Chapter 64.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY
BY
PHILIP MAURO,
COUNSELOR-AT-LAW,
"Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after
(according to) the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in Him, who is the Head of
all principality and power." Colossians 2:8-10.
In
the foregoing passage occurs the only mention which the Scriptures make
of philosophy. Nothing is more highly esteemed among men than philosophy.
It is on all hands regarded as the supreme exercise and occupation
of the human mind, and is indeed an occupation for which but very
few men have the requisite intellectual equipment. As far back as the tradition
of men goes, philosophy has held this high place in human estimation;
and it is, therefore, a fact of much significance that, in all the Bible,
philosophy is but once named.
Even
in our day the deference paid to philosophy is such that there are not many
teachers of the Bible who would venture to warn their fellow-men of its
dangers; for philosophers have managed to maintain in Christendom the same
eminence which they occupied in heathendom. Indeed, a course in philosophy
is now, and for some generations has been, considered an essential
part of the education of a man who is preparing for the Christian ministry;
and this is not the only one of the "rudiments of the world" which has
found its way into our theological seminaries. It is, therefore, not surprising
that, in the teaching imparted by these seminary graduates, philosophy
holds a very different place from that assigned to it by the Bible.
NOT
A HUMAN UTTERANCE
We
may be very sure, then, that the passage quoted above is not a human utterance.
It does not express man’s estimate of
philosophy — far from it. In
pronouncing that warning Paul is not repeating what he learned while pursuing
his course in philosophy at the
This
word "beware" (sometimes rendered "take heed" in our
version) does not
occur very often in the New Testament. There are not many things whereof
believers are bidden to "beware." Some of these are "the
scribes," "dogs,"
"evil-workers," "the concision," and an "evil heart of
unbelief" Mark
12:38; Philippians 3:2; Acts 13:40; Hebrews 3:12.
The
warning of our text is addressed to believers who have been instructed as
to their oneness with Christ in His death (at the hands of the world), His burial,
and His resurrection. Additional emphasis is given to the warning by the
connection in which it occurs. The word rendered "spoil" signifies literally
to make a prey of, as when one falls into the hands of robbers and is
stripped by violence of his goods, or into the hands of smooth-tongued and
plausible swindlers who gain his confidence, and by means of their arts fleece
him of his valuables. It is heavenly treasure that is in contemplation here,
even the believer’s portion of the
unsearchable riches of Christ. Hence empty deceit is contrasted with the
fullness of the Godhead which dwells in Christ; and the despoiled condition of
one who has been
victimized through philosophy is contrasted with the
enrichment of those who have apprehended by faith their completeness
in Him who is the Head of all principality and power.
But
why, we may profitably inquire, is philosophy described as an instrument
of spoliation in the hands of artful men? And why is it characterized
as being after (i.e., according to) the rudiments, or basic principles,
of the world? The word rendered "rudiments" occurs four times in
Scripture. In Colossians 2:20 it is again rendered "rudiments." In Galatians
4:3 and 9 it is rendered "elements." It seems to convey the idea
of basic or foundation principles of the world-system. These elements are
described in Galatians 4:9 as "weak and beggarly." They do not strengthen
and enrich, but weaken and impoverish those who resort to them.
PHILOSOPHY
DEFINED
The
reason is perceived, in a general way at least, when we ascertain what philosophy
is, namely, the occupation of attempting to devise, by the exercise
of the human reason, an explanation of the universe. It is an interminable
occupation for the reason that, if the explanation which philosophy
is forever seeking were to be found, that discovery would be the
end of philosophy. The occupation of the philosopher would be gone.
It
is interminable for the stronger reason that the philosopher is bound, by the
rules of his profession, to employ in his quest only human wisdom, and it
is written that the world, by its wisdom, does not come to the knowledge of
God 1 Corinthians 1:19-21; 2:14. Incidentally, a large part of the time
of the philosopher is occupied in criticizing and demonstrating the unreasonableness
or absurdity of all philosophical systems except that espoused
by himself. This, however, is merely the destructive part of his work,
the constructive part being, as has been said, the employment of his reasoning
faculties in the task of devising a system which will account, after
a fashion, for the existence and origin of, and for the changes which appear
to take place in, the visible universe. Having settled upon such a system,
the philosopher must thenceforth defend it from the attacks of philosophers
of opposing "Schools" (who will put forth weighty volumes demonstrating
to their entire satisfaction that his philosophical system is a tissue
of absurdities), and in replying to their many and various objections and
criticisms.
