scientific bias . The p henomenological contemplation o n posthuman philosophical threshold s incorporate s, but does not literally reproduce , various as pect s o f the classical human temper a ment, experience , a nd under s tanding of both deceased and living philosophers . At this point, it should be easily understood that cultures which never experienced the humanism of scholasticism , or the Western En lightenment , i.e., Asian cultures and some Arabic cultures , need not concern themselves with posthuman philosophical interpretation. Unless they have adopt ed Western values, their focus will be on the ir cultural context vis à vis the West.

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III

FIVE POSTHUMAN THRESHOLDS

In light of the above, I now offer a reflection on some i ss ue s ari s in g within a phenomenological interpretation characteri zing fi ve thresholds of posthuman philosophy. They are: ( 1 ) Thinking Diver s ely , (2) Conceiving Philosophically , (3) Under s tanding Holi s tically , (4) Reflecting Theologically , a nd (5) Actin g Creatively.

Thinking Diversely

I have written thi s essay primarily for the critic a lly consciousness Chri s tian individual to increa s e the awarene ss of the reader with re s pect to the emergence of the threshold s of posthuman philosophy. The empha s i s of th is essay i s on the active development and cultivation of a po sthuman consciousness t hrough which one may come to recognize his or her status a s co - creator of one’s personal life - world. Posthuman p hilosophy of a theological kind will require c onsciousness of one’s culture. Consciousness of one’s culture includes contact with Ea s tern a nd non - Chri s tian civilization s . The cultural traditions and expressions of faith out s ide the We s tern context adds diversity to on e’s experience and interpretation of posthuman phi losophy.

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The a rt of developing a posthuman philosophy from the Chri s tian perspective will necessarily incorporate a n appreciation of the diverse s cientific and techno - digital discoveries of the da y. Thinking diversely i s a venerable tr a dition with in the h istory of Chri s tian theology and is to be retained in a posthuman context. Within hi s s tudie s, George Tyrrell not e d that Chri s tian s in the e arly Church w a ndered intellectu a lly a mong the Gentile nat i on s to find v e ss el s to hold trea s ure s for which they found n o recept a cle in the hou s e of their birth. Through engagement with di v er s e culture s, the primitive Christian s di s covered a variety of contexts in which they could a rticulate the development of their Christian life. 13 Posthuman Christians are at thre shold s of accomplishing something similar in the 21 st Century.

Chri s ti a n theological philosophers, have followed two di s tinct , but related , phenomenological paths concerning human understanding; one by the individual and the other by the collective. The individual path of understanding is characterized by contemplating the recorded life of Je s u s by his faithful followers who produced the written gospel s . Th ese texts suggested h ow the life of the Christ of faith wa s s tructured and under s too d , a nd dependent upon the evangelist’s memory . Each o f the four go s pel s reflect s a particular memory of the per s on of Je s u s a s the central

13 Tyrrell, George (1906:131) Lex Credendi: A Sequel to Lex Orandi Longmans.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 20 - focu s which disclose s a diverse p icture of the Nazarene.

The second path of understanding is the s hared consciousness of the significance of J esus’ s life. Accordingly , the variou s theologians within the church produce d diver s e theologie s and the s e theologie s altered the consciousness of other theologi cal interpreters. Such diver s ity i s not neg a tive . It is, in fact, part of the evolutionary process. The theology of the early church developed among tho s e member s of the community who were mo s t di s po s ed to sharing their Christian experience. It is t o be remembered, according to Robin Young , that an early ch urch theologian “was a person like Hesiod or Orpheus, or any of the diviners and visionaries inspired by one of the members of the pantheon . ” 14 These early church theologians interpreted their particular experience s in light of their cultural under s tanding s of the life of the Chri s t . E v entually , di s tinct que s tion s ari s ing from particular per s on a l experience s pre s ented problem for hermeneutic interpretation . St . Augu s tine provide s one of the earliest recorded example s of theological diversity of the C hristian experience . As Richard Wood s has noted , Augustine 's contribution in shapin g our interiorly directed ( and diverse) theological activity grew f rom hi s a warene ss of the pre s ence of God at the deepe s t level o f human con s ciou s ne ss. Au g u s tin e ’ s de e p per s on a l e x perience shone throu g h his t r oubled s pirit , often

14 Young, Robin D (1997:681 - 90) “ Theologia ” in the Early Church Communio: International Catholic Review 24 n o . 4.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 21 - d es irou s o f a total c ommunion wi th G od, but he was often left with out a s en s e o f God ’ s presence. 15

Eventually, the initial diver s e conceptualization s of the faithful d e veloped into a collective and uniform theological perspective t h a t became normative for the Chri s tian interior life and for some Catholic religious communitie s. For example , the two di v erging a nd di s tinct s chool s of th eo lo gy referr e d t o as the “Alexandrian ” a nd “Antiochene” s chool s which developed to a ddre ss Chri s tologic a l que s tion s were ba s ed o n th eir geo g raphical a nd i ntellectu a l difference s . The s e sc h oo l s were not homogen o u s group s and never exi s ted as such in any concrete s en s e. While t heir diverse perspectives encompas s ed convergen t themes a nd approache s, neither bec a me a uniform s y s tem of theology . (This suggests to me that posthuman philosophy , deriv ing from various human themes , will not evolve into a uniform system of thought. ) Th e pre s e nce of the s e s chool s indicated th a t di v er s it y was a n in t egral part of Chri s tianit y ’ s hi s tor i c a l d ev elopm e nt for s ome time a f ter the death o f the apo s tle s . However, Ch ris tianit y could not continue to flourish ex c lu s i v ely upon th e chari s mat i c gift s that sustained the experience of the early Christians . Another model for a fulfilling life became necessary. As Chri s tianity evolved , the community beg a n to interpret it s experience from within a philosophical consciousness.

