The Memory of God Hans Blumenberg's Philosophy of Religion Rasmussen, Ulrik Houlind Publication date: 2009 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Citation for published version (APA): Rasmussen, U. H. (2009). The Memory of God: Hans Blumenberg's Philosophy of Religion. Københavns Universitet: Publikationer fra Det teologiske Fakultet. Download date: 07. apr.. 2020 The Memory of God Hans Blumenberg’s Philosophy of Religion Was ist eigentlich Aura? Ein sonderbares Gespinst aus Raum und Zeit: einmalige Erscheinung einer Ferne, so nah sie sein mag. Walter Benjamin Ph.D.‐Thesis by Ulrik Houlind Rasmussen Theological Faculty, University of Copenhagen Supervisor: Prof., Dr. Theol. Arne Grøn July 2009 The Memory of God Hans Blumenberg’s Philosophy of Religion Publikationer fra Det Teologiske Fakultet 9 Licensed under CreativeCommons Ulrik Houlind Rasmussen ISBN 978-87-91838-17-0 (print) ISBN 978-87-93361-37-9 (pdf) Trykning og indbindning: Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultets ReproCenter Københavns Universitet 2009 Udgivet af: Det Teologisk Fakultet Københavns Universitet Karen Blxens Plads 16 2300 København S www.teol.ku.dk Contents PRELUDE: DIFFICULTIES REMEMBERING TO FORGET .................................................................................. ‐ 5 ‐ 1.E TH MAIN THEME OF THIS DISSERTATION ................................................................................................. ‐ 7 ‐ 1.1 THE DEATH(S) OF GOD........................................................................................................................................‐ 8 ‐ 1.2 FORMING A CONCEPT ABOUT MEMORY..............................................................................................................‐ 9 ‐ 2. HERMENEUTICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS..........................................................‐ 13 ‐ 2.1 PHILOSOPHY AS A CONCEPTUAL ENTERPRISE...................................................................................................‐ 14 ‐ 2.2 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION ................................................................................................................................‐ 15 ‐ E3. TH ARCHITECTURE OF THE DISSERTATION .............................................................................................‐ 17 ‐ PART I BLUMENBERGʹS METAPHOROLOGY 1. WORK ON METAPHORS.....................................................................................................................................‐ 19 ‐ 1.1 PARADIGMS OF A METAPHOROLOGY ................................................................................................................‐ 20 ‐ 1.2 THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF METAPHORS ...............................................................................‐ 22 ‐ 1.3 ABSOLUTE METAPHORS ....................................................................................................................................‐ 28 ‐ E2. TH KANTIAN HERITAGE..................................................................................................................................‐ 31 ‐ 2.1 METAPHYSICS – A QUESTION ABOUT CERTAIN QUESTIONS?............................................................................‐ 31 ‐ 2.2 TRANSLATING METAPHYSICS INTO ANTHROPOLOGY: PHILOSOPHY ACCORDING TO THE WORLD‐CONCEPT .‐ 35 ‐ 2.3 TRANSPOSING THE KANTIAN QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................‐ 36 ‐ 2.4 ABSOLUTE METAPHORS – KANT’S THIRD CRITIQUE .........................................................................................‐ 46 ‐ 3. METAPHOROLOGY AND METAPHYSICS ......................................................................................................‐ 50 ‐ 3.1 DERRIDA AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF METAPHOROLOGY.................................................................................‐ 51 ‐ 3.2 RICŒUR AND THE METAPHORICAL TRUTH .......................................................................................................‐ 57 ‐ 3.3 AFTER‐METAPHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS: BLUMENBERG’S NACHDENKEN.....................................................‐ 61 ‐ 4. PHENOMENOLOGY OF HISTORY – HISTORY OF VARIATION .................................................................‐ 65 ‐ 4.1 RETENTION, PROTENTION AND PRIMAL IMPRESSION.......................................................................................‐ 68 ‐ 4.2 IMAGINATIVE VARIATIONS ................................................................................................................................‐ 73 ‐ 4.3 HISTORY AS SELF‐PRESERVATION......................................................................................................................‐ 75 ‐ 4.4 EPOCHS AND TRANSITIONS ...............................................................................................................................‐ 77 ‐ 4.6 TAKING LEAVE OF THE LIFE‐WORLD ..................................................................................................................‐ 87 ‐ 4.7 LIFE‐TIME AND WORLD‐TIME: TOWARDS THE RELEVANCE OF MEMORY .........................................................‐ 93 ‐ 4.8 THE CONSOLATION OF MEMORY ......................................................................................................................‐ 98 ‐ ‐ 2 ‐ PART II LEAVE‐TAKING WITH GOD 1. MODERNITY RE‐INTERPRETED.....................................................................................................................‐ 110 ‐ 1.1 SECULARISATION AS METAPHOR ....................................................................................................................‐ 111 ‐ 1.2 TAKING LEAVE OF THE SECULARISATION THEORY..........................................................................................‐ 112 ‐ 2. BLUMENBERG’S ALTERNATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENESIS OF THE MODERN AGE7..... ‐ ‐ 11 2.1 THEODICY AND EVIL........................................................................................................................................‐ 118 ‐ 2.2 GNOSTICISM ....................................................................................................................................................‐ 120 ‐ 2.3 CHRISTIANITY BETWEEN CREATION AND ANNIHILATION ...............................................................................‐ 126 ‐ 2.4 AUGUSTINE: THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO OVERCOME GNOSTICISM.....................................................................‐ 128 ‐ 3. THEOLOGICAL ABSOLUTISM AND HUMAN SELF‐ASSERTION.............................................................‐ 131 ‐ 3.1 DISAPPEARANCE OF ORDER ............................................................................................................................‐ 132 ‐ 3.2 RADICAL CONTINGENCY .................................................................................................................................‐ 135 ‐ 3.3 CREATIO CONTINUA ........................................................................................................................................‐ 142 ‐ 3.4 DESCARTES’ GOD AND THE ATTEMPT TO FORGET THE PAST .........................................................................‐ 146 ‐ 3.5 SPHERE IMPLOSION: SLOTERDIJK AND THE DEATH OF GOD ...........................................................................‐ 150 ‐ 3.6 THE MODERN AGE AS THE SECOND OVERCOMING OF GNOSTICISM ..............................................................‐ 153 ‐ 4. CURIOSITY...........................................................................................................................................................‐ 158 ‐ 4.1 THE ‘NATURALNESS’ OF CURIOSITY................................................................................................................‐ 158 ‐ 4.2 “IN INTERIORE HOMINE HABITAT VERITAS…” ................................................................................................‐ 162 ‐ 4.3 THE RE‐EVALUATION OF CURIOSITY ...............................................................................................................‐ 169 ‐ 4.4 CUSANUS AND AN ALTERNATIVE MODERNITY? .............................................................................................‐ 175 ‐ 4.5 SOME CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS..................................................................................................................‐ 183 ‐ ME5. SO CONCLUSIONS.......................................................................................................................................‐ 185 ‐ PART III THE MEMORY OF GOD 1. WORK ON MYTH................................................................................................................................................‐ 195 ‐ 1.1 MYTH AND DOGMA.........................................................................................................................................‐ 199 ‐ 1.2 SOME CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS..................................................................................................................‐ 203 ‐ 2. NIETZSCHE AND THE ‘DEATH OF GOD’ REVISED....................................................................................‐ 207 ‐ 2.1 THE DEATH OF GOD ‐ NIETZSCHE...................................................................................................................‐ 208 ‐ 2.2 BETWEEN ACTIVE FORGETFULNESS AND INVOLUNTARY REMEMBRANCE ......................................................‐