Allegory to separation of church and state, 1905.
How free from a religious or sacred dimension is our political system? The West has prided itself for years on having shaped strong, secular and democratic institutions of government, devoid of a sacred element, but Philosopher Simon Critchley argues that political or civil theology is essential to the democratic process. He and Phillip engage in a wide ranging discussion, looking at the history of this concept, and how the politics of the West is becoming re-theologised.
Guests
Simon Critchley
Professor of Philosophy at the New School of Social Research in New York and author.
Publications
The Faith of the Faithless: Experiments in Political TheologyAuthorSimon CritchleyPublisherVersiISBN978-1781681688
Credits
Executive Producer: Gail Boserio
AND, more philosophy on Radio National:
• Nicholas of Cusa and the Instruction of Ignorance On a slow boat journey from Constantinople to Venice in the early 15th century, scholar and papal diplomat Nicholas of Cusa set modern scientific method in train when he conceived of the value of ignorance as a means towards knowledge: The more one learns of one’s unknowing the more learned one is. Nicholas of Cusa is a figure of the scholarly moment, as philosophers and theologians mine ancient and medieval thought to critique modernity or to respond to contemporary realities such as religious pluralism.
