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The Word of Flux: Modern Man and the Problem of Knowledge
Modern man has a problem with knowledge. He cannot accept God's Word about the world or anything else, so anything which points to God must be called into question. Man, once he makes himself ultimate, is unable to know anything but himself. Because of this impasse, modern thinking has become progressively pragmatic. This book will lead the reader to understand that this problem of knowledge underlies the isolation and self-torment of modern man. Can you know anything if you reject God and His revelation? This book takes the reader into the heart of modern man's intellectual dilemma.
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2022
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 28, 2023
The book is now the second book I’ve read by Rushdoony. One thing that is very clear is he does such a great job at communicating his points and engaging with others positions, making both more understandable.
Rushdoony does a phenomenal job at encouraging the Christian to take seriously the foundational knowledge that is God and His word; to trust it and ground yourself upon it, and to in light of that surety, not give honor to dishonoring, unbelieving thought. One of my favorites quotes from the book, which also illustrates this point, is:
“Whether it is the writers of the literary realm or in formal philosophy and theology, modern men make much of their “tragic mode of existence.” We should not take this too seriously. It is comparable to the plea of the man, who, having murdered both his father and mother, asked for mercy on the ground that he was an orphan.” (pg. 69)
There is honestly too much to quote from this book. I found myself literally highlighting over half of the book simply because of just how good he broke everything down. But, as always, here are a few of my favorites (one from each chapter):
“The Christian does not attempt to prove that God exists but to demonstrate that, apart from the presupposition of God, no proof is possible. The starting point of thinking should not be man, as in Descartes and modern philosophy (cogito ergo sum), but God. Without the presupposition of God, there is no ground for distinguishing between one particular and another, because there would be no premise beyond autonomous man and brute factuality to establish a principle of differentiation and a pattern of meaning.” (pg. 32)
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“The Christian begins with faith in the sovereign and triune God of Scripture. This is his starting point and his presupposition. The Christian does not begin by proving the existence of God, because God is the only source of all creation, of all interpretation, proof, and understanding. If we do not begin with God, we cannot logically know anything or prove anything: we are trapped in the narrow confines of our mind, in a cave of shadows and perhaps phantasies. We believe in order that we may understand.” (pg. 43)
-
“This is the meaning of the temptation and of original sin. Man has opposed to God’s word his own word, and to God’s law, the law of man’s imagination. Man refuses to submit to anyone save himself or to know reality except in terms of his own fiat reason.” (pg. 47)
-
“Clearly, Haroutunian did not look to Scripture for knowledge but to human experience exclusively, i.e., “to all that we know about life.” The meaning of life thus is understood in terms of man, not God. The limits of life are the limits of human experience. If man, who has life, dies, it follows that all life dies. This is anthropomorphism with a vengeance.” … “Man is his new creator, interpreting life in terms of the limits of his own life and experience. The humanistic scientist says, ‘What my net does not catch is not fish,’ and thus defines factuality only in terms of his preconceived limitations which are designed to eliminate God-created factuality. Haroutunian says that any life that transcends man’s life and experience cannot be life. His idea of God ‘forbids identification with the Real,’ so that we do not have the living God of Scripture who performs great miracles and absolutely predestines and governs all things, but a limiting concept.” (pg. 61)
-
“The freedom of man from God becomes man’s new slavery. The goal of modern man is freedom from God, the goal set before him by the tempter in the beginning (Genesis 3:1-5). For the existentialist, man makes himself. Man has no essence, no pre-established nature, only being, until he, by his own choice, defines himself. Until man makes himself, he is ‘indefinable,’ because he is as yet ‘nothing.’ ‘Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.’” (pg. 71)
-
“When men discuss epistemology, it is their desire to be as “objective” and “scientific” as possible, and to convey the impression that theirs is a concern with conclusions open to all men by any fair standards. The most reprehensible position for them is one which offers itself as an infallible truth, to be accepted on authority. They will assure you that it is precisely this kind of dogmatism in Christianity that repels reasonable men.” … “The offense of Biblical faith has been its radically divergent position. Instead of beginning with man and man’s reason, it begins with God and His revelation. Instead of bringing all things to the judgment bar of man’s mind, it takes all things to the infallible word of God for a standard.” (pg. 79)
-
“The issue in epistemology is thus one of ultimate authority. Either man will know himself and interpret himself and the world in terms of the word of God, or he will seek to know himself and all things else in terms of his own ultimacy. The omnipotent God of Scripture has a character, an absolute nature, and therefore a predestinating decree which gives a law-structure to all reality. The autonomous man has being and no essence, for to admit to a pre-established nature is to surrender autonomy. Having no essence, and his essence or nature when he defines it being only valid for him when and where he expresses it, his word is the word of flux. Whereas God says, “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6), modern man must say, “I am the lord as long as I change, because to admit that any moment is superior or better than other moments is to admit a value or standard beyond myself.” Christian man makes room for change, because sin must be overcome, and the earth developed under God; the realm of man, the creature, is change, but God is changeless.” (pg. 96)
-
