Panentheism

Panentheism (after Greek πᾶν "everything" and ἐν θεῷ " in God ") is a 1828 coined by Karl Christian Friedrich Krause term that refers to the view " that the one in itself and also by the all se [ i]". In later writers the term is used to refer to a conception according to which " God of the world is immanent and transcendent at the same time to her, so far as the world is God in turn, comprises immanent in God, of God."

Pantheism and panentheism

Starting point of Krause's coinage is a certain understanding of Spinozism, which sees the thinking of Spinoza in the formula deus sive natura summarized and expressed in the immediate identity of God and nature. Since the beginning of the 18th century, this view of the identity of God and nature was called pantheism. In contrast, panentheism is intended to express that the world is indeed contained in God, but this comprehensive than that is thought. God and the world are here so expressly not identical. The panentheism is thus in the middle between pantheism ( God's immanence in the world) and theism ( transcendence of God to the world).

Besides Krause, representatives of the theistic late idealism Immanuel Hermann Fichte used the expression. From there, he entered into the history of philosophy of the 19th century and is used for example in William diaper tape as a label for those of Johann Gottfried Herder, v. a in his book God, represented positions. In recent philosophy of historical works, the distinction of the terms pantheism and panentheism is hardly used any more, being on an inappropriate shortening of Spinoza's doctrine - the Heinrich Jacobi's writings about the teachings of Spinoza, and from the things of God and its revelation for understanding the since Friedrich latest the term " pantheism " is relevant - is based. The Historical Dictionary of philosophy leads to expression only in terms of Krause. In contrast, the expression has in theology has greater spread and is still in use there, in the Anglo -Saxon countries even more than in German, especially in process theology.

In religion, science, the term is still occasionally used and often used in an apologetic sense to distinguish it from the respected as theologically problematic pantheism.

Representative

As a Neo-Platonic philosopher Panentheisten were often called the successor of Plotinus as well as medieval and modern philosophers, the Neo-Platonic positions have rezipiert or are independent of them come to similar views. It never is, except for Krause and before the 20th century to self-attributions. Among the representatives of panentheism are counted among other things:

  • Plotinus ( Greek philosopher, 205-270 )
  • John Scotus Eriugena
  • Meister Eckhart ( German theologian and philosopher, 1260-1328 )
  • Nicholas of Cusa ( German philosopher, theologian and mathematician, 1401-1464 )
  • Johann Gottfried Herder
  • Johann Wolfgang Goethe
  • Gustav Theodor Fechner ( German physicist and natural philosopher, 1801-1887 )
  • Alfred North Whitehead ( British mathematician and philosopher, 1861-1947 )
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