Not Being Angel. Manichaeism as an Obstacle to Thinking of a New Approach to Animality

• Authors: Zawisza Rafał
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

I focus on the monastery life in Europe and its predomination of vita contemplativa upon vita activa. It is not hard to distinguish within Christianity its Manichaean component whose characteristic feature is a grudge against matter, body and sexuality. This complexity of ideas brought about the contempt of vital elements of human existence, so that its animal past, still present in Zivilisationsprozess. An alternative anthropology inspired by an evolutionism should based on the presumption that only through the appreciation of an animal dimension of us—instead of monastic desire of becoming an angel—will it be possible to create new perspectives for renegotiation of the human– animal boundaries.

Keywords

EN

Manichaeism; animality; Cartesian heritage; vita contemplativa; vita activa; Machiavelli; Spinoza; principle of gratitude; human-animal interconnections

• Publisher: Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk; Fundacja Filozofia Na Rzecz Dialogu
• Journal: Dialogue and Universalism
• Year: 2014
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 157-163

Contributors

author

Zawisza Rafał

• Faculty of “Artes Liberales” at the University of Warsaw