15 Woods, Richard (1989) Christian Spirituality: God’s Presence Through the Ages Thomas More Press.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 22 -

In time, b etween the Judaic and Helleni s tic world view s, a rappr oc h e men t prepared the w a y for a ne w a rt i culation of the Chri s tian experience. No longer wa s the imminent return o f Je s u s the dri v in g f o rce for sustaining charismatic Christian belief. An interpret a tion of th e Christian exper ience, heavily dependent on the Hellen is ti c philo s ophical perspective, began to develop particularly in the Chri s tian E as t which ca s t the Christian experience in a new and diverse light .

Thi s development continued for c enturie s. A s Brian G a ybba ha s pointed out , the va riou s s chool s of theolo g i ca l re f lection on the Christ i an experience were developing long before the Reformation of Chri s tendom occurred . 16 The s e s chool s had developed to advance the prioritie s and per s pecti v e s of p a rticular ly important religiou s order s s uch a s the Franci s can s and Dominican s . I n the Middle A g e s, a change in the s tructure of t h eological interpretation came about with the controver s ial introduction of Ari s totle ’ s phi l o s ophy . The s chol as tic method of interpretation , influenced by Ari s totelian and Plat o nic thought pattern s , wa s the be s t tool for intellectu a l ar g ument in that age , as evidenced by T h omas Aquina s ’ s s ynthesi s of Ari s totle ' s co s mo l ogy and the C hr i s tian me ssa ge . Eve n tua ll y t h is th eo l ogica l sy n thesi s became domina n t in t h e R oma n C hu rc h. It i s significa n t that throug h t h e incorporation

16 Gaybba, Brian P (1988) Aspects of the Mediaeval History of Theology: 12 th to 14 th Centuries University of South Africa Press.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 23 - of Ari s tot l e ’ s cosmo l ogy, Christian t h eology entered a human dynamic who s e exi s tenti a l potential has only partially been realized by Western theologians to this day. Perhaps the philosophical human dynamic rooted in Aristotelianism , when re - articulated, will afford postmodernity a different outcome.

Schneider s point s out that the medieval s ynthe s i s of philosophy and theology held toget her well into the middle of the 20 th c e ntury , when the culture - s hattering event s o f the two world war s , the technological revolution , liberation movement s of all kind s , an explo s ion in knowledge, a nd rapid development s in philo s ophy, the humanitie s, p s ycholo g y, a nd the other s ocial s cience s , brought the comprehen s ive hold of the medieval s ynt h e s i s on the Chri s tia n mi n d and imagination to an end . 17 Out of the new milieu , diver s e theological way s of thinking have b ee n create d an d n ow shape the hermeneutic o f Christian consciousness at various threshold s of posthumanity.

O n e ca n ide n tify d i verse t h eo l og i cal perspectives in the consciousness of t h e R oma n Cat h o l ic theologians durin g the s o - c a lled Moderni s t crisi s of the ea rl y 2 0 th ce n t u ry . This movement chall e ng e d s cho l as ti c i s m as th e domin a nt theolo g i ca l meth o d. Durin g th e ea rly 20 th c e ntu ry, the Mag is t e rium o f th e R o man Church w as increa s in g ly vig il a nt ov er in i t i ati v e s by theologians desiring to

17 Schneiders, S (1986:270) Theology and Spirituality: Strangers, Rivals or Partners? Horizons 13 n o. 2.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 24 - open it s door s to the w orld s of s cience , phenomenology, and democracy. Such vigilance cau s ed some philosophers and theologians to shy away from th e hi s toric a l - critical method of int e rpr e tati o n. Th e Church in Geor g e Ty r r e ll ’ s time he s it a ntly emb ra c e d anything that s upported ex is tential s ub jectivit y . With th e p ublication by Piu s X o f Lam e ntabili in 1907 , a s well as the anti - moderni s t ency c lical Pa sc endi , also publi s hed i n 1 9 07 , the Rom a n Catholic Church s elf - con s ciou s ly , a nd with f ull intention , withdrew fr o m p a rtic i p a tion in the philo so phi ca l trend s developing out si de p os t - r eform a tion mediev a l c ultur e . (Posthuman thinking was not yet an option.) Thi s withdrawal led to t he continuing mi s perception th a t th e C a tholic Church wa s a m o no li thic fortre ss presenting a s in g l e public di s course for a ll people s , at a ll time s, a nd in the sa m e way , thereby excluding diver s ity .

