Papers by Haralambos Ventis
Πρακτικά Διεθνούς Επιστημονικού Συνεδρίου για τα 100 χρόνια του περιοδικού Θεολογία, Τόμος 95ος, Τεύχος 1ον, Ιανουάριος-Μάρτιος 2024. , 2024
Fallibility and reconsideration in the face of demonstrated error have
long been hailed as premie... more Fallibility and reconsideration in the face of demonstrated error have
long been hailed as premier virtues of science but are they applicable to
Christian theology? It would appear not, given the doctrinal backbone
of Christianity. The present paper nevertheless argues that this reigning
assumption is at best a partial truth and that theological reappraisal is
desirable as well as feasible with regard to cosmology and anthropology,
as opposed to God-related dogmas encompassing Christology and the
Trinity. At bottom, what follows argues for the reinstatement of theology
as a rigorous, reasonable discipline sufficiently cogent to counter the
pervasive tide of anti-intellectualism currently ravaging the Orthodox
Church.
Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Past, Present and Future
Brill | Schöningh eBooks, Oct 6, 2022
This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Δημοσιεύτηκε στον τόμο με τίτλο"Ἡ Θεολογία συναντά τις άλλες Επιστήμες και Τέχνες", 2022
"The Enduring Temptation of Scientistic Reductionism as the Secular Equivalent to Ontotheology and Religious Literalism," in Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Past, Present, and Future, edited by Kostas Tampakis & Haralambos Ventis. Brepols., 2022
In my paper, I shall endeavor to formulate a critical assessment of scientism as a peculiarly cru... more In my paper, I shall endeavor to formulate a critical assessment of scientism as a peculiarly crude and unexpected instance of philosophical idealism parasitic to real science. My thesis runs counter to prevailing assumptions concerning the nature of the object of my critique and will thus require extensive qualification, given the obvious metaphysical basis and implications of idealism, on one hand, and the notoriously anti-metaphysical purposes of scientism, on the other, routinely identified with reason, objectivity, and progress – virtues considered alien to classical idealism. A significant aspect of my aim here will be to argue that scientism and ontotheology are, appearances to the contrary, two sides of the same ideological coin known as “reductionism,” and so must be equally rejected as feeble and, indeed, as deleterious ways of making sense of reality, including the ultimate reality referred to as God.
"The Enduring Temptation of Scientistic Reductionism as the Secular Equivalent to Ontotheology and Religious Literalism," in Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Past, Present, and Future, edited by Kostas Tampakis & Haralambos Ventis. Brepols, 2022
In my paper, I shall endeavor to formulate a critical assessment of scientism as a peculiarly cru... more In my paper, I shall endeavor to formulate a critical assessment of scientism as a peculiarly crude and unexpected instance of philosophical idealism parasitic to real science. My thesis runs counter to prevailing assumptions concerning the nature of the object of my critique and will thus require extensive qualification, given the obvious metaphysical basis and implications of idealism, on one hand, and the notoriously anti-metaphysical purposes of scientism, on the other, routinely identified with reason, objectivity, and progress – virtues considered alien to classical idealism. A significant aspect of my aim here will be to argue that scientism and ontotheology are, appearances to the contrary, two sides of the same ideological coin known as “reductionism,” and so must be equally rejected as feeble and, indeed, as deleterious ways of making sense of reality, including the ultimate reality referred to as God.
Politics, Society and Culture in Orthodox Theology in a Global Age, 2023
This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Μονοθεϊσμός, Φυσιοκρατία και ανθρώπινη αξιοπρέπεια: Η πίστη στην εποχή της έκλειψης του Θεού. The Books' Journal, τ. 126. , 0
Slavoj Žižek and Christianity, 2018
As is well-known, Liberalism (which encompasses a wide spectrum of kin theories) is committed to ... more As is well-known, Liberalism (which encompasses a wide spectrum of kin theories) is committed to a procedural, inclusive type of democracy grounded in a constructivist-falsifiable notion of Truth and Law. By comparison, Christianity, as a monotheistic faith, is routinely chided for its totalizing tendencies by liberal quarters, particularly as regards its propensity to smother personal otherness, thanks to its putative iron eschatology and scorned reliance on revealed truth. Certain liberal strands, from Richard Rorty to Cornelius Castoriades, have actually drawn a link between the Christian and Marxist messianic notions of history to denote the inherently oppressive nature of both systems. This line of criticism is nowadays being challenged by leftist theorists like Alain Badiou and Slavoj Žižek, who are bent on resuscitating a non-relativist concept of Truth along Christian and Marxist lines, as uniquely capable of backing the struggle for equality. In my paper, I will discuss Žižek's valiant attempt to defend this project, following an extensive account of the liberal/ communitarian debate with a view to laying the groundwork for the emergence of Žižek's defense of the nature of Christian truth, as he perceives it. Finally, I will attempt to critically assess Žižek's mission from a liberal Christian's perspective.
