Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning

Patrick Owo Aleke

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning

Patrick Owo Aleke

Published in International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 9, Issue 4)

Received: 30 November 2021 Accepted: 20 December 2021 Published: 29 December 2021

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Abstract

Do philosophy and eschatology have anything in common? In an age when philosophical naturalism is taken as a norm especially among some philosophers of the Anglo-American tradition, does it not seem out of place to put philosophy and eschatology side by side? Is eschatology not merely a utopic thinking? These are some of the questions that might come to mind when the notion of eschatology is raised within philosophical circles? Prima facie, it seems that philosophy and eschatology are two contradictory disciplines or outlooks on reality since philosophy primarily relies on the critical use of human intelligence and reason whereas eschatology has religious overtones and thus is a theological discipline. This would seem so in an age in which philosophical naturalism is on the rise. However, a critical consideration would show that philosophy and eschatology are not as distant from each other as they might seem from a superficial analysis. If philosophy and eschatology are not mutually exclusive, then where does their convergence lie? Ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology search for truth and meaning in human existence because, ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology examine the entire meaning of human existence or, as it is put in popular parlance, they are concerned with the question of human destiny. So it is not out of place to argue that philosophy ultimately is eschatological thinking. In this paper therefore, it is argued that there is a mutual complementarity between philosophy and eschatology and that the primary locus for an adequate understanding of the intrinsic relation between philosophy and eschatology is the question of the existential meaning of the human person. I will contend that it is because the ancients considered philosophy to be eschatological thinking that some ancient thinkers viewed philosophy as a spiritual exercise and preparation for one’s death. In fact, the understanding of philosophy as eschatological thinking is manifest at least implicitly from the ancient through the mediaeval to the modern era. Furthermore, I argue that it is because of the complementarity between philosophy and eschatology that philosophical theology or philosophy of religion is still relevant till today. Finally, whether eschatology is considered from a Christian point of view or from the viewpoint of African religions, it is must be understood as a search for the meaning of human existence by seeking the connection between two fundamental questions, namely, the question concerning the human person and that concerning God.

Published in	International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21
Page(s)	253-260
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Philosophy, Eschatology, Human Person, Christ-event, Meaning

