John,
--- John Beasley <beasley@austarnet.com.au> wrote:
> 3WD, Rod, Scott, (Glenn),
>
> Scott:
> "one can write about those experiences, and what
> they imply. The latter is
> theology (albeit non-theistic), and I see nothing
> wrong with that. Isn't
> that what Wilber's books are?"
>
> I thought I would get a bite on my "just theology"
> comment, and I'm glad you
> responded. I'm not quite sure I follow your
> argument, though. Wilber makes
> the comment in the introduction to his big book,
> 'Sex, Ecology,
> Spirituality', that metaphysics can mean "thought
> without evidence" (p x)
> and it was this sense of theology I was intending,
> rather like the medieval
> arguments about how many angels might dance upon the
> head of a pin. Wilber,
> in this regard, goes on to say "there is not a
> metaphysical sentence in this
> entire book". He clearly sees his system as evidence
> based, though I wonder
> if statements such as "Greater depth equals greater
> value" (I quote from
> memory) aren't just a teeny-weeny bit metaphysical.
>
Well, I think theology is arguing from the evidence of
revelation, not from no evidence, so I would call
Wilber's work as arguing from the evidence of mystical
experiences, which I regard as reveletory to those
without such experience. I don't actually think one
can avoid being a bit metaphysical, regardless. To me,
metaphysics, and theology, are a matter of making
assumptions (like which revelation one will argue
from) and seeing what develops.
By the way, no Scholastic ever did argue about angels
dancing on pins. I believe this was made up by an
anti-Scholastic in the 16th centrury or thereabouts.
Whether what they did argue about is important is
another question, but that's for another day.
- Scott
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