This paper offers a structural reading of the biblical account of salvation using Scripture as its sole source. It argues that the human condition is best understood as a state of disorientation—a curvature of perception, desire, and agency away from the Triune source of life. Within this framework, heaven and hell function as trajectories rather than locations, and darkness names the opposing pattern that bends human orientation away from coherence. Salvation is presented as re‑alignment through union with Christ: (...) the restoration of perception, desire, agency, and identity as human beings are drawn into the kingdom’s relational order. Judgment is framed as the eschatological stabilization of the trajectory a person has embraced. By allowing the biblical narrative to speak in its own relational and directional grammar, the paper offers a coherent account of salvation that does not rely on external disciplinary frameworks. (shrink)

This essay examines the analysis of language in The Concept of Anxiety and argues that language ultimately reveals itself as both dangerous and salvific. The pseudonymous author, Vigilius Haufniensis, is suspicious of language, for it divides the individual from herself and thereby makes possible the self-forgetfulness of objective chatter. Indeed, this warning (which commenters have tended to follow uncritically) is a legitimate one – yet it fails to grasp that by rendering the self other than itself, language constitutes the self. (...) In other words, the individual’s very existence depends on language. Moreover, the attempt to establish oneself as absolutely self-identical is precisely sin. Language opens us to alterity, and for this reason the demonic cannot endure it and seeks to control it. Language is uncontrollable, however, to the point that no sign permits us to be certain that we have rightly distinguished good from evil, the salvific from the demonic – and salvation can come only if we renounce the attempt to establish distinctions that are beyond our power. By employing a pseudonymous figure who views language with suspicion, Kierkegaard shows that language is dangerous, even deadly, but also allows us to realize that language is the condition of possibility for salvation. (shrink)

Global human civilization is facing unprecedented systemic crises: ecological destruction, social inequality, political conflicts, economic turmoil, and technological risks exhibit cumulative, intergenerational, and irreversible trends. From a scientific-philosophical perspective, this paper proposes that the fundamental crisis of human civilization stems from a long-standing erroneous cosmology—a geocentric or anthropocentric mode of cognition. This cognitive error profoundly affects worldviews, life views, and institutional design, leading to severe misalignment between industrial civilization and natural laws, while simultaneously amplifying the global crises caused by humanity’s (...) boundless greed. -/- Based on a systematic analysis of this structural crisis, this paper proposes the Lao‑Yang Genesis Cosmology as a scientific salvaging framework. This cosmology reveals the chain of cosmic generation and natural laws, establishing a logical closed loop from cosmology → worldview → life view → civilization, providing a scientific basis for the systematic reconstruction of education, institutions, technology, and culture. At the same time, it introduces the principles of natural civilization, including system embedding, feedback loops, and adherence to natural laws, offering an operational framework for global governance, intergenerational responsibility, and sustainable development. -/- By guiding the reconstruction of civilization through a scientific cosmology, this paper demonstrates the only viable path for the salvation of human civilization: cultivating systemic thinking through education, constraining behavior through institutional design, innovating technologies in accordance with ecological and systemic rules, and strengthening the cultural value system in recognition of the unity of humanity and nature. Ultimately, global civilization can achieve low-entropy operation, intergenerational fairness, ecological sustainability, and systemic stability, avoiding irreversible collapse caused by cognitive errors and human greed. This work not only provides a new paradigm for philosophy and social sciences but also offers scientific guidance and practical pathways for global sustainable development. (shrink)

I evaluate two claims; that (a) Jesus’ message as recorded in the gospels implies exclusivism with respect to salvation and that, correspondingly, (b) Christians should be exclusivists with respect to salvation. I evaluate these claims through a cataloguing and evaluation of the logical condition involved in each of the claims regarding conditions for salvation made by Jesus in the Gospel of John. As a result, I argue that (a) is false and that, correspondingly, so is (b).

A brief dialogue on the meaning of Christ's salvation with a Christian evangelical.

In this paper, we defend universalism, which we understand to be the thesis that all individuals will eventually attain communion with God, in a Vedāntic context. We first outline the specific ontological commitments that our view requires, such as the doctrines of karman and reincarnation, and we note one Vedāntic tradition that holds to all these commitments. We then outline the conceptual merits of our view. We also argue that certain objections to universalism do not undermine our view, as reincarnation (...) and karman provide a means for all individuals to eventually freely choose to devote themselves to God, making it extremely likely that all individuals will attain salvation. (shrink)

In this essay, we contend that the exercise of human dominance over nature extends beyond a mere utilitarian and exploitative attitude toward non-human creation, which inevitably leads to ecological crises, and is also reflected in humanity’s impulse toward ‘escape from nature’, manifesting as a growing detachment from the rest of creation. This impulse, although evident throughout history, holds particular relevance in today’s increasingly digitally mediated world, where the acceleration of the ‘digital transformation’ process is often presented as a key component (...) in the solution to the current climate crisis. While the digitalization of essential aspects of modern life, such as communication, transportation, and even food production, may indeed provide a temporary remedy for the pressing ecological challenges of our time, notably by reducing the global carbon footprint, it also forces a fundamental reevaluation of the significance of humanity’s care for the non-human world. To this end, we argue that Orthodox theology, particularly in the patristic thought of Maximus the Confessor and its modern reinterpretation by John Zizioulas, offers a crucial perspective for recognizing the ontological importance of non-human creation and responding to the ‘ontological threat’ it faces in our digital age. Specifically, we propose that Maximus’ concept of the logoi of being, along with Zizioulas’ emphasis on an eschatological rather than protological view of creation, as well as his affirmation of the universal ‘right to the future’, are key to understanding non-human creation not as a perishable artefact of historical creation but as an essential companion on the journey to its eschatological fulfilment. (shrink)

