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Jenseits von Hume: Demea. Eine Rehabilitierung in systematischer Absicht

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Abstract

Traditionally, Demea is considered to be the weakest part in Hume's famous Dialogues concerning Natural Religion; the stage is completely dominated by Cleanthes' optimistic theism and by Philo's sceptical moves already critical of the former. Contrary to this traditional approach, however, the >orthodox< Demea will be defended here in maintaining: Demea contributes - neither consciously intended nor recognized by Hume - the most interesting observations concerning religious belief; in him a position is at least alluded lying beyond the metaphysical fantasies of theism (in league with its successors, the »friends of Cleanthes«) on the one hand and Philo's destructions which seem to amount to a moral minimal version on the other hand. It will be clear that this defense is not exegetically orientated; rather, it reacts to a constellation just personalized by Hume's »casting« letting us see at which topics we shall continue to work theologically as well as philosophically today. Accordingly and following a conceptual critique of Cleanthes and Philo it will be elaborated by three concrete examples how a picture of religious belief could look like located beyond metaphysical hopes turning God to a (quasi)person and reductivist concessions regarding »God« as a mere expression of a moral attitude. Demea, however, represents a postmetaphysical picture of religious belief - and we are invited to belong to the »friends of Demea«.

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Dewi Zephaniah Phillips – oder einfach DZ Phillips – wurde am 24. November 1934 im walisischen Swansea geboren. In seiner Heimatstadt hat er auch studiert, um anschließend als visiting student an die Universität von Oxford zu wechseln. Phillips ist jedoch zeit seines Lebens seiner walisischen Heimat treu geblieben, indem er dort an unterschiedlichen Institutionen lehrte, aber auch dadurch, dass er sich für die walisische Sprache und Kultur einsetzte und einige seiner Monographien auf Walisisch veröffentlichte.
Article
The term »inverse apologetics« refers to an idea-political maneuver which does not attack the opponent frontally but integrates him or her subtly into one’s system. This contribution briefly discusses three prominent constellations – secularization, »god is dead« theology and atheism – under this aspect. It ventures on to debate the question of which forms of atheism could be interesting for theology today and which are the characteristics of a genuinely »atheistic theology « that has positive idea-political prospects and can contribute to dogmatic theology in a constructive way.
Malcolms eigentliches Anliegen, eine Version des ontologischen Arguments, das gegen Kant immun bleibt, vorzustellen, ist hingegen gescheitert, genauso wie seine These verfehlt ist, nach der Anselm zwei (ontologische) Argumente vertreten hätte
  • M A L C O L M Norman
  • Anselm ' Arguments
Norman M A L C O L M, Anselm's Ontological Arguments, in: PhRev 69:1 (1960), 41 -62, hier: 62 (Malcolms eigentliches Anliegen, eine Version des ontologischen Arguments, das gegen Kant immun bleibt, vorzustellen, ist hingegen gescheitert, genauso wie seine These verfehlt ist, nach der Anselm zwei (ontologische) Argumente vertreten hätte; vgl. ebd., 41 & 45).
Zur glaubenspraktischen Einbettung von Anselms Argument siehe Ingolf U
  • Gott D A L F E R T H
Zur glaubenspraktischen Einbettung von Anselms Argument siehe Ingolf U. D A L F E R T H, Gott. Philosophisch-theologische Denkversuche, Tübingen 1992, 51 -94, bes. 59, 62, 66f.