Table of Contents

Syncretism

Comments

  1. Syncretism happens in scholasticism all the time.
  2. To me scholasticism is not a dirty word. Scholasticism is the profession that has a monopoly on the theoretical knowledge of humanity. In this sense scholasticism is a useful and valuable profession.
  3. Scholasticism is an academic profession practiced by professional doctors.
  4. There has always been an agreed upon division of labor between Doctors of Theology and Doctors of Philosophy.
  5. Both of these professionals are Doctors, meaning that they make careers by selling (i.e. teaching) the doctrine to new disciples.
  6. Up to Newton and up to an imaginary or fictional revolution called “scientific revolution” scholasticism got a bad name because Newton successfully conducted a coup within scholasticism and overthrew Aristotle and established himself as the new Sheikh of European scholasticism.
  7. Newton is the last of the Aristotelians and first of the Newtonians.
  8. Once Newtonians took over the scholastic establishment they defined Aristotelians as bad scholastic philosophers who obstructed the development of science for millinnia. They defined themselves as disciples of Newton and true scientists devoted to natural philosophy. It’s Newtonian propaganda that schalasticism is pseudo-science.
  9. But this is not true. Scholasticism as a profession continued without interruption. The schools where scholastic doctors worked were the same schools only the name of the doctrine changed from Aristotelianism to Newtonism.
  10. Furthermore, with the advent of the science of electricity physicists cooperated with the industry and their status as scientists was strengthened.
  11. But no matter. Physicists too are Doctors of Philosophy and they make a living by teaching the doctrine to the newcomers.
  12. So, scholasticism is the academic, educational sector where theoretical knowledge is taught.

Syncretism in history

[chatgpt]

Egyptian god Thoth becomes Idris in Islamic tradition. It is known as Hermes in Greek tradition. Same thing happens with Greek and Roman gods too. Is there a technical term for this process of appropriating gods (or cities or other things or concepts) by changing their names?

Yes, the process of adopting or assimilating deities, cities, concepts, or cultural elements from one tradition into another by changing their names or adapting their characteristics is called “syncretism.” Syncretism refers to the merging or reconciliation of different traditions, often leading to the creation of hybrid beliefs, practices, or identities.

Here’s how it applies specifically to gods and other cultural elements:

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1. Syncretism in Religion and Mythology

  • Definition: The blending or identification of gods from different cultures, often by equating their attributes or roles. For example:
    • The Egyptian god Thoth became associated with Hermes in Greek tradition, leading to the figure of Hermes Trismegistus.
    • The Roman god Jupiter was identified with the Greek god Zeus, retaining similar roles as king of the gods.

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2. Interpretatio Graeca / Romana

A specific term within syncretism is “interpretatio,” where one culture interprets or redefines the gods of another in terms of their own pantheon. Examples include:

  • Interpretatio Graeca: The Greeks reinterpreted foreign gods as counterparts to their own (e.g., the Egyptian goddess Isis became associated with Demeter or Aphrodite).
  • Interpretatio Romana: The Romans did the same, equating, for instance, the Celtic god Lugus with Mercury.

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3. Transculturation

  • Definition: A broader term that describes the process of cultural exchange and adaptation, where elements from one culture are integrated into another, often leading to mutual influence.
  • Examples:
    • Cities: The Greek city of Byzantium was renamed Constantinople under the Roman Empire and later became Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire.
    • Concepts: Philosophical or religious ideas were adapted across traditions, such as Stoic philosophy influencing early Christian theology.

[So same thing happens in physics or natural sciences.]
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4. Appropriation vs. Syncretism

While “appropriation” refers to the act of taking something (often without acknowledgment or understanding of its original context), syncretism implies a more integrative and often respectful blending process.

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5. Cultural Hybridization

In some cases, scholars also refer to cultural hybridization to describe the creation of a new entity or tradition through the merging of multiple influences.

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Examples Beyond Mythology

  • Concepts: The adoption of the term “philosophy” from Greek into Roman intellectual culture.
  • Language: Latin terms evolving into different languages like French, Spanish, and Italian.

[Concepts natural sciences: Like force acquiring a supernatural meaning with Newton.]
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These processes have been central to cultural development throughout history, allowing civilizations to share and adapt ideas while maintaining their distinct identities.

Humanoid is a robot like a human
Godoid is a godlike human

So we may consider Greek Gods as antropomorphic gods or godoid humans which I think make more sense.

Is it also strange that Greek gods have gender

  • So either you take the foreign God Jupiter and change his name to Zeus or you load the word Jupiter with you own meaning.
  • Similarly, Newton takes the old concept of conatus and changes it to “vis insita”.
  • But Newton also takes the old word “force” which meant only contact forces and redefines it to include his non-contact, supernatural cause.
  • This is how scholasticism work.
  • A scholastic doctor is a wordsmith. And an evil wordsmith corrupting the meaning of good old words to justify his doctrines and dogmas.
  • But I’m wondering why does Newton lovers himself to the level of a smooth-talking slick and slippery lawyer and try to deceive us? What is Newton hiding?

Created: 2025-02-05 Wed 09:13

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