In s pite of thi s, th e Church ’ s tradition i s in s tructi v e for u s tod a y a s we re f lect on the Christian experience individu a lly a nd colle c ti v ely. For e xa mple , as Chri s ti a nit y s pread during the P a tri s ti c period , diver s e v iew s gre w re g arding both the m a nner and e x tent to which Helleni s ti c thinking s hould be u s ed t o interpret the r ev elation o f th e Chri s t through Je s u s of N aza reth . Some , s uch as Tertulli a n ( 160 - 225 CE ) a nd Tat ian (120 - 17 3 CE) were pa ss ion a tely o pp os ed to Helleni s tic philo s ophy a nd culture for fe a r that it s in f lu e nc e would adulterate the go s pel. Other s , however , s uch as Ju s tin M a rtyr (112 - 165 CE) a nd Clemen t o f Alexandria ( 150 - 2 1 2 CE) ,

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 25 - endeavoured to e xpre ss the me ss age of the go s p e l u s ing Helleni s tic philo s ophical conc e pt s. 18 Notwith s t a ndin g Tertullian ’ s prote s tation , “ Wh a t ha s Athen s to d o w ith Jeru sa lem ? ” Helleni s tic phil os oph y ent e r e d into the s er v ice o f the Church. Henceforth , Ch r i s ti a n phil os ophy , the b a pti s ed p aga n wa y o f thinking of Ari s totl e a nd Pl a t o , became a n a n ci ll ae th eo l og i ae . The u s e o f ideas boldly b o rrowed from tr a diti o n s out s ide o f one ’ s own , while not w i thout c ontr ov er sy, h as a l way s be e n a li v ing p a r t o f th e Ch r i s tian t r a di t i o . Ind ee d , S. C . C a rpenter (1877 - 1959) h as not e d th a t b o rr ow in g fr o m o ut s id e o n e ’ s t ra diti o n was a C a tholic tr a it of the M o d e rni s t th eo lo g i a n s . He wrote:

Tyrrell, and those who were with him were the original ‘Modernists,’ were wholesale re - constructors, but they were enthusiasts for continuity. Their attempt broke down, or was driven underground, because the great Church which in the thirteenth century had been liberal enough to include the Aristotelianism of the Schoolmen, and the Troubadour methods of the Friars, was not able to entertain the sharp contrast between the historic faith and alleged historic fact which they put forward as a legitimate develop ment. It broke down, but the Tyrrell school, and even Loisy for a long time,

18 Watts, F & Williams, M (1988:32) The Psychology of Religious Knowing Cambridge University Press.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 26 -

were profoundly Catholic in intention and desire. 19

Sinc e th e S eco nd V a tic a n Coun c il o f 196 2 - 65 , th e po s iti ve r es ult s of a c ritic a l s chol a r s h i p , p a rticularl y within the study of s criptur e du e t o M o d e rni s t thinkin g , h ave be e n a pp a rent. 20 Th e mod e rn trend in theology which is a w ay from the s ingular s chol as tic a pp r o a ch t owa rd s a diver s ified phenomenological a ppro a ch , cont i nue s to de ve l o p and will likely significantly characterize the threshold s of posthuman philosophy. Th e diver se idea s introduced through th e Moderni s t theolo g i a n s a re , in f a ct, found a tion a l for a phenom e nological re f lection on the Chri s tian consciousness. Dare I say that through advancement of a critical phenomenological reflection diver s e s cholar s hip will further inaugurate the threshold s of posthuman philosophy of the type that George Tyrrell hoped for . If Maude Petre (1863 - 1942) is correct in her Introduction to Tyrrell’s essays.

Hence I have not feared to put in fragments, in spite of their lack of finish, for the sake of some flash of insight which they convey; and they will serve their purpose if they do what their author was always satisfied to do, namely to give the lead to so me other mind which can carry the search a

19 Carpenter, S C ( 1932:74) Supernatural Religion in its Relation to Democracy Ivor Nicholson & Watson. 20 O’Hanlon, Daniel (1966:11 - 29) Catholic Theology: A Brief History Current Trends in Theology ( Wolf, D. J. & Schall, V. eds ) Image Doubleday.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 27 -

little further. 21

Conceiving Philosophi c all y

Conceiving philosophy i s a ctuall y a w a y of “ thinkin g a fter ” about that which ha s arisen out o f reflecting on one’s initial experience. In hi s arti c le , “ Faith a s Exi s te ntial Choice , ” William Edie h as noted th a t Tertullian , t h e Carthaginian theologian , con s idered the “ n a tur a l man ” a s s imple, rude , uncultured and untau g h t, n o t yet ruined b y Greek educ a tion. According to Tertul l i a n , th e “ natur a l m a n ” i s anim a naturalit e r Christiana . 22 Ed i e f urth e r note s that T e rtullian invited hi s reader s to return t o their own reli g iou s experi e nc e, ignoring prior theory , to explore the Chri s ti a n experience and find a n authentic route to God . Th us , th eir conceptions of experience would be philosophically non - Hellenic. Simil a rly , the Atheni a n philo s opher, Socr a tes (died 399 BCE) , sought to c l a r i fy the thinking of poet s , politici a n s, and whom e ver he met in the public forum . In doing s o , Socrate s did not follow the accepted folk lore of the day. Rather , he undertook a re s pon s ible approach to thinking and conceived his ideas philosophically . 23 I recognize the “natur a l man ,” the anima natur a li te r Chri s tiana in Tertull ia n’ s s en s e, a s the agent - philoso pher interpreting experience

21 Tyrrell, George (1914:xi) E ssays on Faith and Immortality Edward Arnold. 22 Edie, J. Earle, W. Wild, J (1963:32) Christianity and Existentialism Northwestern University Press . 23 Edie, J (1963:153) .

