The Transient and the Absolute: An Interpretation of the Human Condition and of Human Endeavor (Contributions in Philosophy)

207 Pages·1999·0.87 MB·English

by  Mordecai Roshwald

The Transient
and the Absolute
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The Transient
and the Absolute
An Interpretation of
the Human Condition and
of Human Endeavor
MORDECAI ROSHWALD
Contributions in Philosophy, Number 70
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Roshwald,Mordecai,1921–
Thetransientandtheabsolute:aninterpretationofthehuman
conditionandofhumanendeavor/MordecaiRoshwald.
p. cm.—(Contributionsinphilosophy,ISSN0084–926X;no.
70)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0–313–30936–1(alk.paper)
1.Philosophy. 2.Will. 3.Absolute,The. I.Title.
II.Series.
B29.R628 1999
128—dc21 98–44217
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)1999byMordecaiRoshwald
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:98–44217
ISBN:0–313–30936–1
ISSN:0084–926X
Firstpublishedin1999
GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the beloved memory
of Miriam,
my companion
through the winding path of life.

Contents
Introduction 1
1. Personal Experience 7
2. Theoretical Questioning 19
3. Individual Activity 33
4. Crucial Changes in Life 45
5. Religion 55
6. Philosophy 71
7. The Order of Nature 97
8. The Collective 107
9. Political Authority 133
10. Aesthetic Expression 151
Conclusion 173
Notes 179
Bibliography 191
Index 195

Introduction
The title and the subtitle of the present work, though intended to define
and announce its subject matter, require some clarification to fulfill this
function. Let us start with the subtitle, or its components.
‘‘An interpretation’’ sounds quite modest. It stands in place of ‘‘a the-
ory,’’ which would have been much bolder. The temptation to call the
present attempt ‘‘a theory’’ was rejected due to certain misgivings.Athe-
ory, as is well-known, tries to offer a full and exhaustive explanation of
the subject to which it is addressed. We make no claim to such a full and
comprehensive explanation of man’s condition and endeavor. We might
have used the phrase ‘‘a philosophical interpretation’’ instead of ‘‘an in-
terpretation,’’ were it not that the epithet ‘‘philosophical’’ would evoke
images either of a rigorous and technical discipline, or, at the other ex-
treme, of a vague and inarticulate outlook. The presentattemptisneither
of these. It isconceivedin a direct,nontechnicalmanner,whichmayhave
been characteristic of philosophy initsearlierstages,whenitmeant‘‘pur-
suit of knowledge and wisdom’’ addressed to fundamental and universal
matters. In this sense this is a philosophical interpretation. However, to
avoid misunderstanding due to the current usages or misusages of the
word ‘‘philosophy’’ or ‘‘philosophical,’’ the simplerterm‘‘interpretation,’’
unqualifiedbyambitiousepithets,wasemployed.Indeed,thewordingcho-
sen was ‘‘an interpretation,’’ to allow for other valid and possibly coexis-
tent interpretations.
Yet, to counterbalance our self-restraint and humility, the rest of the
subtitle testifies to the ambitious nature of the project. For the thing to
be interpreted is nothing less than ‘‘the human condition and human en-
deavor.’’ ‘‘Human’’ is a description which covers men and women every-
2 The Transientand the Absolute
where and in all times—at least since there has been evidence of the
nature of human beliefs and institutions. Inthissensethepresentattempt
is within the realm of what is sometimes referred to as ‘‘philosophical
anthropology,’’ a discipline which tries to understand the universal man
in universal terms.
The present work is addressed to man as a social being and to man as
a solitary creature. It does not prejudge human condition and endeavor
by a commitment to a psychological, or an economic, or a sociological,or
areligiousoranyotherestablishedapproachaimingatthecomprehension
of humanity. It may be all of these, some of these or none of these.What
approach is actually adopted and how it can be characterized should be-
come clear in due course.
Why do we make a distinction between human condition and human
endeavor? The reason for it is in the assumption, which can be corrobo-
rated by observation and experience, that man is subject to certain con-
ditions of biology and environment and attempts to shape his existence
by a deliberate effort. The dividing line between these two aspects of
human experience is not always clear. In a broad sense, it could be said
that civilization in its diverse manifestations is the expression of human
endeavor rather than of human condition. Technology, from the most
primitive artifacts to recent sophistication in the diverse branches of pro-
duction, as well as political and social institutions, arts and sciences, all
testify to the wide range of human endeavor. They may, however, affect
the human condition. Findings in medicine may prolong and improve
man’s biological condition. Military techniques and technology may en-
danger, or safeguard, the existence of communities and nations. On the
other hand, civilization or culture in any given society may be conceived
as one of the aspects of the human condition into which each individual
is born. We do not choose the place and culture of our birth, but are
placedinagivensetting.Thus,theconditionsunderwhichwelivearenot
limited to biological factors and geophysical and geographical environ-
ment, but encompass the social and cultural environment as well. Yet, to
emphasize the endeavor again, not only the social institutions and the
cultural achievements are, in the last resort, the products of man’s en-
deavor and creativity, but man also affects his geographical limitationsby
physical mobility, his geophysical conditions by technical inventions, his
biological constraints by scientific findings and techniques, his very exis-
tence by crime and warfare.
If the upshot of this cursory analysis is that the distinction between the
human condition and human endeavor is blurred and that the two are
intertwined, the distinction still remains valid. It remains objectively true
that there are certain conditions to which man is subject, as there are
certain regions which can be affected and controlled by human action.
This objective situation is also reflected in human perception: we know