Louisville Process Theology Network

Panentheism since Plato

Sep 04, 2007

In his new book, Panetheism: The Other God of the Philosophers, Reformed Church theologian John W. Cooper writes that differences between the classical dualistic theism and panentheism go all the way back to the origins of philosophy.

We might think of this age-old debate as the God of Aristotle versus the God of Plato; although it's not clear Plato was actually a panentheist.

What we do know is that Plato's dialogue, "Timaeus", inspired the Neo-platonic philosophy elaborated by Plotinus. In "Timaeus", Plato had presented God as the "World-Soul" and the material world as God's body.

See our previous post about Who Is God? III.

Panentheism means literally "Everything is within God". This is greatly different than the more widely recognized term, Pantheism, which means "God is everywhere."

Cooper writes that Panentheism is not so much a single theology as it is a group of related theological views. He identifies five basic issues which distinquish the various views: expicit v. implicit, personal v. non-personal, part-to-whole v. relational, and classical (divine determinist) v. modern (cooperative).

Cooper says that some theologians whose views fit the standard definition reject the term while others whose views are closer to the classical dualism identify with panentheism.

Process theologian Charles Hartshorne popularized the term about fifty years ago.

Coooper goes on to summarize the contributions of dozens of philosophers and theologicans who have theorized on panentheism over the millennia; some of which are thought of as vitalists, pantheists, or classical dualistic theists. They include:


Middle Ages

John Scotus Eriugena
Meister Eckhart
Nicholas of Cusa


Renaissance Onward

Baruch Spinoza
Jonathan Edwards
Friedrich Schleiermacher
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel


19th Century

Ernst Troeltsch
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Alexander
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Charles Sanders Peirce
William James
Charles Renouvier


20th Century

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Alfred North Whitehead
Charles Hartshorne
John Cobb
David Griffin
Paul Tillich
Martin Heidegger
John A. T. Robinson
Hans Kung
Marin Buber
Muhammed Iqbal