Otto, Rudolf. The Idea of the Holy. Trans. John W. Harvey. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1958.
“Plato did indeed make a powerful contribution towards the rationalization of his religion, for according to his philosophy the deity had to become identical with the ‘Idea of the Good’, and consequently something wholly rational and conceivable. But the most remarkable characteristic of Plato’s thought is just that he himself finds science and philosophy too narrow to comprise the whole of man’s mental life” (94-95).
I love this quote, because I love the idea that the diety had to become identical with the “Idea of the Good.” Even if you do not buy into god being something rational and conceivable, even if you think that the essence of god is exactly the opposite of that, I think that most people around the world can buy into the “Idea of the Good.”
The most popular religion in the world by size is Christianity, with 2.1 billion as of 2005. They believe in an all-loving, all-powerful God who is both transcendent and imminent. To me, this speaks to an “Idea of the Good.” The same goes for Islam (1.5 billion). The next largest group are non-religious individuals (1.1 billion), but this includes secular humanists, theists, and atheists, who can probably see the “Idea of the Good” either in this world or another. Finally, Hinduism (900 million) has many gods with humanlike characteristics and faults, some of whom are dark and murderous, but Hindus see the good in them and worship even the destroyers devotedly, and they especially see the “Idea of the Good” in Brahman, their Ultimate.
I had one unanswered question: if science and philosophy are too narrow to comprise the whole of man’s mental life, what is there to fill the gaps?
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