The essay explores St Irenaeus’ view of human development, asserting that humanity, created as good but incomplete, must mature towards divine participation. It discusses how the Devil’s envy leads to domination, hindering human growth. Salvation, therefore, is not just restoration but the transformation of humanity into a mature, interdependent being capable of communion with God.
Kevin A. Carson’s works explore the nuances between markets and capitalism, advocating for decentralised coordination and voluntary exchange. His writings, including Studies in Mutualist Political Economy and The Desktop Regulatory State, critique how political privilege shapes economic structures. Alongside Markets Not Capitalism, they prompt a re-evaluation of ownership legitimacy and economic organisation.
Pip: Shakespeare's Hamlet looked at a human being and saw the paragon of animals — then immediately wondered if we're just very organised dust. Columba John Hawthorne has apparently decided to find out. Mara: This episode draws on his work at The Beginning of Terror, … Continue reading Podcast Episode: Orthodox Reflections On Humanity
Harvey C. Mansfield’s “The Rise and Fall of Rational Control” analyses modern political philosophy from Machiavelli to Nietzsche. It argues that attempts to govern human affairs through reason often overlook the complexities of human nature and society. Rather than mastering circumstances, political action is characterised by judgement and response to uncertainty.
István Hont’s posthumous collection, “Political Economy from Pufendorf to Marx,” edited by Lasse S. Andersen and others, comprises seven unpublished papers exploring Marxism through the lens of natural jurisprudence. The work examines property rights, human needs, and critiques Marx’s theories by emphasising the persistence of human dependency and political problems within developed commercial societies.
The essay explores how organisms bring forth meaning and significance through their evolutionary history and interactions with their environments. It examines the concept of Umwelt, highlighting that inherited capacities shape an organism’s engagement with the world. Evolution results in a continuous history of relations, with organisms altering their surroundings and passing on these changes to future generations.
Karl Marx’s perspective on human nature presents a complex relationship between humanity and nature, positioning labour as a transformative process. However, his views create a hierarchy that privileges human consciousness over non-human life, raising concerns about alienation and the implications of communism. Ultimately, the analysis suggests a need to rethink the interconnectedness of nature and human evolution beyond Marxian frameworks.
The essay critiques the notion that beauty is solely subjective, arguing instead that true beauty arises from a disciplined perception that allows subjects to reveal their complexities. Drawing on the philosophies of Heidegger and Murdoch, it asserts that art must strive for a truthful representation of reality, embracing the intricacies and contradictions inherent within.
The modern Sophiological tradition, initiated by Russian theologians, explores divine Wisdom’s role in Creation’s intelligibility and beauty. It distinguishes between Divine Sophia and creaturely Sophia, underscoring their relationship without conflating them. The discourse discusses the interconnectedness of receptivity, agency, and the role of poets to illustrate these dynamics in spirituality and art.
Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes’ works, “Noumenautics” and “Modes of Sentience,” explore the intersection of psychedelics, metaphysics, and consciousness. They argue that ordinary perception limits reality understanding and propose that psychedelics reveal deeper truths about nature and consciousness. The author critiques physicalism, advocating for a more profound, relational view of existence while ultimately contrasting these insights with Christian theology.
The Beginning of Terror 