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 28 - at the threshold s of posthuman philosophy. The posthuman philosopher conceive s life differ e ntly than in the classical da ys when the system of the ological guild s was in place . Development s in philo s ophy bring about development s in theolo gy . And , as Her a clitu s (approx. 535 - 475 BCE) once noted , s inc e everything appear s to be perpetually in flux , no fin a l philo s oph y or theolog y should be expected even in posthumanity .

The We s tern intelle c tual tradition rooted in t he Gr eek milieu s upport s the philosophical conception o f a n a biding hum a num , or what it mean s to be human in the co s mo s . A s Nicolas Berd ya e v (1874 - 1948) note d , Greek philo s ophy doe s not conceive what a hum a n being i s in the particular , but conceive s what hum a n be i n gs are in general . Such a conception arose out of Pl a toni s m . 24 For the Hellene s , an individual personality i s a n o n - hi s torical emendation of the uni v er s al personality. Mediev a l s chola s tic s, a l thou g h influenced by Ari s tote l ian and Thomistic philosophy , found gre a t difficulty in articul a ting the idea of the indi v idual person as an abiding humanum. Nonethele ss, Dun s Scotu s, the medieval Franci s can theologi a n, concluded th a t p a r t icul a r being s were the s ole end of creati o n and the mo s t import a n t o f thin gs . 25 Thi s view s eem s to be well established in the We s t . But, philosophical contemplation on the threshold s of posthumanity challenges this view of the

24 Berdyaev, Nicolas (1957:133) The Beginning and the End Harper Bothers. 25 Berdyaev, N icolas (1957:118).

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 29 - individual person as the most important of things with the intent of f abricating a “transitio nal” human being as a proper humanum for the future .

In exi s tential thinking , the mech a nic a l and t echnic a l lan g u a ge s of the 18 th and 19 th centurie s are no longer useful in interpreting Christian consciousness. M a x Wildier s agree s with Teilhard de Chardin’ s critique o f the u s ele ss ne ss of outdated langu a ge in theolo g ic a l interpretation . 26 Along a s imil a r vein , Kenneth C a uthen call s for a new Moderni s m within the North Americ a n philosophical community. 27 To my mind, e xi s tential phenomenolog y con s tit ute s a useful philo s ophic a l di s cipline for the theologian entering upon the threshold s of posthuman consciousness.

Contrary to Duns Scotus phenomenological consciousness po s it s the primacy of the person, a s an agent , over things a nd recognize s the value of per s onality a s the exi s tenti a l centre of the posthuman s ubject . Soren Kierkega a rd (1813 - 1855) wa s one of the father s of exi s tenti a l consciousness who figures prominently in adapting religiou s in s ight s from per s onal interior reflection. However , it i s nece ssa ry in our time to philosophically que s tion such

26 Wildiers, Max (1983:143 - 56) The Fundamental Experience of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Desire to be human: A Global Reconnaissance of Human Perspectives in an Age of Transformation…. ( L. Zonneveld & R. Muller eds ) Mirananda. 27 Cauthe n, Kenneth (1997) Toward a New Modernism University Press of America.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 30 - interior reflection s in light of the growin g threshold s of posthuman ity. R eflection on experience presupposes a human relationship within the community , characteristic of the “ I - Thou” ph ilosophical thought of Martin Buber (1878 - 1965) . I t is through living in community that an individual develops as a person . The Zulu and Xhosa languages have a useful word for this notion of community: ubuntu. Ubuntu has been translated as, “I am what I am because of who we all are.” The Zulu and Xhosa African languages emphasize allegiances and relations within the community. To extend the meaning somewhat, another translation would be: The belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity , that is the humanum Thus, it would be reasonable in a posthuman community to re - conceive philosophically the Christian consciousness.

In light of a posthuman culture I suggest the abandonment of a universal ( classical ) individual ism and its replace ment with the notion of an abiding humanum that encapsulates the qualities of each unique human being . Given that individuals are unique, Gaudium et Spes, the Vatican II Pastoral Constitution on the Church, conceives t he inherent value and meaning o f each individual person philosophically . According to the Pastoral Constitution, one ’ s individuality does not confer sovereignty but rather reflects human dignity. Th is notion of dignity is conceived philosophically in a posthuman perspective by James Wat son in his

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 31 - thesis, “A Universal Human Dignity: Its Nature, Ground and Limits.” 28 Within th is Christian philosophical perspective an abiding humanum (human dignity) accrues through a right relationship with God. Christian humanism (and by extension Christian posthumanism) rests on human dignity that is ultimately grounded in the understanding of God ’ s revelation in Jesus of Nazareth. Within the posthuman Christian community, the imitatio Christi becomes the embodiment of an a biding humanum that secular philosophers are likely to grasp only vaguely. The challenge for philosoph ers as they contemplate the threshold s of a postmodern world will be to find a place for the humanum. In short, to find a place for the presence of God.