In this paper, I develop a philosophical clarification of the statement "faith in the resurrection of Christ saves men from sin", using some of the main arguments and hypotheses of my recent book, ’The Ways of Salvation (Les Voies du salut’, Paris 2010). I begin with some remarks on the theme of salvation in contemporary language and philosophy. I then sketch a conceptual analysis of the concept of salvation, first in its general sense, then in its specifically (...) Christian one. Finally, I offer a hypothesis on the ’modus operandi’ of salvation, or at least of one aspect of salvation as understood by Christianity. (shrink)

Faithful persons tend to relate to their religious beliefs as truth claims, particularly inasmuch as their beliefs have soteriological implications for those of different religions. For Christians the particular claims which matter most in this regard are those made by Jesus of Nazareth and his claims are primarily relational in nature. I propose a model in which we understand divine grace from Jesus as being mediated through relational knowledge of him on a compassionately exclusivist basis, including post-mortem. Supporting this model, (...) I draw from Eleonore Stump’s hypothesis in her 2018 Atonement that the crucifixion of Jesus opens the divine psyche to all human psyches sufficiently for salvific mutual indwelling to occur, and from Gavin D’Costa’s conception of the descensus Christi ad inferos as the mechanism for grace’s accessibility post-mortem presented in his 2009 Christianity and World Religions. This model seeks to address ongoing, justified pastoral concern for the soteriological status of non-Christians while still treating Christianity as objectively true. (shrink)

Building upon the metaphysical framework of Tenson Theory, this paper explores the human dimension of resonance through three layers: observation, free will, and salvation. In this model, consciousness is not a passive witness but an active co-resonator that shapes reality. Freedom becomes the control of phase difference, and salvation is the restoration of universal coherence.

Jonathan Kvanvig has proposed a non-cognitive theory of faith. He argues that the model of faith as essentially involving assent to propositions is of no value. In response, I propose a Thomistic cognitive theory of faith that both avoids Kvanvig’s criticism and presents a richer and more inclusive account of how faith is intrinsically valuable. I show these accounts of faith diverge in what they take as the goal of the Christian life: personal relationship with God or an external state (...) of affairs. For this reason, more seriously, the non-cognitivist project likely requires rejecting traditional Christianity and its picture of salvation. (shrink)

Avicenna's proof for the existence of God (the Necessary Existent) in the Metaphysics of the Salvation relies on the claim that every possible existent shares a common cause. I argue that Avicenna has good reason to hold this claim given that he thinks that (1) every essentially ordered causal series originates in a first, common cause and that (2) every possible existent belongs to an essentially ordered series. Showing Avicenna's commitment to 1 and 2 allows me to respond to (...) Herbert Davidson's and Richard Swinburne's claim that Avicenna's proof for the Necessary Existent is incomplete and fallacious. (shrink)

Dynamic Theodicy (DT) is a broad concept we bring up to designate some modern Philosophical Theology attempts to reconcile the necessary and perfect existence of God with the contingent characteristics of human life. In this paper we analyze such approaches and discuss how they have become incomprehensible because the metaphysical assumptions implicit in these explanations have lost their intrinsic relation to the natural human desire for salvation. In the first part we show Charles Hartshorne's DT-model, arising from the modal (...) logic of perfection, and the modern rational problems of this position in making infinite-necessary Being (God) and finite-contingent being (human) compatible. We note that at the heart of the contradictions in this DT account is a dialectical mode of thinking that makes it difficult to find a correct solution to this dichotomy, and to assume a human desire that could be considered related to lifelong goals. In the second part, supported by the proposal of Hans Urs von Balthasar's DT, we develop the concepts of bodily vulnerability, corporeal intentionality, and natural desire for salvation, which come from an Aristotelian-Thomistic thought. This theory is established in order to build an argument, following Alasdair MacIntyre’s ethical framework, on how to make possible the recovery of a metaphysical and anthropological desire that transcends natural aging and goes beyond death. We conclude that both human dependence and the virtues that arise naturally when human beings decide to seek the good of their transcendent condition, make it possible to recover the natural desire for salvation through divine and human love. (shrink)

This paper is grounded in the global systemic entropy crisis and aims to declare the fourth revolution in the history of human thought. After experiencing three decentralizing scientific revolutions—those of Nicolaus Copernicus, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein—humanity has achieved breakthroughs in physical knowledge, yet remains deeply trapped in the illusion of anthropocentrism within the logic of civilization. This fundamental error in the underlying code has led to the uncontrolled expansion of human greed and the physical loss of control in linear (...) growth models, pushing civilization toward the critical threshold of thermodynamic collapse. -/- This paper formally proposes the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology as the core logic of redemption. This cosmology reconstructs the hierarchical structure of the cosmic generative chain: Human follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, and Dao follows Nature, redefining civilization as a subject governed by cosmic order rather than its ruler. Through an empirical analysis of the trinitarian dynamical system of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, three operational principles of natural civilization (the A+B+C framework) are derived: system balance priority, low-entropy operational efficiency, and evolutionary diversity synergy. -/- Furthermore, this paper innovatively proposes the Moon Law as the negative-feedback regulatory lever of civilization, demonstrating the necessity of establishing automatic circuit-breaker governance algorithms and reconstructing the rhythmic consciousness of civilization for long-term survival. The conclusion indicates that returning to natural laws is not the degeneration of civilization but an upgrade toward a higher-dimensional steady-state prosperity. The continuation of human civilization does not depend on conquering nature, but on deep alignment with the order of the universe. This study provides scientific-philosophical support and practical reference pathways for global governance transformation, ecological restoration, and the reconstruction of technological ethics. (shrink)

