Action and Reflection (ii)

This is the second article in a series of two on the topic of “action” and “reflection”. The first article appeared last year in the fall issue of this journal (Vol. 79 (2), 140–171). This second article is divided into two sections. The first section deals with reflection, mainly in the form of ref...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophia reformata
Main Author: Griffioen, Sander 1941- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2015
In: Philosophia reformata
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
KDD Protestant Church
NBE Anthropology
VA Philosophy
Further subjects:B Assent reflexivity second-order agency Spirit of the times
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:This is the second article in a series of two on the topic of “action” and “reflection”. The first article appeared last year in the fall issue of this journal (Vol. 79 (2), 140–171). This second article is divided into two sections. The first section deals with reflection, mainly in the form of reflexivity, a central notion in contemporary sociology and an attitude characteristic of the modern secular mind. The second section discusses second-order agency (soag), subdivided into spirits and powers. Most instances of (humanly engendered) spirits fall under an “as if” category: all these cases are about certain communalities expressing themselves in such a strong way that it seems as if a supra-personal agent is at work. Zeitgeister are a point in case. The only incidence of a soag-kind may be that of mobs. Powers fit our model better than spirits and for that reason most of the second part of this essay is dedicated to that topic. The foremost distinction that will be made is that between incomplete and full powers. The thesis presented in the final section is that powers can only come to completion by taking a “religious turn”. The notion of “assent” as a basic ingredient of human action is what connects the first to the second part of the essay.
ISSN:2352-8230
Contains:In: Philosophia reformata
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/23528230-08002005