In posth uman consciousness the humanum reflects variations and similarities of William James’s five characteristics of all religious life. 29 He affirms that: first, the visible world is part of a s p i ritual univer s e; s econd , union with th a t higher univer s e i s our t r ue end ; third , inne r communion ( prayer ) with such spirituality i s a process where work is truly d o ne a nd produce s e ffect s in the ph ys ical world ; fourth , thereb y, a new ze s t i s a dded to life ; and la s t, we achie v e a n a ss urance of s afet y and peace in the proce ss . It seems to me that many of the present - day philosophers of posthumanity

28 Watson, James David (2016) unpublished PhD thesis [ in philosophy] University of Exeter. 29 James, William (1909:485) The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature Longmans Green.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 32 - fail to treat these philosophical conceptions in their contemplation . Rather, t hey are greatly occupied with the techno - digital and scientific aspects of transhumanism (i.e., transitional humanism) and the altered human organism.

Understanding Holistically

As Christians mature , we ought to re - think our faith experiences. This re - thinking, if undertaken, takes place in varying degrees and from various perspectives. For Catholi cs, and Christians in general , Vatican II has symbolized the end of a conventional understanding of the faith and introduced a new consciousness to understanding the faith . This consciousness is rooted in phenomenology and critical reflection. 30 I suggest that this consciousness constitutes posthuman threshold s of holistic philosophical understanding. Vatican II was not merely an exercise in up - dating doctrine and dogma, an aggiornamento. Rather, the Council itself was a phenomenological interpretation of Catholic theological consciousness, a ressourcement of a particular type. G enerally, three features appear in the notion of ressourcement , but only one has my attention here. The first feature is a return to patristic and medieval sources, and a second feature is a return to the works of St Thomas Aquinas . The third feature , which concerns me here, is a dialogue with the new philosophical movements and thinkers of the 20 th

30 Kobler, John (2000:89 - 95) Vatican II Theology Needs Philosophy The Modern Schoolman 78 , no. 2.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 33 - century, with particular attention paid to the Enlightenment, modernity , and liberalism from a holistic perspective. P articular attention must be paid to a holistic understanding in a posthuman world.

Post - Vatican II philosophers, in particular Catholics , contemplate humanity in its “ secular ” context, as well as its religious status . This has raised complex problems for Catholic philosophers re - defining themselves within the public forum. In the public forum, Catholic philosophers co - exist alongside many ot her Christian and non - Christian religious philosoph ers , but not necessarily as equals . Since the late 19 th century, some Catholic philosophers have partially abandoned their classical self - understanding and have entered upon a re - evaluated self - understandi ng , often from an historical perspective. To my mind, this change began within the Modernist movement that sought to bring theological consciousness up to date with modern s cientific discoveries. Individual Catholic philosophers who entered upon such a sel f - understanding abandoned the idea of any single cultural expression supplying the required philosophy of a believing community . Instead, they accepted a holistic understanding in its place.

I n posthuman consciousness t he human and social sciences must not be understood solely in rational and mechanistic terms . Rather, t he holistic perspective, as expounded by J . C . Smuts, recognize d

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 34 - that the “hole” is other , and greater than the sum of its parts. 31 That is, any living organism has significant meaning b eyond its limitations . T his understanding discloses a philosophical consciousness superior to the rational and mechanistic perspective dominant since the Enlightenment .

The sciences alone cannot furnish us with a sufficient knowledge of our life - world s , n or act as a substitute for a holistic interpretation of our experience s . The idea that it is required of science and techno - digital advancement t o replace ethics and religion seems to be a major preoccupation of many posthuman academics. Science and techno - digital advancement provide various methods through which humanity may study itself , but they do not provide human consciousness. In other words, science and techno - digital advancement are system s of knowledge with defined and set boundaries. To the contrary, the purpo s e of a holistic posthuman philosophy i s to conceive the per s on a s a n open - ended que s tion. In short, what does it mean to be human in a posthuman world? And where do we place God? From a holistic perspective , no satisfactory expla nation of the person can be given in a system with defined and set bo undarie s . Holi s tic understanding always remains free from constraint and open to evolutionary development . Applying t hi s in s ight to p s ycho pathology, Karl Jaspers (1883 - 1969) believe d that

31 Holon (in Greek) is the neuter case of holos meaning “whole,” but with the philosophical qualification noted by Smuts.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 35 - it i s a mi s take to try to set up any principle of the whole, or totum , or set up a scientific univer s al s chema a s a point of orientation for re s earch on the human person. Instead, inquirie s ought to be made within an attitude of faith to under s tand the infinite extent of who we are and what we know . 32 Such a task, I suggest, is becoming increasingly significant as philosophers contemplate what it means to be human as we enter upon various threshold s of posthumanity.

We live in an age of an excess of mechanical a nd techno - digital analy s is. Contemporary generations have experienced the ascendancy of mechanical technology and digital technology over the philosophical wisdom required to make proper use of technology. In o rder to reverse this situation, p osthumanity requires an appropriate philosophy, not only of right action, but of responsible agency. A holistic philosophy and theology do not eclipse modern science as knowledge, but , rather, s eek to disclose the wi s dom i nherent in the human agent who is more th an the sum of its parts. The desire for an abundant life, that i s, for more than is concretely available in life, i s a motivating factor for inquiry into human existence. For the philosopher, an abundant life m ay be sought through a holi s tic consciousness that is aware of a relationship to the presence of God a s the s ource and the end of truth and value in the world .