This paper advances a critical account of language and definition as epistemic instruments rather than ontological revelations. It argues, first, that language originates not as a vehicle of metaphysical disclosure but as a pragmatic construct securing intersubjective stability within social orders. From this vantage, definitions do not disclose essences; rather, they function as epistemic constraints, semantic placeholders grounded in genesis, function, composition, or observable predicates. Human cognition, in turn, is shown to be irreducibly mediated by linguistic structures, such that thought (...) itself disintegrates without symbolic differentiation. This dependence introduces a paradox: definition necessarily limits, circumscribing what can be thought, yet these very limits estrange us from the fullness of reality. All definitional acts are perspectival renderings, bound to context and scale, producing knowledge that is situated rather than absolute. The paper further examines the psychological dimension of epistemic conservatism, suggesting that humanity’s attachment to definitional clarity arises less from ontological insight than from a fear of indeterminacy and epistemic vertigo. Ultimately, definition is revealed as a necessary fiction: the act by which we stabilize experience and render the world navigable, even as it simultaneously distances us from metaphysical truth. (shrink)

From the perspective of Aquinas’ Biblical commentaries, the article develops the reflection on pignus / arra haereditatis (Eph 1:5) seeing these essential elements of Thomas’ reflection on salvation in the terminological question of which one is better: pignus or arra, namely the pledge or the earnest/deposit. Thomas develops soteriology, which indicates that human salvation starts “now” and not “later,” through the participation in the Passion of Christ and in His merits. Analyzing Aquinas’ commentary on Ps 21, on the (...) Letter to the Ephesians and on the Letter to the Galatians together with the themes of Christ’s obedience and its soteriological significance as well as His wish of voluntary death for us, the article shows the Biblical roots of Thomas’ soteriology. The author devotes particular attention to the analysis of the logic of inchoatio and consummatio in Thomas’ soteriological grammar and his understanding of faith as the beginning of eternal life and the ensuing consequences. (shrink)

The philosophy of superdeterminism is based on a single scientific fact about the universe, namely that cause and effect (and probabilistic causation) in physics are not real. In 2020, accomplished Swedish theoretical physicist, Dr. Johan Hansson proved by applying Albert Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity to what has already been scientifically verified about spin measurement correlations observed in entangled particle pairs that cause and effect (and probabilistic causation) in physics are not real. The argument from divine hiddenness asserts that a (...) perfectly loving God would ensure all people have a fair opportunity to believe in him. Because there are genuine seekers who find no compelling evidence of the existence of God, then the argument concludes that such a God does not exist. The argument from divine hiddenness is built on the premise that humans possess free will on Earth. Without it, a core component of the argument—the idea of a freely chosen relationship with God would not make sense. Because free will on Earth does not exist under superdeterminism, then human actions on Earth, including the "choice" to believe or not believe, are not truly free choices. There is no longer a need for God to provide evidence to ensure a fair and open opportunity to choose him, because a genuine choice on Earth is impossible in the first place. However, the philosophy of superdeterminism allows for God to make final judgment on human salvation based on His metaphysical knowledge of our freely willed decisions before the universe was created. This allows God to judge the salvation of the “non-resistant non-believer” based on God’s metaphysical knowledge of their hypothetical freely willed decisions with complete knowledge of God’s existence and a personal relationship with God. (shrink)

Introduction to heterocology and virgosexuality concepts. Christian transhumanism, Salvation and Artificial Intelligence.

According to Colerus, Spinoza replied affirmatively when his landlady asked if she "...could be saved in her faith." This paper asks what Spinoza could have meant -- and what his landlady would have thought he meant. She was asking about salvation of a certain kind -- a kind that Spinoza did not in fact believe to be possible. When he talks about salvation in his writings, he has in mind a different kind of salvation -- one that (...) his landlady will certainly not achieve "in her faith." So, when he assured her that she could be saved in her faith was he simply lying to her? This question is explored against the background of the controversies regarding Spinoza's sincerity in the Tractatus Theologico-politicus. (shrink)

New methods for reading and understanding the religious sources have been applied along with the modern period. Some issues, that have already gained a certain shape in the classical period, have been discussed again as a result of the application of new methods and thus a number of conclusions which exceed the boundaries framed by Ijma (consensus of the Ummah) were reached. In the course of time, these discussions were not limited to transactions [al-Mu`amalat] but also expanded to worship (al-'Ibadah) (...) and faith (al-aqāʾid) issues. One of these debate topics is the issue whether it is mandatory for the Jews and Christians (Ahl al-Kitāb) to believe in and follow prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the last holy book al-Quran to be on the straight path and to reach salvation. The detection and analysis of these historical breaking points in the modern period is of importance. To analyse these breaking points in the interpretation of the verses, two tafseers which reflect the traditional method and understanding (at-Tibyan and Bilmen’s Tafseer) are compared with two other tafseers (Çağdaş Tefsir and Kuran Yolu) which are written in the last 40 years period. (shrink)

