Berdyaev and other heterodox Christian thinkers have approached the microcosm-macrocosm theme, but in the end, they always seemed to get hung up on the some of the conventional, orthodox Christian tenets they were working so hard to dispel, leading to partial advances rather than clear breakthroughs.
A partial advance is better than no advance at all, but this time and place clearly requires breakthroughs... a lot of breakthroughs.
30 December 2023 at 19:48
"As above, so below" or "the microcosm (the inner realm) reflects the macrocosm (the universe)" - seems to be one of those insights or assertions that has a core of truth; even though not always and literally true.Why should this be? By my understanding of reality; the reason is that we inhabit a universe of Beings; and therefore there is a relationship between our Beingness and that of all and any other Beings. As the assumed ultimate "units of reality"; Beings are irreducible, and are not constituted by any definition. They are recognized, rather than constructed. But we can validly discuss the attributes of Beings; and these include that all are eternal and continuous in their existence; all are alive, conscious and have motivations. And all Beings change sequentially - which is the attribute we call Time. (Such attributes can be regarded as valid distinctions, but - because Beings are primary hence irreducible - the distinct attributes Cannot be divided from their wholes. Thus Time is a non-detachable attribute of Beings, and not a distinct abstract entity.) Therefore understanding of any one Being, provides some valid insight into all other Beings.But on the other hand - for instance - consciousness varies significantly in both its quality and magnitude between - for example - "animal, vegetable, and mineral"; between never-incarnated spiritual Beings such as angels or demons, and resurrected Men; between The Sun and an ancient oak tree; between the human embryo and the adult... Many differences of many degrees; yet underlying all is that all that is knowable, everything conceptualize-able... all that is of divine creation - is A Being; and a created Being can, in principle, have direct (empathic, co-experienced) knowledge of another Being - linking above and below, the large and the small. Learning about one Being is therefore, in some sense, learning about any and all Beings.
"Why "as above, so below" (macrocosm-microcosm) relations and correlations?"
1 Comment -
Berdyaev and other heterodox Christian thinkers have approached the microcosm-macrocosm theme, but in the end, they always seemed to get hung up on the some of the conventional, orthodox Christian tenets they were working so hard to dispel, leading to partial advances rather than clear breakthroughs.
A partial advance is better than no advance at all, but this time and place clearly requires breakthroughs... a lot of breakthroughs.
30 December 2023 at 19:48