References

[1]	Aleke, Patrick O 2019. “Anxiety and Death: An Exploration of Human Condition in Early Heidegger, Logos: African Journal of Philosophy, 2 (1) 1-12.
[2]	Aristotle, 1984a. Nichomachean Ethics, in Jonathan Barnes (ed.), Aristotle: Complete Works. New Jersey – West Sussex: Princeton University Press.
[3]	Augustine, 1955. Confessions. Translated and edited by Albert C. Outler.
[4]	1984b. Eudemian Ethics, in Jonathan Barnes (ed.), Aristotle: Complete Works. New Jersey – West Sussex: Princeton University Press.
[5]	Balthasar, Hans 1998. Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume v: The Last Act, translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
[6]	Beards, Andrew 2010. Philosophy: The Quest for Truth and Meaning. Collegeville: Liturgical Press.
[7]	Benedict XVI 2008. “Eschatology: The Expectation of the Parusia”, from [Accessed on 15 November 2021].
[8]	Fischer, Mark 2005. The Foundations of Karl Rahner: A Paraphrase of the Foundations of Christian Faith, with Introduction and Indices. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.
[9]	Hadot Pierre 1995. Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Oxford – Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
[10]	Heidegger, M 1953 (4962). Sein und Zeit. Tübingen - Niemeyer; English trans., Being and Time, tr. J Macquarrie – E Robinson, New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
[11]	John Paul II 1998. Fides et Ratio: On the Relationship between Faith and Reason, from [Accessed 10 November 2021].
[12]	Kant, Immanuel 1909. Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason and other Works on the Theory of Ethics, Trans, T. K. Abbott, London – New York: Longmans, Green, and Co.
[13]	Kant, I 1999 (2016). Critique of Pure Reason. Translated and edited by P Guyer & A W Wood, New York: Cambridge University Press.
[14]	McCool, Gerald (ed.) 1975. A Rahner Reader. London: Darton, Longman & Todd.
[15]	Pacioni, Virgilio 2010. Augustine of Hippo. His Philosophy in a Historical and Contemporary Perspective. Herefordshire: Gracewing Ltd.
[16]	Pannenberg, Wolfhart 1973. Basic Questions in Theology, volume three. London: SCM Press Ltd.
[17]	Plato 1997. Apology, in John M. Cooper (ed.), Complete Works. Indianapolis; Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company.
[18]	Rahner, Karl 1966. “The Hermeneutics” of Eschatological Assertions”, in Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, volume iv: More Recent Writings, translated by Kevin Smith. London: Darton, Longman & Todd.
[19]	1969. Theological Investigations, volume vi: Concerning Vatican Council II, translated by Karl-H & Boniface Kruger. London: Darton, Longman & Todd.
[20]	1978. Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity, translated by William V. Dych. London: Darton, Longman & Todd.
[21]	St Thomas Aquinas 191975. Summa Contra Gentiles. Book three: Providence, part, translated by Vernon J. Bourke. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
[22]	Wolfe, Judith 2013. Heidegger’s Eschatology: Theological Horizons in Martin Heidegger’s Early Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Patrick Owo Aleke. (2021). Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. International Journal of Philosophy, 9(4), 253-260. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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Patrick Owo Aleke. Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. Int. J. Philos. 2021, 9(4), 253-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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Patrick Owo Aleke. Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. Int J Philos. 2021;9(4):253-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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@article{10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21,
  author = {Patrick Owo Aleke},
  title = {Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning},
  journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {253-260},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20210904.21},
  abstract = {Do philosophy and eschatology have anything in common? In an age when philosophical naturalism is taken as a norm especially among some philosophers of the Anglo-American tradition, does it not seem out of place to put philosophy and eschatology side by side? Is eschatology not merely a utopic thinking? These are some of the questions that might come to mind when the notion of eschatology is raised within philosophical circles? Prima facie, it seems that philosophy and eschatology are two contradictory disciplines or outlooks on reality since philosophy primarily relies on the critical use of human intelligence and reason whereas eschatology has religious overtones and thus is a theological discipline. This would seem so in an age in which philosophical naturalism is on the rise. However, a critical consideration would show that philosophy and eschatology are not as distant from each other as they might seem from a superficial analysis. If philosophy and eschatology are not mutually exclusive, then where does their convergence lie? Ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology search for truth and meaning in human existence because, ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology examine the entire meaning of human existence or, as it is put in popular parlance, they are concerned with the question of human destiny. So it is not out of place to argue that philosophy ultimately is eschatological thinking. In this paper therefore, it is argued that there is a mutual complementarity between philosophy and eschatology and that the primary locus for an adequate understanding of the intrinsic relation between philosophy and eschatology is the question of the existential meaning of the human person. I will contend that it is because the ancients considered philosophy to be eschatological thinking that some ancient thinkers viewed philosophy as a spiritual exercise and preparation for one’s death. In fact, the understanding of philosophy as eschatological thinking is manifest at least implicitly from the ancient through the mediaeval to the modern era. Furthermore, I argue that it is because of the complementarity between philosophy and eschatology that philosophical theology or philosophy of religion is still relevant till today. Finally, whether eschatology is considered from a Christian point of view or from the viewpoint of African religions, it is must be understood as a search for the meaning of human existence by seeking the connection between two fundamental questions, namely, the question concerning the human person and that concerning God.},
 year = {2021}
}

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Author Information

Patrick Owo Aleke

Department of Philosophy, St Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara, South Africa

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Patrick Owo Aleke. (2021). Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. International Journal of Philosophy, 9(4), 253-260. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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ACS Style

Patrick Owo Aleke. Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. Int. J. Philos. 2021, 9(4), 253-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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AMA Style

Patrick Owo Aleke. Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning. Int J Philos. 2021;9(4):253-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21