"NOT
ACCORDING TO CHRIST."
We
may thus see at a glance that philosophy is, in its essential character, in accordance
with human tradition and the fundamental or primary principles of
the world-system; and that it is not according to Christ, who is hated by the
world, and who has laid the axe at the root of all its principles.
Prominent
among the elements of the world and of human tradition is the principle
that the world reflects the grandeur of man, and that human reason
is the highest and mightiest factor in it. In our day it has become a tenet
of popular theology that the human reason is the final court of appeal in
all matters of doctrine. In man’s world human
achievement is exalted to the highest place, and no limit is set to what
may be accomplished by human ingenuity.
"Let
us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven,
and let us make us a name" Genesis 11:4, is the program of
humanity, as announced by those who established the basic
principles of the world. In the great world-system that only is valued and
lauded which is attained by the effort of man and redounds to his credit.
Philosophy adheres strictly to this tradition and to these principles in that
its various explanations, in order to receive recognition as "philosophical,"
must be purely the products of human reason exercised upon
the results of human investigations.
PHILOSOPHY
VS. REVELATION
It
follows of necessity that philosophy and divine revelation are utterly irreconcilable.
The very existence of philosophy as an occupation for the human
mind depends upon the rigid exclusion of every explanation of the universe
which is not reached by a speculative process. If a philosophy admits
the existence of a God (as the philosophies just now in favor do), it is
a god who either is dumb, or else is not permitted to tell anything about himself,
or how he made and sustains the universe. Should the philosopher’s
god break through these restrictions, there would be straightway
an end of his philosophy. For it is not the pursuit of truth that makes
one a philosopher. The pursuit of truth, in order to be philosophical, must
be conducted in directions in which truth cannot possibly be found.
For
the discovery of what philosophers pretend to be seeking would bring their
philosophies to an end, and such a calamity must, of course, be avoided.
Therefore, the moment one receives an explanation of the universe
as coming from God who made it, he can have no further use for philosophy.
One who has obtained the truth is no longer a seeker. The value
of philosophy, therefore, lies not in its results, for there are none, but solely
in the employment which its unverifiable speculations afford to those whose
tastes and intellectual endowments qualify them to engage in it.
PHILOSOPHY
VS. CHRIST
Again,
philosophy is "not according to Christ" for the simple and sufficient reason
that the testimony of Christ puts an end, for all who accept it, to all philosophical
speculations concerning the relations of humanity to God and to
the universe, Christ set His seal to the truth and divine authority of the Old
Testament Scriptures. He, moreover, revealed the Father; and finally He
promised further revelations of truth through His apostles under the immediate
teaching of the Holy Spirit. These revelations are not only directly
opposed to philosophical speculations, but they cut the ground from
under them. The testimony and teaching of Christ were not communicated
to men for the purpose of informing them how man and the world
came to be what they are — though they do reveal
the truth as to
that. The purpose of the doctrine of Christ and of His
personal mission to the world was to show to men their true
condition, as under the dominion of sin and death, and to accomplish
eternal redemption for all who believethe good tidings and accept the gift of
God’s grace. The doctrine of Christ not
only instructs men as to the way into the
FRUITS
OF PHILOSOPHY
It
would be quite possible, for one who had the requisite leisure and curiosity,
to trace the main developments of philosophy, and to examine the
many different "Schools" to which it has given rise during a period
of several
thousand years. Having done so, he would find that philosophy consists,
as already said, in the pursuit of the unattainable, and that, among all
the varied fields of human activity there is none which has witnessed such
an absolutely futile and barren expenditure of energy as the field of speculative
philosophy. A philosopher of repute at the present time has declared
that "philosophy has been on a false scent ever since the days of Socrates
and Plato." The following of a false scent for more than two thousand
years is surely not a record to boast of; and yet it is true that, so far
as results are concerned, philosophy has nothing more encouraging than this
to offer as an inducement for engaging in it.
We
do not, however, propose anything so stupendous (and so unprofitable)
as a review of the history of philosophy, but merely a brief statement
setting forth the status of philosophy at the present day. And this we
undertake in order that the non-philosophical reader may be able to ascertain
the character of the influence which philosophy is exerting, in these
times of change and mental unrest, upon the immediate problems of humanity,
and upon what is called "the progress of human thought."
