The Mystical and Apophatic Philosophy of Karl Jaspers.

EXISTENTIALIST SOCIETY - Melbourne, Australia.

An online presentation, followed by discussion. All viewpoints welcome.

Darius Samadian will present the topic and lead the discussion.

Darius will look at the approach of Karl Jaspers, one of the most overlooked philosophers of the so-called ‘existentialist’ tradition. He will examine Jaspers’ approach to the issue of Transcendence, which is at the same time for Jaspers the issue of the self. Indeed, for Jaspers, to truly know the self it is crucial that we must be related to Transcendence. This is expressed through his notion of the transcendent potentiality of humankind which he terms Existenz, which in some sense Jaspers says ‘knows no death’. It is this relationship, and therefore the transcendent potentiality of humankind, which Jaspers believes has been lost in modernity.

Darius will look at Jaspers’ ‘Philosophy of Existence’ in a unique way and examine it in relation to the mystical theories of Christian thinkers Meister Eckhart and Nicolaus Cusanus. He will address what Jaspers sees as the flawed way in which Transcendence, or God, has been viewed in Western philosophy and theology, and he will highlight the importance of freedom and reason in Jaspers’ work, and how he relates these concepts to finding a spiritual meaning in life.

The question is – does Jaspers provide us with a mystical philosophy for the modern era? Does he open up the possibility for an authentic relationship to Transcendence in the face of God’s death? The fundamental question Jaspers asks is, and which we all must ask ourselves is – Who am I?

The Zoom Link will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 836 8222 3922 - - Passcode: 115279

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