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@article{10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21,
  author = {Patrick Owo Aleke},
  title = {Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning},
  journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {253-260},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20210904.21},
  abstract = {Do philosophy and eschatology have anything in common? In an age when philosophical naturalism is taken as a norm especially among some philosophers of the Anglo-American tradition, does it not seem out of place to put philosophy and eschatology side by side? Is eschatology not merely a utopic thinking? These are some of the questions that might come to mind when the notion of eschatology is raised within philosophical circles? Prima facie, it seems that philosophy and eschatology are two contradictory disciplines or outlooks on reality since philosophy primarily relies on the critical use of human intelligence and reason whereas eschatology has religious overtones and thus is a theological discipline. This would seem so in an age in which philosophical naturalism is on the rise. However, a critical consideration would show that philosophy and eschatology are not as distant from each other as they might seem from a superficial analysis. If philosophy and eschatology are not mutually exclusive, then where does their convergence lie? Ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology search for truth and meaning in human existence because, ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology examine the entire meaning of human existence or, as it is put in popular parlance, they are concerned with the question of human destiny. So it is not out of place to argue that philosophy ultimately is eschatological thinking. In this paper therefore, it is argued that there is a mutual complementarity between philosophy and eschatology and that the primary locus for an adequate understanding of the intrinsic relation between philosophy and eschatology is the question of the existential meaning of the human person. I will contend that it is because the ancients considered philosophy to be eschatological thinking that some ancient thinkers viewed philosophy as a spiritual exercise and preparation for one’s death. In fact, the understanding of philosophy as eschatological thinking is manifest at least implicitly from the ancient through the mediaeval to the modern era. Furthermore, I argue that it is because of the complementarity between philosophy and eschatology that philosophical theology or philosophy of religion is still relevant till today. Finally, whether eschatology is considered from a Christian point of view or from the viewpoint of African religions, it is must be understood as a search for the meaning of human existence by seeking the connection between two fundamental questions, namely, the question concerning the human person and that concerning God.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Philosophy and Eschatology: A Quest for Truth and Meaning
AU  - Patrick Owo Aleke
Y1  - 2021/12/29
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21
T2  - International Journal of Philosophy
JF  - International Journal of Philosophy
JO  - International Journal of Philosophy
SP  - 253
EP  - 260
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7455
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210904.21
AB  - Do philosophy and eschatology have anything in common? In an age when philosophical naturalism is taken as a norm especially among some philosophers of the Anglo-American tradition, does it not seem out of place to put philosophy and eschatology side by side? Is eschatology not merely a utopic thinking? These are some of the questions that might come to mind when the notion of eschatology is raised within philosophical circles? Prima facie, it seems that philosophy and eschatology are two contradictory disciplines or outlooks on reality since philosophy primarily relies on the critical use of human intelligence and reason whereas eschatology has religious overtones and thus is a theological discipline. This would seem so in an age in which philosophical naturalism is on the rise. However, a critical consideration would show that philosophy and eschatology are not as distant from each other as they might seem from a superficial analysis. If philosophy and eschatology are not mutually exclusive, then where does their convergence lie? Ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology search for truth and meaning in human existence because, ultimately, both philosophy and eschatology examine the entire meaning of human existence or, as it is put in popular parlance, they are concerned with the question of human destiny. So it is not out of place to argue that philosophy ultimately is eschatological thinking. In this paper therefore, it is argued that there is a mutual complementarity between philosophy and eschatology and that the primary locus for an adequate understanding of the intrinsic relation between philosophy and eschatology is the question of the existential meaning of the human person. I will contend that it is because the ancients considered philosophy to be eschatological thinking that some ancient thinkers viewed philosophy as a spiritual exercise and preparation for one’s death. In fact, the understanding of philosophy as eschatological thinking is manifest at least implicitly from the ancient through the mediaeval to the modern era. Furthermore, I argue that it is because of the complementarity between philosophy and eschatology that philosophical theology or philosophy of religion is still relevant till today. Finally, whether eschatology is considered from a Christian point of view or from the viewpoint of African religions, it is must be understood as a search for the meaning of human existence by seeking the connection between two fundamental questions, namely, the question concerning the human person and that concerning God.
VL  - 9
IS  - 4
ER  -

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