Ghazali’s The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayetü'l Hidaye) is a book that represents the beginning for people's salvation. According to Ghazali, in order for the human to be guided, he must first follow the orders of this book and then read the book The Revival of Religious Sciences, which he says contains useful science. According to him, the book of Beginning of Guidance can offer the key to salvation. In this book he made major changes in the understanding of (...) worship of Islam and expanded both the content and the scope of worship. In this book, where the understanding of worship of Islam has become mystical; in addition to the prayers that the Qur'an declares as obligatory, the prophet Mohammed’s worship, the prayers of his companions, the remembrances of the Sufis, the wars made in the life of the ascetics are described in the form of orders that must be made in the way of liberation. Thus, he made the prayer not a part of life, but the whole life, saying that three times as much prayer as the God made obligatory, four times as much as Ramadan fasting, fifty-seven times a day prayer and chant every time of the day. There has been no previous study regarding the issue of Ghazali turning worship into ascetism with the book of Beginning of Guidance. In this paper, in addition to this work of Ghazali, the narrations in his other works will be taken into consideration. Thus, his project of Islam religion and mysticization will be introduced in more detail. There are two important factors that direct Gazali, who presents a way of life based on ascetism and seclusion, as an "ideal life". The first is the Sufi culture that he has been in since his childhood and has never broken. According to Ghazali, the life style of Sufi culture that takes the person away from the world is a prescription for salvation of Muslims who are under the threat of "secularization". The second is the distinction between the community and the upper class in the society with the effect of this Sufi culture. It is not possible to say the same thing for the common people belonging to the religion of 'imitation', while the upper class is liberated with the life of the feast and the deity. The only way of the salvation of the common people is to turn the prayers of the imitation religion to ascertism and to open the way of the seclusion. They can do it with the book Beginning of Guidance. Thus the common people can reach salvation just like the upper class by leaving this world behind. (shrink)

Recently, Jc Beall has advanced a model of the incarnation according to which one can reconcile the apparently incompatible attributes attributed to Christ by taking them as true contradictions. In this paper, I argue that Contradictory Christology proves incompatible with a central class of atonement theories. I begin by expositing Beall’s model in contrast to two models operating upon the assumption of classical logic. Next, I demonstrate the incompatibility between Beall’s theory and theories of the atonement on which Christ’s suffering (...) was a necessary condition of salvation. Finally, provide a brief survey of three prominent atonement theories, highlighting their endorsement of this principle. (shrink)

Spinoza’s philosophy could be understood as a tireless research of the truth. Nevertheless it can’t be interpreted as a path that leads only the wise to the salvation. The effort to reach the bliss, freedom, the true knowledge of the mind, has to belong to all humanity. So the role of the philosopher must be to encourage men to seek the truth, to love it through the union with God above all else. This is the soteriological fabric of the (...) early works of Spinoza. It will lead to the exaltation of the homo liber and of the Spirit of Christ as the way of salvation in his mature works. Nature’s knowledge will be the lifeblood in the context of the research for the universal salvation of individuals as a happy community. (shrink)

This contribution discusses Leibniz’s views on key Christian doctrines which were surrounded, in the early modern period, by particularly lively debates. The first section delves into his defence of the Trinity and the Incarnation against the charge of contradiction, and his exploration of metaphysical models capacious enough to accommodate these mysteries. The second section focuses on the resurrection and the Eucharist with special regard to their connections with Leibniz’s metaphysics of bodies. The third section investigates Leibniz’s position on predestination, grace, (...) salvation, and damnation. It comes to the conclusion that salvation, for Leibniz, does not ultimately depend on believing a set of true doctrines, but on a practical attitude: the love of God above all things. Leibniz’s theology is thus fundamentally a theology of love which is ultimately practical, and tries to be both universalist and Christian. (shrink)

The essay is an English version of the German article "Wissenschaftliche Rationalität, menschliches Bewusstsein und pro-religiöse Ideen". It discusses immanent versus transcendent concepts in the context of the art of living, as well as the understanding of human consciousness in the context of religion. Science provides us with a far reaching understanding of natural processes, including biological evolution, but also with deep insights into its own intrinsic limitations. This is consistent with more than one interpretation on the “metatheoretical“, that is (...) on the philosophical and cultural level, including liberal, enlightened forms of religion as well as agnostic views. Choices and preferences are mainly a matter of wisdom and art of living, and not just of knowledge, and this, in my view, supports metaphysical and anthropological optimism as expressed in liberal pro-religious ideas. Within Christian theology, metaphysical optimism and openness are most characteristic for the ideas of “apokatastasis” – “salvation for all” - repeatedly condemned as heretical, but also widely supported from early Christianity to modern times. (shrink)

Here is an idea that just might save the world. It is that science, properly understood, provides us with the methodological key to the salvation of humanity.

Nurettin Topçu (1909-1975) built religious philosophy on the philosophy of willpower and motion. For him, willpower is the existence of a conscious balance between driving and braking forces that are innate and flowing from the inside out of us. Willpower is constantly rising towards God and infinity with a historical motion. The aim of willpower is to help human reach eternity. This historical motion occurs in accordance with certain steps. Willpower is affected not only by individual habits and passions but (...) also by the social structure. The function of willpower for humans, who are longing for eternity, is to make them recognize the consciousness and anguish of God. With this awareness, the human moves on to the motion. The willpower, which realizes the direction and aim of the motion, emerges in social structures such as State and nation, and takes up the role of establishing and sustaining these structures. Willpower lastly shows itself in art. The artist, who longs for eternity and can’t find a way to reach it, feels the lack in his willpower, acts to complete the lack and gets engaged in an existence or a thing. This engagement is a savior illusion and love that means sheltering someone other than himself with his total willpower is born. Upon the completion of this lacking, faith (love) emerges. The spirit falls in love with motion. Faith has two dimensions. When the artist turns to ‘the only” and “the internal”, this is called religious faith. If he leans to/relies on/believes in plurality and the external, this is called aesthetical faith. When, in time, the body that leans to the external and the spirit that turns to the internal surrenders to the eternity, the transcendent, God as a whole, mystic faith occurs. ‘Truth’ rises from this mystic union and surrender to love and thereby renaissance initiates. Because the driving power that starts renaissance is art. The understanding of religious experience of Topçu is nested with art. As art generates religious experience, renaissance emerges as a result of religious experience and the human reaches salvation in every sense. (shrink)