“If man makes himself his own ultimate and his final reference point, then the world and knowledge are dependent upon man. Nothing exists beyond autonomous man as a reference point above and beyond him, because man is now his own god. What the unbeliever calls his epistemic point of view the Bible declares to be man’s original sin (Genesis 3:1-5).” (pg. 98)
-
“In brief, modern man is a product of his epistemology. He lives in a dream world, implicitly believing that reality is somehow, or will be somehow, a part of man, and totally at the command of man’s imagination some day. His awakening will be a rude one, and God will be in it.” (pg. 110)
Rushdoony does a phenomenal job at encouraging the Christian to take seriously the foundational knowledge that is God and His word; to trust it and ground yourself upon it, and to in light of that surety, not give honor to dishonoring, unbelieving thought. One of my favorites quotes from the book, which also illustrates this point, is:
“Whether it is the writers of the literary realm or in formal philosophy and theology, modern men make much of their “tragic mode of existence.” We should not take this too seriously. It is comparable to the plea of the man, who, having murdered both his father and mother, asked for mercy on the ground that he was an orphan.” (pg. 69)
There is honestly too much to quote from this book. I found myself literally highlighting over half of the book simply because of just how good he broke everything down. But, as always, here are a few of my favorites (one from each chapter):
“The Christian does not attempt to prove that God exists but to demonstrate that, apart from the presupposition of God, no proof is possible. The starting point of thinking should not be man, as in Descartes and modern philosophy (cogito ergo sum), but God. Without the presupposition of God, there is no ground for distinguishing between one particular and another, because there would be no premise beyond autonomous man and brute factuality to establish a principle of differentiation and a pattern of meaning.” (pg. 32)
-
“The Christian begins with faith in the sovereign and triune God of Scripture. This is his starting point and his presupposition. The Christian does not begin by proving the existence of God, because God is the only source of all creation, of all interpretation, proof, and understanding. If we do not begin with God, we cannot logically know anything or prove anything: we are trapped in the narrow confines of our mind, in a cave of shadows and perhaps phantasies. We believe in order that we may understand.” (pg. 43)
-
“This is the meaning of the temptation and of original sin. Man has opposed to God’s word his own word, and to God’s law, the law of man’s imagination. Man refuses to submit to anyone save himself or to know reality except in terms of his own fiat reason.” (pg. 47)
-
“Clearly, Haroutunian did not look to Scripture for knowledge but to human experience exclusively, i.e., “to all that we know about life.” The meaning of life thus is understood in terms of man, not God. The limits of life are the limits of human experience. If man, who has life, dies, it follows that all life dies. This is anthropomorphism with a vengeance.” … “Man is his new creator, interpreting life in terms of the limits of his own life and experience. The humanistic scientist says, ‘What my net does not catch is not fish,’ and thus defines factuality only in terms of his preconceived limitations which are designed to eliminate God-created factuality. Haroutunian says that any life that transcends man’s life and experience cannot be life. His idea of God ‘forbids identification with the Real,’ so that we do not have the living God of Scripture who performs great miracles and absolutely predestines and governs all things, but a limiting concept.” (pg. 61)
-
“The freedom of man from God becomes man’s new slavery. The goal of modern man is freedom from God, the goal set before him by the tempter in the beginning (Genesis 3:1-5). For the existentialist, man makes himself. Man has no essence, no pre-established nature, only being, until he, by his own choice, defines himself. Until man makes himself, he is ‘indefinable,’ because he is as yet ‘nothing.’ ‘Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.’” (pg. 71)
-
“When men discuss epistemology, it is their desire to be as “objective” and “scientific” as possible, and to convey the impression that theirs is a concern with conclusions open to all men by any fair standards. The most reprehensible position for them is one which offers itself as an infallible truth, to be accepted on authority. They will assure you that it is precisely this kind of dogmatism in Christianity that repels reasonable men.” … “The offense of Biblical faith has been its radically divergent position. Instead of beginning with man and man’s reason, it begins with God and His revelation. Instead of bringing all things to the judgment bar of man’s mind, it takes all things to the infallible word of God for a standard.” (pg. 79)
-
“The issue in epistemology is thus one of ultimate authority. Either man will know himself and interpret himself and the world in terms of the word of God, or he will seek to know himself and all things else in terms of his own ultimacy. The omnipotent God of Scripture has a character, an absolute nature, and therefore a predestinating decree which gives a law-structure to all reality. The autonomous man has being and no essence, for to admit to a pre-established nature is to surrender autonomy. Having no essence, and his essence or nature when he defines it being only valid for him when and where he expresses it, his word is the word of flux. Whereas God says, “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6), modern man must say, “I am the lord as long as I change, because to admit that any moment is superior or better than other moments is to admit a value or standard beyond myself.” Christian man makes room for change, because sin must be overcome, and the earth developed under God; the realm of man, the creature, is change, but God is changeless.” (pg. 96)
-
“If man makes himself his own ultimate and his final reference point, then the world and knowledge are dependent upon man. Nothing exists beyond autonomous man as a reference point above and beyond him, because man is now his own god. What the unbeliever calls his epistemic point of view the Bible declares to be man’s original sin (Genesis 3:1-5).” (pg. 98)
-
“In brief, modern man is a product of his epistemology. He lives in a dream world, implicitly believing that reality is somehow, or will be somehow, a part of man, and totally at the command of man’s imagination some day. His awakening will be a rude one, and God will be in it.” (pg. 110)
Displaying 1 of 1 review