An English translation of a contemporary classic in Orthodox theology, this text refutes one of t... more An English translation of a contemporary classic in Orthodox theology, this text refutes one of the main atheistic arguments. It includes a major introduction to the work of Yannaras and the modern significance of Greek Orthodox theology by Andrew Louth. Yannaras begins by outlining Heidegger's analysis of the fate of western metaphysics, which ends, he argues, in a nihilistic atheism. Yannaras's response is largely to accept Heidegger's analysis, but to argue that, although it applies to the western tradition of what Heidegger calls "onto theology" (which regards God as a "being", even if the highest), it does not take account of the Orthodox tradition of apophatic theology, of which Dionysius the Areopagite is a pre-eminent example. A God "beyond being" escapes the criticism of Heidegger, and provides an alternative to Heidegger's nihilistic conclusion.
Δημοσιεύεται στον τόμο Περιπέτειες του Ιδιωτικού στη Μεταπολιτευτική Ελλάδα, Εκδόσεις Εταιρείας Σπουδών, Αθήνα 2019
Στις μέρες μας, όπως θα ήταν αναμενόμενο σε κάθε εποχή παρατεταμένης οικονομικής κρίσης και αβεβα... more Στις μέρες μας, όπως θα ήταν αναμενόμενο σε κάθε εποχή παρατεταμένης οικονομικής κρίσης και αβεβαιότητας, ο λαϊκισμός κάνει θραύση και ενίοτε παρασύρει ακόμη και σκεπτόμενα υποκείμενα σε επιλογές και τοποθετήσεις απερίσκεπτες έως ακραίες, με ολέθριες συνέπειες για το μέλλον των δημοκρατικών κοινωνιών και του κράτους δικαίου. Παρ’ ημίν και σε ό,τι αφορά στη συστηματική προσπάθεια παροδήγησης των μαζών, ο πολιτικός λαϊκισμός υποβοηθείται από τον θρησκευτικό του ομόλογο, προς αμοιβαίο όφελος πολιτικάντηδων «σωτήρων» από τις παρυφές του κοινοβουλευτισμού, αλλά και της ιδρυματικής ηγεσίας της Εκκλησίας, που όχι σπάνια δράττεται της ευκαιρίας να προσεταιριστεί την κοινή γνώμη προκειμένου να αποκτήσει εκ νέου κοινωνικό έρεισμα. Στην εισήγησή μας θα συζητήσουμε το πρόβλημα του θρησκευτικού λαϊκισμού και τους τρόπους με τους οποίους ο τελευταίος υποθάλπεται και διαχέεται κοινωνικά, στην προσπάθειά του να χειραγωγήσει από κοινού την ιδιωτική και τη δημόσια σφαίρα.
Δευκαλίων (Deucalion), 2019
Monotheistic faiths have been routinely lambasted as incompatible with the Copernican worldview o... more Monotheistic faiths have been routinely lambasted as incompatible with the Copernican worldview on account of being hopelessly geocentric and innocent of the true implications of a vastly expanding universe. Christological absolutism, succinctly relayed in the classical formula of Chalcedon, receives the full brunt of the criticism in view of its exclusivist soteriology, which appears to limit divine focus and grace to the human race only, as a result of the doctrine of Incarnation. For all the immense, intricate challenges of exobiology to Christianity, the present paper shall attempt to lay the groundwork for an alternative theological proposal compatible with cosmic pluralism yet faithful to the fundamentals of Trinitarian doctrine.
Slavoj Žižek and Christianity, Edited by Sotiris Mitralexis & Dionysios Skliris (Routledge, 2019)., 2019
As is well-known, Liberalism (which encompasses a wide spectrum of kin theories) is committed to ... more As is well-known, Liberalism (which encompasses a wide spectrum of kin theories) is committed to a procedural, inclusive type of democracy grounded in a constructivist-falsifiable notion of Truth and Law. By comparison, Christianity, as a monotheistic faith, is routinely chided for its totalizing tendencies by liberal quarters, particularly as regards its propensity to smother personal otherness, thanks to its putative iron eschatology and scorned reliance on revealed truth. Certain liberal strands, from Richard Rorty to Cornelius Castoriades, have actually drawn a link between the Christian and Marxist messianic notions of history to denote the inherently oppressive nature of both systems. This line of criticism is nowadays being challenged by leftist theorists like Alain Badiou and Slavoj Žižek, who are bent on resuscitating a non-relativist concept of Truth along Christian and Marxist lines, as uniquely capable of backing the struggle for equality. In my paper, I will discuss Žižek's valiant attempt to defend this project, following an extensive account of the liberal/ communitarian debate with a view to laying the groundwork for the emergence of Žižek's defense of the nature of Christian truth, as he perceives it. Finally, I will attempt to critically assess Žižek's mission from a liberal Christian's perspective.