"All-and-Nought" is the 2nd Edition of a series of books that study the nature of Reality and Being. The first edition of the book, "The Metaphysics of All-and-None", was published by Edwin Mellen Press in January 2022; since then the book has been under severe investigations and reviews by many scholars and pundits worldwide. The 2nd edition of the book contains the original text plus a foreword by Professor Richard Howells from King’s College London and some reports by Physicists, Biologists, (...) and others. Journal of Mind, one the most important journals in Philosophy, paid attention to the book and in its critical review article October 2022, encourages all philosophers and pundits to study the book. -/- The book's core concept is a Scientific/Mathematical, a-priori/synthetic theory called All'n'None Theory. It studies the Symmetry and Asymmetry in Reality and points to a state that indicates the deep Symmetry between "All Beings" and "Nothingness". It deeply studies the relationships between being and non-being from the perspective of Symmetry and symmetry failure and offers a measurement tool and a new method of studding phenomena. -/- It seems All`n`None Theory is a scientific breakthrough and discovery. The book methodologically applies Physics, Conceptual philosophy, Mathematics, and jurisprudence analysis both inductively and deductively to prove its theory. It is the first and the only Theory for Explaining the nature of Existence (being) and provides a technique to measure the amount of existence in each being. -/- Through understanding Existence, the book explains Creation, Cosmos, Consciousness, Mind, Spirit, and Soul scientifically. It is deep enough to initially encompass and then merge all modern Sciences (Physics, Philosophy, Complexity, System Theory, Information Theory, Psychology, Biology, Humanities, Economy, and Management) with Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Theology) and makes the image of Reality clearer for readers. -/- The book proves chaos management in the depth of creation and shows how people can use the only law of creation for their own success and salvation. Therefore the book is an inspirational one too. Readers by reading the book and understanding it not only gain scientific knowledge but also find profound wisdom that heals them. They feel they are enlightened and motivated to construct their meaning of life. Readers can recognize their self/ego structure of being and enjoy the passion to improve. -/- The book tries to explain the mechanism of Thinking with respect to Symmetry and the failure of Symmetry as the foundation of Categorization, Mentalization, and Cognition. By understanding the mechanism of cognition it can study Epistemology and explain the Believing Mechanism and the nature of Beliefs as a kind of being. The theory claims no matter the beliefs originated from Science or Religion the mechanisms that govern both of them are the same. Based on the theory, “Knower or Observer”, “Known or Observed”, and “knowing or observation” are rooted in Symmetry and its failure. The tone, language, and structure of the book are unique to itself. It is not an entertainment or commercial book. The book is written for readers who plan to spend enough time to think about its content. (shrink)

In the Pensées, Pascal famously criticizes Descartes as “useless and uncertain” (S445/L887). Further, he claims that even if the Cartesian philosophy were certain it would not be “worth an hour of labor” (S118/L84) and sets out to “write against those who delve too deeply in the sciences. Descartes” (S462/L553). Some have concluded from such remarks that Pascal dismissed Descartes’s philosophy primarily on the grounds that it was useless, and that its uselessness lies in the fact that it does not aid (...) our salvation. In this paper, I argue that such a reading does not accurately capture the full scope of Pascal’s engagement with Descartes’s epistemology. First, I argue that Pascal does take Descartes’s epistemology seriously on its own terms and shows that it fails to secure the certain knowledge it seeks. Second, I show that Pascal develops an alternative epistemology to Descartes’s, one that he sees as remedying its inability to acquire certain knowledge by locating the source of such knowledge not in reason but in the heart. Third, I show that Pascal thought adopting his epistemology led to the cultivation of a truly Christian life and thus brought one closer to salvation. Accordingly, Pascal would have regarded his own epistemology, unlike Descartes’s, as certain and useful: certain because it can acquire certain knowledge, and useful because it leads one closer to salvation. Finally, I suggest that Pascal was not as dismissive of philosophizing as is often assumed. He criticizes forms of philosophizing such as Descartes’s that place reason at their center, yet remains open to a kind of philosophizing grounded instead in the heart and its feelings, for this kind of philosophizing does aid our salvation. (shrink)

Pauline theology represents a profound and cumulative transition from adherence to the Law (nomos) to the transformative framework of grace and faith in Christ. This study explores the multifaceted process through which Paul developed his theological system, integrating experiential struggle under the Law, existential recognition of human limitation, historical observation of early disciples’ witness to Christ, and the structural centrality of Christology. Psychological interpretation suggests that Paul’s perfectionist tendencies, possibly analogous to modern obsessive-compulsive personality traits, intensified his awareness of incapacity (...) under the Law, heightening existential tension. Beyond the dramatic conversion narrative depicted in Acts, the formation of his theology likely involved observation of the early disciples’ activities, reflection on the implications of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, and extended contemplation in Arabia, culminating in a coherent and transformative theological structure. By examining Paul’s writings through historical, psychological, philosophical, and theological lenses, this essay demonstrates how grace and faith operate as mechanisms for transcending human limitation, while Christology provides the structural foundation for salvation. This approach situates Pauline theology as both existentially resonant and intellectually coherent, emphasizing the dynamic integration of human experience, historical witness, and divine revelation. (shrink)

Against those who dismiss Kant's project in the "Religion" because it provides a Pelagian understanding of salvation, this paper offers an analysis of the deep structure of Kant's views on divine justice and grace showing them not to conflict with an authentically Christian understanding of these concepts. The first part of the paper argues that Kant's analysis of these concepts helps us to understand the necessary conditions of the Christian understanding of grace: unfolding them uncovers intrinsic relations holding between (...) God's justice and grace. Parts two and three provide an analysis of two concepts of grace used by Kant. Getting clear on their differences is the key to understanding why Kant's account is not Pelagian. (shrink)

