postmodernist hermeneutics
Sep. 9th, 2003 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sophiaserpentiaI wanted to store for posterity this comment which I just made in this discussion in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
challenging_god. It reflects the entire hermeneutic by which I approach matters of "truth," "religion," "philosophy," and so on.
"Reality" refers to that which is or happens. Reality is real. It's the same for all of us.
"Perceptions-of-reality" refers to data collected by the senses, the only gateways by which humans are capable of knowing anything about what goes on outside of their heads.
"Conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality" refers to concepts we formulate in our minds to make sense out of the sensory data our senses bring in.
"Statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality" refer to words that come out of our mouths or pens or keyboards which reflect these conceptions formulated in our mind in response to sensory data.
So. Religions are statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality. If religions contradict, it is not because of any flaw in reality, and probably not because of any flaws in the process of perception (though this is where distortions begin). The biggest flaws, IMO, come from the process whereby we draw conclusions based on the sensory data we have received. The second biggest sets of flaws occur when we translate these conclusions into words.
If our statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality contradict, particularly where the perceptions involved reflect "spiritual" or "metaphysical" experience, it is most likely that these contradictions are rooted in limited or erroneous conclusions.
challenging_god. It reflects the entire hermeneutic by which I approach matters of "truth," "religion," "philosophy," and so on."Reality" refers to that which is or happens. Reality is real. It's the same for all of us.
"Perceptions-of-reality" refers to data collected by the senses, the only gateways by which humans are capable of knowing anything about what goes on outside of their heads.
"Conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality" refers to concepts we formulate in our minds to make sense out of the sensory data our senses bring in.
"Statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality" refer to words that come out of our mouths or pens or keyboards which reflect these conceptions formulated in our mind in response to sensory data.
So. Religions are statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality. If religions contradict, it is not because of any flaw in reality, and probably not because of any flaws in the process of perception (though this is where distortions begin). The biggest flaws, IMO, come from the process whereby we draw conclusions based on the sensory data we have received. The second biggest sets of flaws occur when we translate these conclusions into words.
If our statements-reflecting-conclusions-based-on-perceptions-of-reality contradict, particularly where the perceptions involved reflect "spiritual" or "metaphysical" experience, it is most likely that these contradictions are rooted in limited or erroneous conclusions.
