On ‘The Unconditional’

The unconditional that Tillich writes of is set off the world culture for-itself. It is something comparable to Augustine’s City of God/City of Man relation. Tillich’s view is fascinating for many reasons yet especially so for it historical, cultural and philosophical dichotomies. If one reads the German idealist philosophers as well as Toynbee and Augustine then it is easy to appreciate Tillich’s synthesis and analysis of the role of religion, philosophy of religion, culture and scientific-empirical thinking and actualization within social structure and the world.

Of course I believe that Jesus Christ is the only  way to renormalize human being with God. Tillich though is quite a bit more radical in his world view. He also seems happy enough to make the unconditional available to several religious beleifs, yet he has different meanings for faith and even topics such as ‘the existence of God’ and so forth.

Presently I am considering theonomy and autonomy in the context of the auto nomos (extent of law) and cultural practices such as the corresponding decline of creativity concurrent with lack of faith. The unconditional seems to be requisite for social creativity. I may buy a copy of ‘What is Religion’ eventually so I can grubby it up in S.E. Alaska along with ‘Ontological Relativity’ and a few other books sometime.