32 Jaspers, Karl Gene ral Psycho pathology [1997 reprint] Johns Hopkins University Press.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 36 -

Literature , philosophy, religion, psychology , and science di sc lose a life that one may interpret holistically. Whoever reflect s upon life holi s tically must do s o from a personal perspective and make particular existential choices. Further, philosophers mu s t decide to what degree humans are conscious of t ran s cendent reality . They mu s t decide if the tran s c e ndent reality that humans have experienced, or think they have experienced , i s a p s ychological fiction or not . If philosophers d o a ccept that transcendent reality i s part of existence, it would appear to the traditional ly - minded philo s opher a s a religious view . O n the other hand, if philosophers accept that tran s cendent reality i s not part of existence, it would appear to the holi s tic thinker as a deficient philosophical view . Such is the philosophical challenge facing the thinker at the thresholds of posthumanity.

For tho s e who do choose a holistically interpreted religiou s path, philosophy offer s an almo s t infinite opportunity to reflect on the pre s ence of the divine in human experience. Thus, the next issue is to conside r what it possibly mean s to reflect theologically in a posthuman context.

Reflecting Theologically

Theological contemplation on religious experience s discloses the qualitative evolution of the per s on in contrast to an organic evolution. That is, in organ ic evolution “I” am differentiated from

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 37 - my environment , the “not - me , ” physically. In qualitative evolution “I” am differentiated metaphysically , that is self - co nsciously, within my environment. In th e chron o lo g ic a l ord e r of experience, theology i s an “a f ter thought” when reflecting on e x p e ri e n c e . I under s tand theology, as undertaken today, to be a com prehen s ive term to in c lude a philosophical consciousness that assign s meaning to the Christian life. Thus, at the posthuman threshold s of experience a comprehensive theological philosophy includes: folklore, common sense, reasoned or academic thinking and the imaginative speculation that humans undertake about themselves. However, th is is not to say that they are all of equal value to the posthuman thinker.

One intention in this essay i s to introduce t o the inquir e r a n approach to Western philosophy that does not rely on Hellenic principles to interpret experience, but one that is appropriate for the posthuman theological context. My approach doe s not a im to produc e a final theology that will be the s ame for a ll people in a ll s ituat ion s and in all culture s at all times . M y intention is not classically Catholic. Rather, my intention is a contemporary Catholic one that encourages a criti ca l examination of the s t a ges of cultural evolution in which persons act as agents creating their ow n theological philosophy in the public forum. 33 For the religiously

33 As Gaudium et Spes notes: “Culture, since it flows from humanity’s rational and social nature, has continual need of proper freedom of development and a legitimate possibility of autonomy according to its own principles. … All this

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 38 - minded, theological p hilosoph y di s close s a univer s al mili e u that i s common to that which is human and to that which is divine and pervades all c ultural experience. Thi s mili e u enable s r e lation s hip s to be identified between that which i s divine (godly) and that which i s hum a n . In a philosophical contemplation of the theological type (Dewart’s Theological Philosophy) Western philosophers are served well by a mental s chem a b a s e d on experiential phenomenological interpretation s of life. S uch a mental s ch e ma doe s not i g nor e moder n s cientif i c kn ow led g e , thus, does not end in un c ritic a l belief , or fideism. F r o m a critic a l phenomenolo g ic a l per s pecti v e , any mental schema reject s a di c hotomy b e t w een modern s cience a nd reli g ion. Allerd Stikker has note d that

before interdisciplinary integration can be successfully evolving in many different sections of society, it is necessary to solve a fundamental dualism which lies at the root of present soc iety. This dualism lies in the misconception, which has been in existence for hundreds of years, that religion and science are two different worlds. It is the synthesis between these two ‘disciplines’ which forms a starting point for further integration an d progress in the

demands that, provided they represent the moral order and the common interest, people should be entitled to seek after truth, to express and make known their opinions, to engage in whatever art they please; and, finally, that they should be accurately informed about matters of public interest.” Flannery, Austin (1996:233) Vatican II Costello Publishing Company.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 39 -

world. 34

Through its own synthesis, I suggest that posthuman theological philosophy is approaching threshold s capable of solving such an antithetical dualism.

Theological philosophy is a de s criptive, rather than a deductive discipline. The s t a rting point for exi s tential theological reflection is the human condition. Theological reflection interpret s experience as a dynamic activity, that is to s ay, in relational term s a nd not in pre - determined fixed c a tegorical term s . Reflect ing theologically doe s not cre a te or formulate new categorie s of v a lue s and virtue s. Rather , reflecting theologically con s tructively criticize s the s tifling ideologic a l , s ociological , and p s ychological a s pect s of classical religious experience thu s en a blin g the religious thinker to assign new creative meaning to life. In my experience it has become cle a r th a t a theoretical theolo g y b as ed on modern s cientific or mech a nical concepts of the Enlightenment i s no long e r s ufficient to meet contemporary human need s satisfactorily . W ithout si gnific a nt qualification the hi s torical - critic a l method, characteri s tic of modern theology , will not adequately s erve posthuman reflection on the religious life. In my experience, a personal exi s tential reflection

34 Stikker, Allerd (1983:171) Interdisciplinary Integration and Dualism in Society The Desire to be human: A Global Reconnaissance of Human Perspectives in an Age of Transformation…. ( L. Zonneveld & R. Muller eds ) Mirananda .