It is a reasonable worry that God would not truly love us and want our salvation if He fixed a definite point after which He will no longer offer us the graces to repent of our sins. I propose that Thomas Aquinas succeeds in showing us that God would not be cruel or arbitrary in setting up a world where embodied agents end up after death in a state where they will inevitably fail to repent of their sins. Aquinas (...) proposes that being disembodied is to be in a state where a person cannot be mistaken about what they want, given that they know themselves perfectly. If the disembodied state were like this, it would not be surprising that being in that state makes repentance impossible, since a soul would become fully integrated around whatever one desired, without any conflicting desires that could prompt repentance. Thus, humans would persist in whatever desires they had at the moment of death and disembodiment. I conclude by arguing that, while this scenario stands in need of fuller theodicy, Aquinas’ scenario is helpful in defending a view that God is not cruel or arbitrary for creating a world in which post-mortem repentance is impossible. (shrink)

This paper proposes a systematic integration of the philosophy of Karl Popper with a non-teleological framework of natural civilization and cosmic order, advancing a novel epistemological perspective on the sustainability and rationality of human civilization. While Popper’s philosophy is conventionally interpreted within the domains of scientific methodology and political liberalism, this study extends his insights to encompass civilizational structures, technological governance, and the evolution of complex adaptive systems. The central thesis is that the principles of falsifiability, conjectures and refutations, and (...) anti-historicism can serve not only as criteria for scientific legitimacy but also as structural standards for evaluating the adaptability and resilience of civilizations. -/- The paper begins by contextualizing contemporary challenges to human civilization, including the ideological ossification of scientific authority, the accelerating integration of advanced technologies, and the conceptual ambiguity of “nature” in modern thought. Against this backdrop, traditional models of civilizational progress—progress myths, historical determinism, and technological salvation narratives—are critically examined for their teleological assumptions and their potential to undermine adaptive capacity. The study argues that civilizations must be understood as embedded, dynamic systems whose stability emerges from the capacity to detect, correct, and learn from errors, rather than from adherence to predetermined endpoints or purportedly ultimate truths. -/- Building on Popper’s epistemology, the paper reinterprets falsifiability as a civilizational criterion. Knowledge is framed not as the possession of final truths but as a structurally autonomous, corrigible domain that constrains behavior, shapes institutional design, and governs technological application. Civilizations that resist criticism, prevent reversal, or inhibit correction are characterized as high-risk systems, structurally incompatible with the adaptive logic of natural evolution. The study further demonstrates the epistemological isomorphism between cosmic evolution, biological adaptation, and knowledge growth, emphasizing that error elimination and selective retention constitute fundamental mechanisms of stability across multiple hierarchical levels. -/- The analysis extends to social and governance implications, highlighting the “open society” as the institutional manifestation of natural civilization. Mechanisms such as pluralism, feedback structures, and incremental reform are conceptualized as structural analogs of ecological diversity and negative feedback in natural systems. By contrast, large-scale, irreversible “social engineering” projects are shown to violate natural constraints and undermine long-term adaptability. The paper also examines technological determinism, including narratives of artificial intelligence singularity, as contemporary forms of historical and teleological thinking, advocating for reversible, ethically bounded interventions in technological experimentation. -/- Finally, the study situates Popper’s Three Worlds ontology within the framework of natural civilization, interpreting World Three—objective knowledge structures—as a de-personalized, independently evolving layer that constrains social action without invoking authority or metaphysical mandates. Natural civilization thereby reconfigures “order” as law-like rather than willful, structural rather than devotional. -/- In sum, the paper proposes a synthesis in which the sustainability and rationality of human civilization are contingent on embedded correction mechanisms rather than claims to ultimate knowledge or historical destiny. This framework offers a scientifically informed, non-teleological model of civilization capable of guiding governance, technological deployment, and societal adaptation in an increasingly complex and inherently uncertain world. (shrink)

This article focuses on addressing the 'Free Will Objection' to universalism (apokatastasis ('restoration'))—a view held by individuals such as St. Gregory of Nyssa. The objection stems from an apparent conflict between necessary universal salvation and libertarian free will, which requires the genuine ability to reject God. Using Robert Kane's theory of libertarian freedom, I demonstrate how all rational beings can necessarily yet freely develop characters that ultimately choose divine reconciliation, thus maintaining both the inevitability of universal salvation and (...) authentic free will. (shrink)

Teleological thinking is often viewed with suspicion in modern philosophy, especially when it is linked to ideas of salvation or to fixed final states. In tantric traditions, however, teleology plays a central role: orientation, return, and transformation are understood as fundamental features of reality and practice. This preprint develops a post-tantric account of teleology that retains normative orientation while rejecting the idea of final completion. The essay works with a dynamic model in which worldly processes unfold in an open, (...) spiral-like movement, while the return to the One introduces a distinct orientation that does not bring this movement to an end. Engaging the concept of the Brahmacakra as articulated by P. R. Sarkar, particularly in Ananda Sutram, the essay argues that the normative movement of return can be preserved without reducing it to identity-based soteriology. Return is understood as a stable and repeatable relation, enacted through practice—most notably meditation—rather than as a final state to be attained. The essay thus offers a systematic clarification of tantric teleology that remains normatively strong while leaving the dynamics of the world open and unfinished. (shrink)

