著者

山室 吉孝

出版者

教育哲学会

雑誌

教育哲学研究 (ISSN:03873153)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.1991, no.63, pp.66-79, 1991-05-10 (Released:2009-09-04)

参考文献数

52

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The 'faith' which is proclaimed in “A Common Faith” and interpreted as Dewey's religious thought deviates from the traditional Christian faith. However, deviating as it seems to be, there is a similarity in the attitude of relying on something which cannot be grasped intellectually or by experience. But his religious thought, as also his educational thought, can be traced to his philosophy. Hence, originally, the content of his 'religious thought' and his educational thought should be identical at the root. Yet, until now, the problem was never raised which position the 'faith' he proclaimed occupies in terms of his educational thought. I clarify here the position his 'faith', believed to originate from the influence of Christianity while at the same time deviating from it, occupies within his educational thought.

著者

山室 吉孝

出版者

国際基督教大学

雑誌

国際基督教大学学報. I-A, 教育研究 (ISSN:04523318)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.27, pp.69-85, 1985-03

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After landing on New England from Old England, the birthplace, Puritanism had to face many hard problems in the religious and social organization policy within a different circumstances of the colony. The signs of change of American Puritanism can be seen from its early stages, and the process of change of the Puritanism as a system of religious dogmas was inevitable. Although, we find the influences of the ethos of Puritanism in modern American thought; the term used here, the ethos, should be understood as an imprint of the moral function of a religion which practically influences people's mode of life. Indeed the Puritan religion has declined, but the imprint is still alive basically unchanged. This thesis concerns the ethos that I conclude to be the heritage inherited from Puritanism. (1) First, the ethos involves the attitude which attaches importance to the verification of truth through practical action. The Puritan required verification of his redemption by God through practical action. Therefore he came to attach importance to that verification. (2) Secondly, the ethos involves the attitude which esteems rationality though human reason is not looked upon as an absolute. For the Puritan, practical action to verify redemption by God must follow the will of God. He did so rationally. Therefore he esteems reason. In this case, reason does not mean scientific reasoning but rationality based on interpreting the Bible. (3) Thirdly, the ethos concerns the attitude which disapproves fixed truths and values in the process of searching for the truth. For the Puritan, the only God is absolute. He believes in nothing absolute but God. And he does not believe that he knows anything perfectly. However, he must understand the will of God to govern his actions. Therefore he is constantly searching for the will of God, the object of the truth. (4) Fourthly, the ethos concerns the attitude which opposes any authority in the world and thinks highly of the independence of the individual. The Puritan believes that the only God is absolute. So he repudiates idolatry of the creature. He thinks that all men are equal under God. Therefore he opposes all human authorities, and depends upon no one but God. He becomes an autonomous man and an independent individual.