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  4. Schakenraad (Joke) 2014a

Schakenraad, Joke, “The rational mysticism of John Scottus Eriugena and Ludwig Wittgenstein”, in: Willemien Otten, and Michael I. Allen (eds), Eriugena and Creation: proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Eriugenian Studies, held in honor of Edouard Jeauneau, Chicago, 9–12 November 2011, Turnhout: Brepols, 2014. 637–655.

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“The rational mysticism of John Scottus Eriugena and Ludwig Wittgenstein”
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637–655
Year
2014
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This essay engages Johannes Scottus Eriugena (especially his main work Periphyseon) and Ludwig Wittgenstein (his early writings, especially the Tractatus Logico-philosophicus) on the question what role discursive language and thought can play in acquiring knowledge of God. It is remarkable that both works establish a connection between extreme forms of rational thinking and religious experience, i.e., between logic and mysticism. Since their investigations make use of analogous methods, their observed similarity aptly shows how discursive and logical thinking can indeed be deployed as a means to get closer to God. The authors use similar strategies to reach their goal. While for both authors the end (deification in Eriugena, religious / ethical discourse in Wittgenstein) is based on discursive speaking and logical reasoning, its realization lies one step beyond the text of their books, beyond the arguments used. The authors confirm this by taking a position outside their own discourse : Eriugena does so by addressing his reader in the epilogue, Wittgenstein by giving directions for the interpretation of the Tractatus. On reaching the final position, however, a paradox still prevails. The methodological principles used may not have shattered the knowledge that God is beyond the grasp of reason (Eriugena) or that the elucidating sentences are really nonsense (Wittgenstein), but they have yielded a deeper insight into what it is such knowledge entails.
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Dennis Groenewegen
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May 2015, last updated: January 2019
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