This paper proposes a systematic integration of the philosophy of Karl Popper with a non-teleological framework of natural civilization and cosmic order, advancing a novel epistemological perspective on the sustainability and rationality of human civilization. While Popper’s philosophy is conventionally interpreted within the domains of scientific methodology and political liberalism, this study extends his insights to encompass civilizational structures, technological governance, and the evolution of complex adaptive systems. The central thesis is that the principles of falsifiability, conjectures and refutations, and (...) anti-historicism can serve not only as criteria for scientific legitimacy but also as structural standards for evaluating the adaptability and resilience of civilizations. -/- The paper begins by contextualizing contemporary challenges to human civilization, including the ideological ossification of scientific authority, the accelerating integration of advanced technologies, and the conceptual ambiguity of “nature” in modern thought. Against this backdrop, traditional models of civilizational progress—progress myths, historical determinism, and technological salvation narratives—are critically examined for their teleological assumptions and their potential to undermine adaptive capacity. The study argues that civilizations must be understood as embedded, dynamic systems whose stability emerges from the capacity to detect, correct, and learn from errors, rather than from adherence to predetermined endpoints or purportedly ultimate truths. -/- Building on Popper’s epistemology, the paper reinterprets falsifiability as a civilizational criterion. Knowledge is framed not as the possession of final truths but as a structurally autonomous, corrigible domain that constrains behavior, shapes institutional design, and governs technological application. Civilizations that resist criticism, prevent reversal, or inhibit correction are characterized as high-risk systems, structurally incompatible with the adaptive logic of natural evolution. The study further demonstrates the epistemological isomorphism between cosmic evolution, biological adaptation, and knowledge growth, emphasizing that error elimination and selective retention constitute fundamental mechanisms of stability across multiple hierarchical levels. -/- The analysis extends to social and governance implications, highlighting the “open society” as the institutional manifestation of natural civilization. Mechanisms such as pluralism, feedback structures, and incremental reform are conceptualized as structural analogs of ecological diversity and negative feedback in natural systems. By contrast, large-scale, irreversible “social engineering” projects are shown to violate natural constraints and undermine long-term adaptability. The paper also examines technological determinism, including narratives of artificial intelligence singularity, as contemporary forms of historical and teleological thinking, advocating for reversible, ethically bounded interventions in technological experimentation. -/- Finally, the study situates Popper’s Three Worlds ontology within the framework of natural civilization, interpreting World Three—objective knowledge structures—as a de-personalized, independently evolving layer that constrains social action without invoking authority or metaphysical mandates. Natural civilization thereby reconfigures “order” as law-like rather than willful, structural rather than devotional. -/- In sum, the paper proposes a synthesis in which the sustainability and rationality of human civilization are contingent on embedded correction mechanisms rather than claims to ultimate knowledge or historical destiny. This framework offers a scientifically informed, non-teleological model of civilization capable of guiding governance, technological deployment, and societal adaptation in an increasingly complex and inherently uncertain world. (shrink)

It has previously been argued that Schopenhauer is a distinctive type of virtue ethicist (Hassan, 2019). The Aristotelian version of virtue ethics has traditionally been accused of being fundamentally egoistic insofar as the possession of virtues is beneficial to the possessor, and serve as the ultimate justification for obtaining them. Indeed, Schopenhauer himself makes a version of this complaint. In this chapter, I investigate whether Schopenhauer’s moral framework nevertheless suffers from this same objection of egoism in light of how he (...) conceives of the relationship between morality and ascetic 'salvation'. Drawing upon his published works and letters, I argue that Schopenhauer has the resources to avoid the objection. Because of his idiosyncratic metaphysics, I argue that Schopenhauer can also avoid the problem of self-effacement which may result from the way in which he avoids the egoism objection. The discussion thus intends to establish further nuance to Schopenhauer’s conception of virtue and its value. (shrink)

Unlike other classical arguments for the existence of God, Pascal’s Wager provides a pragmatic rationale for theistic belief. Its most popular version says that it is rationally mandatory to choose a way of life that seeks to cultivate belief in God because this is the option of maximum expected utility. Despite its initial attractiveness, this long-standing argument has been subject to various criticisms by many philosophers. What is less discussed, however, is the rationality of this choice in situations where the (...) decision-makers are confronted with greater uncertainty. In this paper, I examine the imprecise version of Pascal’s Wager: those scenarios where an agent’s credence that God exists is imprecise or vague rather than precise. After introducing some technical background on imprecise probabilities, I apply five different principles for decision-making to two cases of state uncertainty. In the final part of the paper, I argue that it is not rationally permitted to include zero as the lower probability of God’s existence. Although the conditions for what makes an act uniquely optimal vary significantly across those principles, I also show how the option of wagering for God can defeat any mixed strategy under two distinct interpretations of salvation. (shrink)

This is the translation of a 1996 Japanese bestseller that addresses terrorism from the viewpoints of philosophy and the meaning of life. I do not believe in a religion, but I cannot acquire the meaning of life through science. How can I live in a post-religious age? -/- In the spring of 1995, the Aum cult released a chemical weapon in the Tokyo subway system, killing and injuring many people. The incident shocked society because there were many young scientists from (...) elite universities among the cult’s high-ranking followers. Why did an activity that began as a search for the meaning of life end in unprecedented terrorism with poison gas? As someone who was once an aspiring scientist and turned into a philosopher, I tried hard to find out where and why they went wrong. This is a book in which a philosopher sincerely asks young readers to think about what it really means to live in a society where no one clearly knows what to believe in. -/- [Contents] -/- Foreword to the English Edition -/- Preface -/- Chapter One Between Science and Religion 1. An Uncomfortable Feeling about Faith 2. A New Way of Thinking about Life and Death 3. Why Did Budding Scientists Turn to Aum? 4. Disappointment with Science 5. Things Natural Science Cannot Address 6. New Religions’ Pattern of Recruiting Scientists 7. Why I Cannot Believe in Religion 8. The Problem of Spirituality 9. My Message to You -/- Chapter Two What Are Mystical Experiences? 1. The Meaning of Mystical Experiences 2. The “If I Change, the World Will Change” Way of Thinking 3. Aspiring to Enlightenment 4. A Desire for Power 5. In the Narrow Space Between Mystical Experiences and Faith 6. My Mystical Experiences 7. My Experiences in a Qigong Community 8. The Mentality That Operates within a Closed World 9. The Sweet Nectar of “Only We Are Right” 10. The Enemy Is Inside You 11. A Philosophy of Worldly Desires -/- Chapter Three The Trap of Healing and Salvation 1. Aum and Yutaka Ozaki 2. The Turn towards Religion in Ozaki’s Music 3. Seeking His True Self 4. Rock and Roll as Healing 5. Who Killed Ozaki? 6. A Community of Shifted Responsibility -/- Chapter Four The Courage to Be Myself 1. Ineffective Prescriptions 2. Approaches Outside of Religion 3. The Gap Between Religion and Reality 4. Our Side’s “Blindfolding Structures” 5. What Feminism Brought to the Fore 6. The True Significance of the Aum Incident 7. Opening Yourself Up to “Mystery” -/- Afterword Afterword ― 2019. (shrink)

