The Power of Reason: Exploring the Unknown and the Divine
Chapter 14: The Power of Reason
The power of reason lies in its intuition that explanations extend beyond our immediate grasp. The driving force of reason is vitality, a willingness to venture into the unknown. This tension, this drive to explore the unseen, defines the power of human reason. Ultimately, all efforts of reason culminate in the knowledge of God. The impetus is to unveil the mystery behind what we perceive and touch. Only through a relationship with the afterlife can we truly embrace the adventure of life. Our capacity to comprehend earthly matters fuels our desire to penetrate the beyond. This creates a struggle between humanity (in the religious sense) and the inhuman (positivist, the modern mind), which asserts that only scientifically observable and measurable phenomena hold value, dismissing anything beyond as fantasy.
Vision of Vertigo
If this is the existential position of reason, it becomes clear that consistency demands steadfastness. Rational individuals must remain alert, attuned to the subtle, often fleeting signs that beckon from the unknown. They must respond to the pressure of circumstances, even without clear sight, guided by an unseen hand. This position can be dizzying.
The Impatience of Reason
Excessive self-attachment fosters self-love. Reason, in its impatience, may prematurely declare, “I understand the mystery; this is it.” However, true reason cannot bear to rely solely on readily apparent signs. These signs, often ambiguous and obscure, are like a river carrying us unpredictably. All assertions are merely tests for reason. Each time reason identifies with a specific definition or viewpoint, it inevitably becomes limited. When we attempt to define ultimate meaning, we cannot escape the influence of our own perspective. To reduce the whole to a particular aspect is to exaggerate and inflate a part, distorting the totality.
The religious sense, while asserting the existence of ultimate meaning, can be corroded when it identifies this meaning with a specific object within the realm of experience. This choice distorts the true nature of life and reason. Reason’s inherent nature is to sense mystery, acknowledging its inability to fully grasp meaning with its own cognitive capacities. However, this original impulse often falters, succumbing to a reductive path. Reason then lowers its object of identification to something comprehensible, something within the bounds of experience, because experience defines the horizon of understanding (pretending to be God).
Idols, as suggested by original sin, arise when we attempt to measure everything. Humanity, in its desire to be the measure of all things, identifies the full meaning of life with idols. These idols may seem like God, may even be masks of God, but they are not God. Idols fail to fulfill their promises and totalizing claims. In contrast, acknowledging mystery profoundly shapes life. The Pauline list remains silent because idolatry empties us. We degenerate to the extent that we exalt idols, obscuring our vision and distorting reality. Ideologies built on idols are inherently totalizing, striving for political victory, leading to inevitable clashes. This is why the Bible identifies idolatry as the source of violence and war.
The identification of God with an idol involves choosing something we understand. This is the essence of original sin: claiming to identify ultimate meaning with something comprehensible. In this dynamic, we choose what we value most, what impresses us. We cannot avoid either excluding others or becoming subject-dependent on God.
Conclusion: The world is a sign, pointing to another reality. Reason is compelled to admit the existence of something that underlies and explains everything. Reality is a sign that awakens the religious sense.