Image, fullness, void
Michael Eigen
May 20, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9780429443060-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Western thought has largely subordinated images, sensation, and feeling to pure reason, treating them as lesser aids to be transcended, with mystical experience as a notable exception. Proposes that Rumi's model of "partnering ourselves" offers a recurring alternative to this dominant hierarchy, one that persists in new forms despite never being the mainstream view. |
Abstract
Images have often been looked at as second-class citizens in Western thought. For Plato, they were useful to help climb the ladder towards Pure Idea. Sensation, image, feeling were potential facilitators on the way to Pure Form. For Aristotle, the goal was to reach and exercise the pinnacle of cognition, active reason, a divine attribute. In philosophical writings, one could hear sensation and images spoken of as dregs, less than real thought, at best a support to feed thinking and be transcended. Similarly, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are near the top of the Kabbalah Tree of Life, although all functions play a role if properly sublimated, head purifying heart, working with what heart cannot handle. There are variations, but this line of value has been dominant, an exception being mystical experience. The kind of model Rumi proposes, his own version of partnering ourselves, has not been dominant in history. Nonetheless, many voices express it and keep on taking new forms.