Science (at least as a temporary methodological device) can rest upon a naive faith; religion is the longing for justification. When religion ceases to seek for penetration, for clarity, it is sinking back into its lower forms. The ages of faith are the ages of rationalism.The excerpt is from Religion in the Making (1926) by Alfred North Whitehead. It was quoted by Iqbal in the first lecture of The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930-34).
Whitehead, like Noam Chomsky, also had some interesting theories on Symbolism and Language which may interest?
ReplyDeleteHere's from a review: "Linguistic change is a good example; new words appear, old ones fall into disuse and others undergo shifts of meaning.
Language is a living process built on layers of dead metaphor. Sounds and expressions participate in this process of change so in a way, expression is symbolism. A language unites a nation whilst permitting individual opinion including those contrary to the consensus.
Symbolic transference may involve arbitrary and malevolent attributions. Whitehead's analysis reminded me of Chantal Delsol's observation on the current intellectual climate in Europe. Without a sense of purpose, mankind embraces the fatuous as revealed in banal and clichéd discourse."
See http://www.amazon.com/Symbolism-Barbour-Page-Lectures-University-Virginia/dp/082321138X/ref=pd_sim_b_6
I'd like to know more about Iqbal's impressions of Whitehead...