VISIBILITY AND VISION IN MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY: MYSTICAL CONTEXT
Journal Title: Філософські обрії - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 39
Abstract
The article examines the problem of visual perception in medieval philosophy, which demonstrates a position in relation to the vision and sight of Divine Light and Divine Wisdom in the philosophy of great thinkers of that period. John Scott Eriugenа, claims the author, all concrete things as the epiphany (theophany) appear as a certain visibility, which hides the spiritual foundation that is not accessible to the eyes. Man is able to see only that God, which fills the created world of life. For Anselm of Canterbury, God is unattainable to human eyes; we can only perceive God rationally, through thinking. Tomas Aquinas points to the role of images as a useful tool in the education of believers. For medieval researchers, it is indicated in the article, the fact was that visual perception laid the foundation for our knowledge of material things. According to Robert Grosseteste, God creates light, and geometric laws of light propagation are constructive laws of the universe, available to human cognition.Along with this approach, the peculiar discovery of the visual tradition finds in the philosophers who were guided by the mystical perception of God. From Meister Eckhart’s point of view, the mystic must contradict the attachment to any quinquinal representations of God. Only under this condition one can reach the possibilities of his inner contemplation, and thereby achieve unity with God. Therefore, mysticism is characterized by visions, which are a means of expressing of religious experiences that outweigh any familiar concept. The nature of mystical sights and visions, according to the author, due to the features of religious tradition. The domination of the mystical vision is inherent in monotheistic religions.So medieval visuality is based on the ancient tradition of understanding the role of sight and vision in cognition. Based on this approach, the Augustinian tradition of illumination and the religious-metaphysical “vision” and “contemplation” is formed. In Augustinianism, Christ is called the “Light”, because it illuminates every person; the same person can return or turn away from the Light. On these ontological assumptions, the “theory of illumination” is built up, and it had a significant impact on medieval metaphysics and on the visual paradigm. The main task of medieval visualism is the desire to reach the level of spiritual «enlightenment» in which a believer can «see with the «intelligent eyes» the Divine Light. Due to this, illusions and obstacles on the way of spiritual contemplation are overcome. Medieval visualism opens the possibilities of both transcendental and transcendental contemplation. On this basis, the tradition of mystical and philosophical contemplation of God is formed.
Authors and Affiliations
Галина Ільїна
Keywords
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- EP ID EP493218
- DOI 10.5281/zenodo.1296409
- Views 90
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ФІЛОСОФСЬКИЙ ПРАКТИКУМ ПОШУКІВ ТА РОЗВ’ЯЗАННЯ СВІТОГЛЯДНИХ ПРОБЛЕМ. Рецензія на: Філософія: Навчальний посібник-практикум. [Укл.: Волков О.Г., Землянський А.М., Олексенко Р.І.,Рябенко Є.М.]. – Мелітопіль: МДПУ імені Богдана Хмельницького, 2017. – 272 с.
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