tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post1188459537159133769..comments2024-03-29T14:41:00.974+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: The Modern Condition: Free to choose the divine within us in Final Participation; or free and able to reject itBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-31523247536947453612021-03-01T08:35:51.499+00:002021-03-01T08:35:51.499+00:00@Frank - It is interesting that Barfield mostly ch...@Frank - It is interesting that Barfield mostly chose to argue in a scholarly-scientific way; without presenting his basic metaphysical assumptions. <br /><br />Indeed he seems to be engaged in deriving his assumptions (like Christianity) from his observations (or trying to do this) - which is apparently not possible anymore, since we have lost the implicit and unconscious framework within-which Barfield grew-up (even though his family were upper middle class leftist-atheists).<br /><br />Thus he argues from philological evidence the reality of the evolutionary-development of consciousness (which strikes me as disguised metaphysics) - but he hardly ever makes clear that this evolution is regarded as part of a 'divine-plan' related to human freedom. The way he talks about it, it 'just happens'. <br /><br />If you read his work deeply and widely, you can find his foundational convictions; but its hard to find them, and he doesn't often use them in his theses!<br /><br />At any rate, it is easy to misunderstand Barfield as a kind of post-modernist/ relativist - as many of his advocates have done. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-46583330835068193822021-03-01T07:56:06.180+00:002021-03-01T07:56:06.180+00:00What makes Barfield's concept of participation...What makes Barfield's concept of participation fascinating for me is its recognition that the next stage of development must involve an inner re-discovery/revelation rather than some kind of re-organization of the external world from our current stage of consciousness. <br /><br />Though I am not well-versed in Barfield, his ideas concerning participation/consciousness development strike me as the correct path forward. The mass resistance to these ideas serve as proof of their validity (at least as far as I'm concerned). In any case, I really need to start reading more Barfield!Francis Bergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11063224017320651978noreply@blogger.com