Does Tillich Have A Hidden Debt To Kant?
Pizhūhish/hā-yi Falsafī- Kalāmī December 29, 2019 Stephen R. Palmquist
The author recounts a quasi-mystical experience while first reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, then explores similarities between Kant's theories and ideas associated with Paul Tillich. Drawing on Chris Firestone's book, the author examines Kantian roots of Tillich's concepts: God as the Ground of Being, faith as ultimate concern, courage as the proper response to anxiety from human alienation from the divine, cultural symbols that give faith historical expression, political forms as self-negating, and love as a gift requiring power and justice. The article considers whether Kant influenced Tillich more than Tillich admitted and whether the author's own affirmative interpretation of Kant's religion theory was influenced by prior reading of Tillich.