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 40 - upon the religious life tr a n s cend s the boundarie s of denominational communitie s . Further, the primary focu s of a per s onal reflection on the religious life i s not private but is a reflection by the person - in - community . Becau s e personal reflection i s able to transcend denomin a tional limitation s, it i s le ss likely to b ec ome s ub ject to an in s titution a l a nd political ideolo g y.

R e flecting on the religious life i s a w ay of thinkin g b y which theologi a n s , acting a s s piritual director s, a tt e mpt t o under s t a nd the religiou s experience of th e f aithful a nd help them tow a rd s piritu a l m a turation . The experience of th e pr ese nce of th a t which i s divine , or the presence of God, coupled with the gro w th in per s on a l faith , is foundational to Chr is tian holistic theolo g ic a l consciousness.

T heological consciousness is not tantamount to Religiou s S tud i e s . Religious Studies undertaken as a s oci o lo g i ca l discipline is not T heology . Religiou s S tudie s lead s to knowled ge a b o ut religions a s s ocial phenomena. It is of the order of convictional language. N or i s theolog y , which is of the order of confessional language, a reli g iou s s tudy in a sociological sense . Theology i s reflection on a personal e x p e rienc e of faith that is a reflection on the exi s tential i ss ue s in the religious lif e. In cont e mpor a ry We s tern theological under s tanding, s ubjecti v ity a nd inter - s ubj e cti vi ty are replacing ideological objectivism as the prim a ry way of interpreting theological consciousness. A s ubjecti v e , int e r - s ubjective, a nd ecumenic a l theology i s requi s ite for Chri s tian s in the posthuman

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 41 - context and mu s t be ba s ed on a knowledge of the life of Je s u s of Na z areth . M et a ph ys i c al que s t s that focu s on doctrine and dogma claiming to pro ve that God exi s t s are futile. T he exi s tential theologian , re f lecting on the religious life, doe s not look for a polemic a l opportunity to win a theologic a l argument. R a ther , the e x i s tential theologi a n ’ s primar y concern i s to e x pre ss and c lari f y the experience of f ai th within a given culture .

Religiou s experience provide s the opportunity f or philosophical reflection of a theological kind. A theological philosophy di s clo s e s a s piritu a l world capabl e of bein g known within a hum a n cultural context and within a variety of co s mologie s . I accept that no cosmology exhausts the ent irety of religious understanding, just a s no theo l ogy exhausts all religious interpretation. To my mind, i n trying to under s tand the religious lif e exhaustively, through a theological philosophy, is beyond human consciousness, but not beyond our experience as myster y. Theological philosophy is most fruitfully interpreted holistically.

Acting Creativel y

We a re born into a physical world not of our makin g. The world continues to evolve in a comple x way that humans c a nnot s top or c urtail , yet are per s on a lly i n volved in the transformation s occurring within it. Thi s mean s that Western Christians are living with a nxiety and ten s ion s that accompany the end o f conventional religion. The

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 42 -

West i s often philo s ophic a ll y understood as a m a terial ized and s ecular ized culture that denie s the tran s cendent . In the mind s of s ome philosophers, thi s m a teri a l s ecul a rit y cau s e s a n x iety and ten s ion th a t prevents the proper recognition of a tran s cendent dimen s ion to life . I contend , however , that thi s material s ecul a rity ironically affords an opportunity for us to become consciously and creatively involved in life’s evolution.

T he vocation of the Church, its great commission, is the care of souls , the cure animarum. The cure animarum pertains to the redemption of both the individua l and the community. Traditional r eflection on the Christian life, as an exercise of the cure animarum, is carried on within, not without, a community of faith that is itself the custodian of the Christian message. The community is the locus of faith of th e individual believer and , as well, acts as the mediator of the faith for future generations of believers. Thus, the community of faith is the primary milieu for acting creatively in light of posthuman religious thresholds.

In spite of the emphasis on ecum enical dialogue in the contemporary world, Reformation and counter - Reformation polemics continue to surface. This is evidenced in the rise of a theological fundamentalism that has eclipsed the cure animarum . Because of this eclipse, many of us who participate in the life of the traditional church experience alienation from the Church. Many traditional institutions have ceased to be communities of faith that

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy - 43 - support the cure animarum because of a secular techno - digital influence , as Gabriel Moran has shown. 35 Thus, many of us are estranged from the religion we inherited and we are left with “ spirit - less ” churches. Western culture continues to become increasingly secular, which accounts for the fact that Christi an churches have become social institutions with minimal spiritual creativity. As a consequence, we must create an alternative theological philosophy to understand religious life in a posthuman context. Traditional Christian anthropology understands God as transcendent and outside of creation, whereas, a posthuman Christian anthropology suggests the presence of God a s immanent in , yet transcendent to, cre a tion . The traditional form s of Chri s tian anthropology , their expre ss ion s , conception s , and cu s toms , have evolved from the world of Greco - Roman - Germanic civili s ation and to s ome degree th is civilization remain s part of our pre s ent - d ay experience. A s V a n de Pol state s, these Greco - Roman - Germanic convention s are s o int e rwoven with We s tern civili z ation that profound change s in th is pattern of culture necess a rily bring about changes in conventional Chri s ti a ni t y . 36 In other words, changing the civilization changes Christianity. Hence the need to proactively and creatively shape our future posthuman culture.