The
great majority of men do no thinking beyond the matters which lie within
the little circle of their personal interests. This unthinking majority takes
its thoughts and opinions from an intellectual and cultured few, or from
leaders who manage to gain their confidence. It is important, therefore,
to ascertain what ideas are prevalent among those who are in a position
to influence the opinions of the mass of mankind. This may easily be
done by sampling the current philosophical teaching at the great universities
of the English-speaking countries.
THEISTIC
AND ATHEISTIC PHILOSOPHY
The
various schools of philosophy which have flourished through the ages may
be divided into two main classes, namely, theistic and atheistic. The former
class embraces all philosophic systems which assume a god of some sort
as the originator and sustainer of the universe. It may be remarked in passing
that theistic philosophies are more dangerous to humankind than the
atheistic class, for the reason that the former are well calculated to ensnare
those who, by nature or training, have a repugnance to atheism. We
need pay no attention to atheistic philosophy, for the reason that it is quite
out of favor at the present day, and shows no sign of ever recovering a
respectable status.
DUALISM
AND PANTHEISM
Confining
our attention, therefore, to theistic philosophies, we find several classes
of these, namely, "Dualistic" and "Pantheistic." Dualism is
the name which
philosophers have been pleased to bestow upon those systems which maintain
that God (or the "First Cause") created the universe as an act of His
will, and has an existence distinct and apart from it. These systems are called
"dualistic" because they count God as one entity, and the universe or creation
as another entity, thus making two entities. The reader should understand
clearly that when a learned professor of philosophy speaks of "dualism"
he has Christianity in mind.
MONISM
AND PLURALISM
Pantheism,
on the other hand, maintains that God and the universe are one being.
There are several varieties of pantheism which have followers among
living philosophers, e. g., monism and pluralism. Monism is that variety
of pantheism which is most in favor at the present day. This system assumes
as the basis of reality an "absolute" or "all-knower" —
a monstrosity
which comprehends in its vast being all things and all their relations
and activities. Monism, therefore, asserts that there is but one entity.
God has no existence apart from the universe, and never had. The latter
is, therefore, eternal, and there has been no creation.
It is a remarkable and highly significant fact that the basic principle of this ruling philosophy of our day is also the basic principle of the rapidly rising religio-economic system of socialism. For socialism is grounded upon the proposition that man is organically and essentially one with God and with the universe. From this strange agreement — this strange meeting of extremes far-reaching results may be expected.
THE
PRESENT SITUATION
In
order to obtain for our consideration a fair and accurate statement of the position
of present-day philosophy, reference will be made to the "Hibbert Lectures"
of 1909, on "The Present Situation in Philosophy," delivered by Professor
William James, of
Professor
James is one of the very few philosophers of note who reject the teaching
of monism. He advocates a theory styled "Pluralism," of which a sufficient
idea may be gained from the quotations to follow. It is of first importance
to us to learn from Professor James what is the present status of
dualism, since, as we have seen, that class embraces old-fashioned or Bible
Christianity. As to this, he says:
"Dualistic
theism is professed as firmly as ever at all Catholic seats of
learning, whereas it has of late years tended to disappear at our British
and American Universities, and be replaced by a monistic pantheism
more or less open or disguised" (page 24).
According
to this competent authority, the Roman Catholic colleges are the
only ones of any consequence wherein the statements of the Bible regarding
the creation and government of the universe, the origin of living creatures,
including man, the origin of evil, etc., are even "professed." The great
universities of, England and America, which were founded for the purpose
of maintaining the doctrines of Scriptures, and spreading knowledge
of them as the revelations of the living God, and as the foundations
of all true learning, have been despoiled of all that made them useful
for the nurture of young minds, and that made them valuable to the communities
wherein they have flourished; and this momentous change has been
accomplished through the agency of philosophy and vain deceit, according
to the ancient tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world,
and not according to Christ.
A
STRANGE PHENOMENON
Herein,
as it seems to the writer, we have an explanation for the strange phenomenon
that Romanism is gaining ground rapidly in Protestant England
and
The
latter countries have never enjoyed the privileges of the open Bible. They
have never had any links attaching them to the living Word of God. All
they have had is "the church," and that they are now judging by its fruits.
But
in