How Can Humans Attain a Harmonious Cosmic Order? Max Scheler's Insights into Religious Experience in the Middle Period

Bibliographic Data

ID3535580
AuthorsYuanping Shi (Leiden University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue10
Pages1248
Publication date2024-10-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15101248
OpenAlexW4403429533
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited8

This paper critically examines Scheler's mid-period religious theory, focusing on his pursuit of a harmonious cosmic order and religious experience by integrating Catholic theology and phenomenology. The argument has four key stages. First, I argue that the realization of this cosmic order, which enables communion with both the cosmos and God, relies on three elements: spiritual intuition, love, and faith in God's reality. Second, I contend that these elements, in turn, originate from God's self-revelation and divine love, which establish a bidirectional relationship between humanity and God. Third, I demonstrate that this mutuality is deepened through Scheler's dual-layered cosmic order, which employs analogy and phenomenological intuition to distinguish between the microcosm and the macrocosm. Finally, I identify two critical limitations in Scheler's framework: his oversimplification of the divine-human asymmetry through analogy and his insufficient treatment of the origins of evil. Therefore, while Scheler's synthesis offers valuable insights, it necessitates the further exploration of metaphysical and religious questions, particularly those concerning divine transcendence and the nature of evil

Aesthetics · Astronomy · COSMIC cancer database · Economics · Physics · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Theology and Philosophy of Evil

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access