35 Moran, Gabriel (1972:7) The Present Revelation: The Search for Religious Foundations Herder & Herder . 36 van de Pol, Willem Hendrick (1968) End of Conventional Christianity Newman Press .

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Acting creatively implie s gra s ping the meaning o f one ’ s life and purpo s e and living out of that re a lity in co - operation with that which i s “ other a nd greater ” than one s elf . According to Arthur Fabel , the de s tiny of matter ( including human matter) in the universe may well be controlled by the life th a t aro s e from within it. 37 We have a greater de s tiny than that which re s ide s merely in our biolo g ical life bec a u s e we can think and love. Humans di s tingui s h between de s tiny and fate . Humans are capable of creating careers for themselves. Human destiny , individually and collectively , is to endure through time , wherea s human career s are within time and tran s ient and te rminal. Destiny is a per s onal and communal vision of the future, where as fate reflects a non - cooperative end to the future of org anic life . In a theological philosophy destiny trumps fate.

We ma y not be able to alter cert a in circum s tanc es i n wh i ch we find our s el v e s but w e can pre v ent t he se circumstance s from altering u s a nd diverting u s from o ur destiny. The Christi a n life is the call e d life a nd it i s somehow our destiny to live it as a co - operative venture . It i s po ss ible to s tifle the call of our de s tin y, but not t o d est ro y it . Some philosophers undertake refle c tion on the Chri s t ia n life more se r iou s ly a s they grow older. Throu g h thi s proce ss , we compare our Chri s ti a n life with our s ecul a r life. Within Chri s ti a n consciousness, God’ s eternal presence render s all cre a tion i ntelligible in its light .

37 Fabel, Arthur (1983:87) Teilhard de Chardin and the New Scientific Synthesis The Desire to be human: A Global Reconnaissance of Human Perspectives in an Age of Transformation…. ( L. Zonneveld & R. Muller , eds ) Mirananda .

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“The light of God is not a blinding light such as the artificial lights that men employ. In its light all other lights burn brighter, and time takes on the meaning of eternity.” 38 Tho s e conscious of the Chri s ti a n life a ct creatively in this light and for deeper r e aso n s than tho s e not conscious of th is light. It i s the religiou s experience, not a philosophical metaphysics that affect s the individual ’s philosophy, both in the human and posthuman context. The Chri s tian religious life i s a n organic incarnated life , not a spiritually di s embodied life . Humanity is not a disembodied reality like God , as it were, subject to no creed, but contempl a ting them all without the nece ssity of bo dily experience. Rather, the incarnated life is a co - creative life within bodily experience.

T he drawb a ck to acting creatively , on the part of s ome philosophers , i s th a t they empha s ize what is unique to them while underrating wh a t i s common to all humanity . In reflecting on common experience, it become s clear th a t Christian reli g iou s experience h as remained s ub s tanti a lly th e s ame under all it s s ucce ss ive embodiment s. 39 This i s probably so s ince refle c ting on the Chri s tian life i s a cre a tive , rea s oned activity in concert with the lo gos made fle s h . C r ea ti v e acti v i ty in concert with the logos i s no t con s tr a ined b y doctrinal s ystem s or s ocial or cultural con s truct s of hum a n fabrication. It i s an experiential fact that reflectin g on the

38 Petre, Maude (1998:50) A Week End Book of Thought and Prayer [Peter Erb , ed ] Catholic Scholars Press . 39 Lilley, Leslie (1908:77) The Programme of Modernism Putnam ’ s Sons .

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Christian life i s a poetical , philosophic a l , theological , ethical , and s cientifi c activity . Such reflection i s , at root , nothing le ss than the consciousness of the presence of God , both imm a nent and transcendent, whi c h lead s to the awareness of a fulfilled human being.

The experiences of William Gladstone and George Tyrrell help u s here to contrast a human and posthuman philosophical understanding. A humanistic, that is, Helleni stic Chri s tian anthropology was at the root of the theological thinking of both Glad s tone and Tyrrell . According to them, we need God ’ s help to be our s elve s . However, the presence of God doe s not undertake to do for us wh a t we can do for our s elve s. Were thi s s o , God would thereb y di s - emp ower u s. Only in s o far a s we cannot help our s el ve s i s help from the presence of God a real kindne ss and authentic help. All inauthentic help weaken s u s and retard s our human growth and spiritual development. I n s hort , it prevent s us from acting creatively. God ’ s help , or empowerment , lead s to an a cti v e creativity on our part , wherea s a ll d is - empowerment lead s to the s piritual death of the religious life. Yet, as each philosopher develops an understanding of a Christian anthropology each wi ll not arrive at the same conclusion. Their respective conclusions , however, will most likely lay the foundations for new threshold s of a posthuman future.

Critical thinkers o n the thresholds of posthuman philosophy