The Books' Journal, τ. 100, Ιούλιος-Αύγουστος 2019, 2019
Η μελανή εκτροπή του «ιδίου θελήματος» στοχασμοί γύρω από τη σκοτεινιά δυο αμετανόητων τυχοδιωκτ... more Η μελανή εκτροπή του «ιδίου θελήματος» στοχασμοί γύρω από τη σκοτεινιά δυο αμετανόητων τυχοδιωκτών της σκέψης, με αφορμή τη μελέτη του Νικήτα Σινιόσογλου, Μαύρες Διαθήκες: Δοκίμιο για τα όρια της ημερολογιακής γραφής, Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Κίχλη, 2018. Χαράλαμπος Βέντης Η τραγική κατάληξη της Δημοκρατίας της Βαϊμάρης συνεχίζει εύλογα να απασχολεί τους ιστορικούς 1 και να συνεπαίρνει τον νου και τη φαντασία ενός διόλου αμελητέου πλήθους αναγνωστών, για τους ίδιους τηρουμένων των αναλογιών λόγους που εξακολουθεί να μας σαγηνεύει το ναυάγιο του Τιτανικού. Οπωσδήποτε, η καταβύθιση της μεσοπολεμικής γερμανικής Δημοκρατίας δεν υπήρξε ακριβώς αναπάντεχη, όπως εκείνη του μοιραίου «αβύθιστου» πλοίου (δυσοίωνου συμβόλου του τέλους της ευρωπαϊκής Belle Époque)· για πολλούς μάλιστα
Στον τόμο Για την Πίστη, επιμ. Σταύρος Ζουμπουλάκης, Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Άρτος Ζωής, 2019., 2019
Schleiermacher.
The Books' Journal, Οκτώβριος, 2018
Ενάντια στη θαλπωρή της κοινοτοπίας και της ασάφειας, ενάντια στη βία του αφορισμού: Νικόλας Σεβα... more Ενάντια στη θαλπωρή της κοινοτοπίας και της ασάφειας, ενάντια στη βία του αφορισμού: Νικόλας Σεβαστάκης, Φαντάσματα του Καιρού μας: Αριστερά, Κριτική, Φιλελεύθερη Δημοκρατία, Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Πόλις, 2016. Ένα από τα απογοητευτικότερα παρεπόμενα της οικονομικής κρίσης η οποία έπληξε την Ελλάδα χωρίς ορατό ίχνος αποδρομής μέχρι τη στιγμή που γράφονται οι παρούσες αράδες -παρά τους λεκτικούς εξωραϊσμούς και τα δημαγωγικά ξόρκια με τα οποία ακόμη αναχαιτίζεται η χρεοκοπία, στο επίπεδο του φαντασιακού πάντα -είναι η πυκνή ομίχλη Μύθοι και Στερεότυπα της Ελληνικής Κρίσης του Πέτρου Παπασαραντόπουλου 1 , η μελέτη του Χρυσάφη Ιορδάνογλου Κράτος και Ομάδες Συμφερόντων: Μια Κριτική της Παραδεδεγμένης Σοφίας, 2 Οι Μεγάλες Απουσίες: Η Ελληνική Δημοκρατία σε Άμυνα του Γιώργου Σιακαντάρη 3 και το .Λαϊκισμός, Αντι-λαϊκισμός και Κρίση των Νικόλα Σεβαστάκη και Γιάννη Σταυρακάκη. 4 Το τελευταίο, προς ώρας, πόνημα του Νικόλα Σεβαστάκη, Φαντάσματα του καιρού μας: Αριστερά, Κριτική, Φιλελεύθερη Δημοκρατία, αποτελούμενο από αυτοτελή δοκίμια, εντάσσεται στην όψιμη φάση της κρίσης, καθότι επιχειρεί έναν απολογισμό όχι των αιτίων της πλέον, όσο των τρόπων με τον οποίων οι 11
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Papers by Haralambos Ventis
long been hailed as premier virtues of science but are they applicable to
Christian theology? It would appear not, given the doctrinal backbone
of Christianity. The present paper nevertheless argues that this reigning
assumption is at best a partial truth and that theological reappraisal is
desirable as well as feasible with regard to cosmology and anthropology,
as opposed to God-related dogmas encompassing Christology and the
Trinity. At bottom, what follows argues for the reinstatement of theology
as a rigorous, reasonable discipline sufficiently cogent to counter the
pervasive tide of anti-intellectualism currently ravaging the Orthodox
Church.
long been hailed as premier virtues of science but are they applicable to
Christian theology? It would appear not, given the doctrinal backbone
of Christianity. The present paper nevertheless argues that this reigning
assumption is at best a partial truth and that theological reappraisal is
desirable as well as feasible with regard to cosmology and anthropology,
as opposed to God-related dogmas encompassing Christology and the
Trinity. At bottom, what follows argues for the reinstatement of theology
as a rigorous, reasonable discipline sufficiently cogent to counter the
pervasive tide of anti-intellectualism currently ravaging the Orthodox
Church.