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With Cold Foreign Eyes? Existential Meaning in Truth vs. Mystery in Religion and Art

Edenwall, Linus LU (2014) REVM77 20132
Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
Abstract
This essay explores two approaches to finding existential meaning in religion: either by an approach advocating feelings of mystery and sensuous immediacy, thus justifying an ineffability of mysterious experiences, or by an approach which advocates truth and objectivity. Although the latter approach views truth in existential terms (“existential truth”) it can be criticised for diminishing the “magic” of religion much in the same way science does in its pursuit of material truth. In order to find answers as to whether this is the case and as to whether we can justify “effability” in theory, religion is compared to art: the two approaches are applied to the field of art in a continuous dialogue with the religious field. By discussing not... (More)
This essay explores two approaches to finding existential meaning in religion: either by an approach advocating feelings of mystery and sensuous immediacy, thus justifying an ineffability of mysterious experiences, or by an approach which advocates truth and objectivity. Although the latter approach views truth in existential terms (“existential truth”) it can be criticised for diminishing the “magic” of religion much in the same way science does in its pursuit of material truth. In order to find answers as to whether this is the case and as to whether we can justify “effability” in theory, religion is compared to art: the two approaches are applied to the field of art in a continuous dialogue with the religious field. By discussing not only the ideas of philosophers like Eberhard Herrmann, Hilary Putnam, Peder Thalén and Arthur Schopenhauer, but also by contemplating the output of artists like Shakespeare, Hjalmar Söderberg and David Lynch, the so-called Truth approach is found to have the ability to more accurately (than the Mystery approach) connect artistic and religious expressions to our emotions. The possibility of recreating a sensuous experience of those expressions is also considered. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Edenwall, Linus LU
supervisor
organization
course
REVM77 20132
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
meaning, mystery, mysticism, sensuousness, immediacy, ineffability, truth, objectivity, existentialism, science, art, concepts, conceptualization
language
English
id
4862406
date added to LUP
2014-12-19 07:45:29
date last changed
2015-12-14 13:36:20
@misc{4862406,
  abstract     = {{This essay explores two approaches to finding existential meaning in religion: either by an approach advocating feelings of mystery and sensuous immediacy, thus justifying an ineffability of mysterious experiences, or by an approach which advocates truth and objectivity. Although the latter approach views truth in existential terms (“existential truth”) it can be criticised for diminishing the “magic” of religion much in the same way science does in its pursuit of material truth. In order to find answers as to whether this is the case and as to whether we can justify “effability” in theory, religion is compared to art: the two approaches are applied to the field of art in a continuous dialogue with the religious field. By discussing not only the ideas of philosophers like Eberhard Herrmann, Hilary Putnam, Peder Thalén and Arthur Schopenhauer, but also by contemplating the output of artists like Shakespeare, Hjalmar Söderberg and David Lynch, the so-called Truth approach is found to have the ability to more accurately (than the Mystery approach) connect artistic and religious expressions to our emotions. The possibility of recreating a sensuous experience of those expressions is also considered.}},
  author       = {{Edenwall, Linus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{With Cold Foreign Eyes? Existential Meaning in Truth vs. Mystery in Religion and Art}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}