RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
This is a fine continuation of Eternal Living, which was a compilation of reflections on Dallas’s life. It covers his early childhood in the poverty-stricken Ozarks (and echoes some of Thomas Oden’s own memories), his move to Temple Tenn. and later marriage to Jane.
Theme of the book: Dallas went to “the thing itself,” whether in philosophy or in prayer.
Metaphysical Realism
Is the object I see simply a representation of my own thoughts? If it is, can I ever really know the object in question?
Moore and Husserl
Moore was the first philosopher in terms of an analytic approach that Willard read. Moore helped explode the idealist thesis. Moore, however, left undone one crucial aspect: what to make of the human mind? Husserl filled in the gap.
Husserl (as Dallas reports him): the basic problem is to understand consciousness and not try to hide philosophical problems by focusing on language or words. We have knowledge. We deal with reality and not merely some historical process.
It is possible to have direct experience with a mind-independent world.
The Philosophical Split and USC
Brother Dallas came to USC when the analytic/continental split was beginning to harden. Some clarifications:
Analytic philosophy: originally began as a break from idealism and focused on linguistic analysis. In its unChristian form it hardened and became Bertrand Russell.
Continental philosophy: subjective starting point. It later became postmodernism. In its unChristian form it is the Critical Theory of today.
Dallas was able to avoid the worst of this split by focusing on the philosophical classics. He focused more on questions of goodness, the soul, and moral development.
Finishing Well
Before his death, Dallas gave an outline to JP Moreland on where the spiritual formation movement should go:
1) Metaphysical realism. There is a mind-independent world to which we have access. This also includes the soul, the kingdom of God, and the Trinity.
2) Epistemic realism. We are in direct contact with objects of knowledge. Nothing stands between the mind and items of knowledge “in cases of direct awareness.”
3) Models of the human person and Christian spiritual formation.
4) Spiritually formative practices that are objectively testable.
The final section when Dallas was on his deathbed was very good. Being weak and barely able to speak for weeks, before he died he said “Thank you” in a very clear voice to Someone else in the room.
Theme of the book: Dallas went to “the thing itself,” whether in philosophy or in prayer.
Metaphysical Realism
Is the object I see simply a representation of my own thoughts? If it is, can I ever really know the object in question?
Moore and Husserl
Moore was the first philosopher in terms of an analytic approach that Willard read. Moore helped explode the idealist thesis. Moore, however, left undone one crucial aspect: what to make of the human mind? Husserl filled in the gap.
Husserl (as Dallas reports him): the basic problem is to understand consciousness and not try to hide philosophical problems by focusing on language or words. We have knowledge. We deal with reality and not merely some historical process.
It is possible to have direct experience with a mind-independent world.
The Philosophical Split and USC
Brother Dallas came to USC when the analytic/continental split was beginning to harden. Some clarifications:
Analytic philosophy: originally began as a break from idealism and focused on linguistic analysis. In its unChristian form it hardened and became Bertrand Russell.
Continental philosophy: subjective starting point. It later became postmodernism. In its unChristian form it is the Critical Theory of today.
Dallas was able to avoid the worst of this split by focusing on the philosophical classics. He focused more on questions of goodness, the soul, and moral development.
Finishing Well
Before his death, Dallas gave an outline to JP Moreland on where the spiritual formation movement should go:
1) Metaphysical realism. There is a mind-independent world to which we have access. This also includes the soul, the kingdom of God, and the Trinity.
2) Epistemic realism. We are in direct contact with objects of knowledge. Nothing stands between the mind and items of knowledge “in cases of direct awareness.”
3) Models of the human person and Christian spiritual formation.
4) Spiritually formative practices that are objectively testable.
The final section when Dallas was on his deathbed was very good. Being weak and barely able to speak for weeks, before he died he said “Thank you” in a very clear voice to Someone else in the room.