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12
PhilosophicalThought
religionaloneisinaccuratefromthemethodologicalperspectiveandwehave
tobewaryofitsnaivesimplicism.
Theapparentrevivalofreligiousthinkinghasitsbaseintheacceptanceof
thefactthatthecrucialroleinreligionisplayedbysensusnuminis,inother
words,thesenseofthedivine.Thenuminousisamysteriousandincognizable
powerthatinspiresaweandterrifiesman,butatthesametime,italluresand
captivateshim/her.6Itismysteriumtremendumetfascinorum.Justbecausethe
numinousisbothterrifyingandfascinatingatthesametime,itispartlycog-
nizable.Thisnuminousis“holy”;itis“other”and“otherworldly.”Itissome-
thingmysterious,yetrevealing,somethingunknown,yetprofoundlyintimate.
Religionasaspecifichumanphenomenonmustbegroundedintheessenceof
man,thatis,inwhatmakesamanamanandwhatdistinguisheshim/herfrom
allothers.7Andthus,ponderinguponthephenomenonofreligionwecometo
issuesrelatedtoknowledgeandfreedom,andtoissuesrelatedtolimitedknowl-
edgeandlimitedfreedom.
Everyobjectofknowledgecanbeknowninevenmoredetailandtherefore
allknowledgeistosomeextentjustthenotion.Thepathwaytoknowledge
neverends.8Theobjectsofknowledgeareplacedbeforeusoverandoveragain.
EspeciallyitpertainstoourknowledgeofGod.Weareconstantlyonourway
tohim,becausethefactswespeakabouthimaretakenfromtheworldofour
ownexperienceandthereforetheyarelimitedandpertainingmoretothelim-
itedthantotheinfinite.Asamatteroffact,wewouldhavetospeakabouthim
allthatisfinite.Heisbothomninominabileandunum.Explainingtheapproach
toknowledgeofGod,NicolasCusanus,therefore,doesnotlimithimselfonly
toaffirmativetheology,buthealsoseeksthehelpofnegativetheologysothat,
lookingthroughtheberyl,9hecanattaincoincidenceofopposites.Ignorantia
doctaisaresultofit.KnowledgeofGodforCusanusislearnedignorance.Itis
notjustanymethodicalaid,butitisthestateofourknowledgeofGod.Afterall,
allourknowledge,whichalwaysmaintainsitsapproximativecharacter,leadsto
God.10GianniVatimoclaimsthatthepostsecularistthinkingisdominatedby
6JdnKomorovský,“MirceaEliadeajehoMorfológiaposvätnd,”inMirceaEliade,Dejiny
náboženskýchpredstávaide./I(Bratislava:Agora,1995),18.
7EmerichCoreth,Možnost.človeka(BanskdBystrica-Badin:RKCMBFUK,TI,1997),17.
8“Theintellect,whichisnottruth,nevercomprehendstruthsopreciselythattruthcannot
becomprehendedinfinitelymoreprecisely.Fortheintellectistotruthasthepolygonistothe
circle.Themoreanglestheinscribedpolygonhas,themoresimilaritistothecircle.However,
evenifthenumberofitsanglesisincreasedadinfinitum,thepolygonneverbecomesequal[to
thecircle]unlessitisresolvedintoanidentitywiththecircle.”MikuldżKuzdnsky,Oučenej
nevedomosti,trans.AugustinValentovič(Bratislava:Pravda1979),37.
9NicholasofCusawrotethebook“Deberyllo”[OntheBeryl],abriefepistemological
treatiseusingaberylortransparentstoneasthecrucialanalogy.
10“Itisclear,therefore,thatallweknowaboutthetruthisthattheabsolutetruth,suchas
itis,isbeyondourreach.Thetruth,whichcanbeneithermorenotlessthanitis,isthemost
