Paul Tillich Quotes

20 August 1886 – October 22, 1965

Paul Johannes Tillich (20 August 1886 – 22 October 1965) was a theologian and existentialist philosopher. Tillich was one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century. He is known for his works The Courage to Be (1952) and Dynamics of Faith (1957). In his major three-volume work Systematic Theology (1951–63), he developed his "method of correlation": an approach of exploring the symbols of Christian revelation as answers to the problems of human existence raised by contemporary existential philosophical analysis.

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The existential attitude is one of involvement in contrast to a merely theoretical or detached attitude. “Existential” in this sense can be defined as participating in a situation, especially a cognitive situation, with the whole of one’s existence.

Paul Tillich
— Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be (1952), pp. 123-124

Tags: existentialism, existential, attitude, one, involvement, contrast, theoretical, detached, sense

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One of the unfortunate consequences of the intellectualization of man's spiritual life was that the word "spirit" was lost and replaced by mind or intellect, and that the element of vitality which is present in “spirit” was separated and interpreted as an independent biological force. Man was divided into a bloodless intellect and a meaningless vitality. The middle ground between them, the spiritual soul, in which vitality and intentionality are united, was dropped.

Paul Tillich
— p. 82 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: One, unfortunate, consequences, intellectualization, man's, spiritual, life, word, spirit

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[American] conformism might approximate collectivism, not so much in economic respects, and not too much in political respects, but very much in the pattern of daily life and thought. Whether this will happen or not, and if it does to what degree, is partly dependent on the power of resistance in those who represent the opposite pole of the courage to be, the courage to be as oneself.

Paul Tillich
— p. 112 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: American, conformism, approximate, collectivism, economic, respects, political, pattern, daily

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Individualism is the self-affirmation of the individual self as individual self without regard to its participation in its world. As such it is the opposite of collectivism, the self affirmation of the self as part of a larger whole without regard to its character as an individual self.

Paul Tillich
— p. 113 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: Individualism, selfaffirmation, individual, self, without, participation, world, opposite, collectivism

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The courage to be as oneself within the atmosphere of Enlightenment is the courage to affirm oneself as a bridge from a lower to a higher state of rationality. It is obvious that this kind of courage to be must become conformist the moment its revolutionary attack on that which contradicts reason has ceased, namely in the victorious bourgeoisie.

Paul Tillich
— p. 116 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: courage, oneself, within, atmosphere, Enlightenment, affirm, bridge, lower, higher

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In a man like Friedrich von Schlegel the courage to be as an individual self produced complete neglect of participation, but it also produced, in reaction to the emptiness of this self-affirmation, the desire to return to a collective. Schlegel, and with him many extreme individualists in the last hundred years, became Roman Catholics. The courage to be as oneself broke down, and one turned to an institutional embodiment of the courage to be as a part.

Paul Tillich
— p. 117 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: man, Friedrich, Schlegel, courage, individual, self, produced, complete, neglect

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The anxiety of fate is conquered by the self-affirmation of the individual as an infinitely significant microcosmic representation of the universe .

Paul Tillich
— p. 120 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: anxiety, fate, conquered, selfaffirmation, individual, infinitely, significant, microcosmic, representation

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Even loneliness is not absolute loneliness because the contents of the universe are in him.

Paul Tillich
— p. 121 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: loneliness, absolute, contents, universe, him

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Enthusiasm for the universe, in knowing as well as in creating, also answers the question of doubt and meaninglessness. Doubt is the necessary tool of knowledge. And meaninglessness is no threat so long as enthusiasm for the universe and for man as its center is alive.

Paul Tillich
— p. 121 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: Enthusiasm, universe, knowing, creating, answers, question, doubt, meaninglessness, necessary

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The existential attitude is one of involvement in contrast to a merely theoretical or detached attitude. “Existential” in this sense can be defined as participating in a situation, especially a cognitive situation, with the whole of one’s existence.

Paul Tillich
— pp. 123-124

Tags: existential, attitude, one, involvement, contrast, theoretical, detached, sense, can

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Knowledge of that which concerns us infinitely is possible only in an attitude of infinite concern.

Paul Tillich
— p. 125 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: Knowledge, concerns, us, infinitely, possible, attitude, infinite, concern

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Plato … teaches the separation of the human soul from its “ home ” in the realm of pure essences. Man is estranged from what he essentially is. His existence in a transitory world contradicts his essential participation in the eternal world of ideas .

Paul Tillich
— p. 127 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: Plato, teaches, separation, human, soul, home, realm, pure, essences

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In Calvinism and sectarianism man became more and more transformed into an abstract moral subject, as in Descartes he was considered an epistemological subject.

Paul Tillich
— p. 133 (The Courage to Be (1952))

Tags: sectarianism, man, more, transformed, abstract, moral, subject, Descartes, epistemological

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Knowledge of that which concerns us infinitely is possible only in an attitude of infinite concern.

Paul Tillich
— Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be (1952), p. 125

Tags: existentialism, Knowledge, concerns, us, infinitely, possible, attitude, infinite, concern

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Individualism is the self-affirmation of the individual self as individual self without regard to its participation in its world. As such it is the opposite of collectivism, the self affirmation of the self as part of a larger whole without regard to its character as an individual self.

Paul Tillich
— Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be (1952), p. 113

Tags: Individualism, selfaffirmation, individual, self, without, participation, world, opposite, collectivism

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twitter

One of the unfortunate consequences of the intellectualization of man's spiritual life was that the word "spirit" was lost and replaced by mind or intellect, and that the element of vitality which is present in “spirit” was separated and interpreted as an independent biological force. Man was divided into a bloodless intellect and a meaningless vitality. The middle ground between them, the spiritual soul, in which vitality and intentionality are united, was dropped.

Paul Tillich
— Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be (1952), p. 82

Tags: One, unfortunate, consequences, intellectualization, man's, spiritual, life, word, spirit

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twitter

The courage to be as oneself within the atmosphere of Enlightenment is the courage to affirm oneself as a bridge from a lower to a higher state of rationality. It is obvious that this kind of courage to be must become conformist the moment its revolutionary attack on that which contradicts reason has ceased, namely in the victorious bourgeoisie.

Paul Tillich
— Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be (1952), p. 116

Tags: courage, oneself, within, atmosphere, Enlightenment, affirm, bridge, lower, higher

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