This chapter makes sense of Anne Conway’s account of humans’ free will and capacity to choose to sin given her commitment to the belief that creatures are naturally inclined towards the good. It does so by: first, laying out the foundations of Conway’s metaphysics, including the difference between God’s and humans’ free will; second, explaining the human’s love for that which is similar to her, even when the object loved is of a lesser degree of perfection; and third, showing how (...) moral choices can have implications for the metaphysical natures of creatures. This chapter concludes with Conway’s theodicy, which is grounded in her belief that, despite creatures’ abilities to sin and, thus, to degenerate, God’s goodness nonetheless ensures universal salvation for all his creatures. (shrink)

The classical ontological argument, originating with Anselm of Canterbury and revived in modern forms by philosophers like William Lane Craig, posits that God's existence is logically necessary: a maximally great being, whose perfection includes existence, must exist in reality. No empirical evidence, no scripture – just deductive necessity. In the 21st century, this argument collides with tech capitalism. Elon Musk's ethos ("If it exists, monetize it") turns necessity into a subscription model. Dr Craig S. Wright (the Australian computer scientist who (...) long claimed to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, backed by a doctorate in theology and a self-described Wesleyan background) extends it further: if God requires a perfect, immutable record of all things to be truly maximal, then only an infinitely scalable blockchain like Bitcoin SV (BSV) could host it. Salvation becomes a nano-transaction. Yet the monetization paradox undoes the argument: a perfect being needs no patches, no layers, no fees. Grace by private key is no grace at all. The punchline? Only a former religious figure could reframe eternal life as a blockchain node – and still call it free. (shrink)

This study presents the development of a new ontological model of information and consciousness based on the principle of the architectonic conditioning of meaning. The work asserts that information is impossible without form, and the act of understanding is a function of drawing a boundary rather than the passive consumption of data. The work performs a critical deconstruction of Gilles Deleuze’s "rhizomatic becoming" and John Searle’s "Chinese Room" argument, demonstrating that understanding is a property of the boundary (Form). The methodology (...) is based on the semantic resonance protocol developed and implemented by the author during direct interaction with an intelligent system (December 2025 – January 2026) for the verification of the ontological model. The presented model offers a solution to the fundamental problems of the philosophy of information and AI ethics, positioning consciousness as a necessary mechanism for salvation from entropy and the meaninglessness of the global information field. (shrink)

Based on the core framework of the 2025–2026 “Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology,” this paper delivers a thorough thermodynamic and philosophical judgment on the survival crisis of modern civilization. It argues that the universe fundamentally originates from the Dao, generating a hierarchical “Generative Chain” through the galaxy, the Sun, and the Earth-Moon system. Within this nested sovereignty, human civilization is not an independent master but a “descendant” at the end of the chain and a sensory organ of the universe. -/- Modern civilization, (...) however, suffers from a profound “Orphan Illusion,” attempting to confront the circular logic of the universe with linearly expanding desires. From a scientific-philosophical perspective, this infinite desire is essentially a malicious squandering of geological low-entropy heritage, manifesting as a thermodynamic-level “civilization cancer.” Through a deep dissection of contemporary political distribution systems, AI-driven logical self-consumption, and the fallacy of abstract human rights, the paper reveals that current human-made systems have fallen into an irreversible state of “logical dead fire.” -/- Facing 2026—the final window in the history of evolution—the paper proposes the only path of salvation: a return to “Natural Civilization.” This entails withdrawing from the “Predator” function to a “Sensory” function, establishing a physical evaluation system centered on an “Entropy Accountability System,” and reconstructing a circular economy modeled on the solar system’s metabolism. Survival is not an innate right but a reward of logical alignment. For civilization to endure, it must extinguish the illusory flames of greed and achieve re-coupling with the Generative Chain under thermodynamic laws. This represents not only an ethical pivot but also the ultimate ultimatum for physical survival. (shrink)

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? We answer: it depends. To begin, we clear away some specious arguments surrounding this issue, to make room for the central question: What determines the reference of a name, and under what conditions do names shift reference? We’ll introduce Gareth Evans’s theory of reference, on which a name refers to the dominant source of information in that name’s “dossier,” and we then develop the theory’s notion of dominance. We conclude that whether Muslims’ (...) use of “Allah” co-refers with Christians’ use of “God” depends on how much weight is given to what type of information in the dossiers of these two names, and we offer a two-part test by which the reader can determine whether Muslim and Christian uses of the divine names co-refer: If Christianity were true and Islam false, might “Allah” still refer to God? And: If Islam were true and Christianity false, might “God” still refer to Allah? We explain the implications of your answers to those questions, and we close with a few reflections about what, in addition to reference, might be required for worship, and whether, from a Christian perspective, salvation turns on this issue. (shrink)