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Anatomyzing Divinity: Studies in Science, Esotericism and Political Theology
This three-part analysis of modernity assesses the impact that Western thought and philosophy has had on today's world. Making use of neglected research from the fringes of academia, "Anatomyzing Divinity" traces the circuitous path of occult wisdom from China, India, Egypt and the Hellenistic world to Byzantium and beyond. At the heart of the book is an investigation of the life and thought of G. W. Leibniz, the man who invented calculus and laid the groundwork for binary code, which in turn made computers possible. Leibniz's roots, Kelley shows, lay in the Frankish metaphysical tradition, and thus have little in common with some of his contemporaries' materialism. Along the way, sidelights are turned on 1) the occult basis of Western political systems, as well as 2) the alchemical basis of much Western philosophy and theology.
- GenresPhilosophyOccultScience
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
James L. Kelley
10 books7 followersJames L. Kelley has over a decade's experience in the publishing worlds of psychiatry, history, theology, and vocational studies. He has published more than twenty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His translations, essays, and monographs have been published in the U.S., Canada, France, Romania, and Greece. His translations of Carl Schmitt's "Raum und Rom" and "The Other Hegel-Line: Hans Freyer on His 70th Birthday" have appeared in Politica Comun. Kelley's chapter on Kierkegaard is included in The International Handbook of Love: Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives, eds. C.-H. Mayer & E. Vanderheiden (Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021). He has taught at East Central University (Ada, OK) and the University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 16, 2012
I was given an advanced copy of this book a couple years ago, and it's great. Kelley summarizes much of what is found in Farrell, but adds his own analyses, culminating in a survey of theology in wetsern history that is stellar. From Leibniz to alchemy, the book is definitely worth reading.
March 2, 2012
Mr Kelley gives us a clear exposition of alchemy in its hermetic context. Of interest to Christian readers is the fact that Hermeticism, whether seen as a force for good or ill, was a dominant factor in ancient discourse, in which the Christians found themselves. Not only do we have a better understanding of the ancient world, Mr Kelley's writing style is such that we find ourselves there. This is important because far too many “scholars” give us long, footnoted treatises on what other scholars said in the 19th century, as if anyone cared. Kelley paints a real and vivid picture transporting his readers to that post-biblical world that scholars can only dream about.
Drawing upon the (unanswered) work of Joseph P. Farrell, Kelley notes that Alchemy is concerned with the quest for "prime matter." Prime matter, to use theological expressions, is a medium of which there are no distinctions. Some have labeled it a "void." It is an "absolutely undifferentiated substrate" (61). The philosophically astute reader will immediately notice that this sounds very much like Plotinus' One.
It is Kelley's good insight, again following Farrell, to note that previous theological and philosophical expressions can actually serve as topological metaphors of the physical medium. In other words, while these expressions may symbolize a deep theological truth, they can (and in fact were) used by the ancients to express hermetic and alchemical truths.
Kelley/Farrell notes that following Alchemy's banning in the Christian Roman Empire, alchemy was able to survive in the early medieval world because it formulated its teachings around the structure of the “Filioque.” Father begats Son, both of who produce a third term, the Holy Spirit (one must keep in mind in these filioquist discussions there is always a “2” hiding behind the “3”). Similarly alchemy: God, Kosmos, Space, (49). Space, like the Holy Spirit, is simply what is common between the two other terms (cf. Augustine, De Trinitate, 15.9). Kelley's conclusion is thus: the Hermetic topos (space) is the tangent between the God who cannot be conceived and the World that is this God's utter opposite (think dialectic of oppositions again).
It is Kelley's good insight to note that the aforementioned third term is the very medium that unites the relations of oppositions (50). Likewise, if one places the Hermetic Trinity on a shield akin to that of Charlemagne's, the structure is almost identical. We should not stop our analysis here. I suspect that the physical medium scientifically is like to that above. Joseph P. Farrell has explicated this in some of his Byte Show interviews (the precise one escapes). My problem is confusing the Trinity with this medium. As Farrell noted elsewhere, this is probably why St Photios accused the Filioque of having a “physicalist” slant to it.
Kelley then explores the reign of Philip the Fair of France, with special attention to the work of E. Kantorowicz. While Kelley does a fine job explicating Kantorowicz's thesis, the reader struggled to see the connection between this part and the first part of the book.
In conclusion Kelley looks at the philosophy of Leibniz. In Leibniz's monadology we see an ecumenical desire to water down theological terms. Kelley places Leibniz in his Renaissance Neo-Platonic context, which makes sense given his ontological structure.
Of final interest is Kelley's exploration of binary logic (146ff). Specifically, we see a “fundamental opposition between '0' and '1.'” One is “off” and the other is “on.” Besides the neat fact that Leibniz built the structure for today's digital computers, Kelley points out that for Leibniz the binary code was itself an analogia entis (148). Even more, and by now our ears should be attuned the constant Neo-Platonic echoes, we see that “Zero is the radically simple, all-encompassing monad, undeveloped and unscissioned. The one is the developed monad, developed because differentiated. The Monad longs to long, to move forward itself” (149). The conclusion is obvious: modern technology (drawing from the binary code) is alchemical.
Conclusion
It appears that Mr. Kelley's writing is getting sharper and more cogent with each book. This book competently presented the research of Dr Farrell in a clear manner. Further, it presented this research in a new context. Kelley has given us much to think about. The book does make some demands of the reader, both intellectual and organizational. The book assumes some knowledge of Christian theology and Neo-Platonism, but the average layman can still understand the argument.
Drawing upon the (unanswered) work of Joseph P. Farrell, Kelley notes that Alchemy is concerned with the quest for "prime matter." Prime matter, to use theological expressions, is a medium of which there are no distinctions. Some have labeled it a "void." It is an "absolutely undifferentiated substrate" (61). The philosophically astute reader will immediately notice that this sounds very much like Plotinus' One.
It is Kelley's good insight, again following Farrell, to note that previous theological and philosophical expressions can actually serve as topological metaphors of the physical medium. In other words, while these expressions may symbolize a deep theological truth, they can (and in fact were) used by the ancients to express hermetic and alchemical truths.
Kelley/Farrell notes that following Alchemy's banning in the Christian Roman Empire, alchemy was able to survive in the early medieval world because it formulated its teachings around the structure of the “Filioque.” Father begats Son, both of who produce a third term, the Holy Spirit (one must keep in mind in these filioquist discussions there is always a “2” hiding behind the “3”). Similarly alchemy: God, Kosmos, Space, (49). Space, like the Holy Spirit, is simply what is common between the two other terms (cf. Augustine, De Trinitate, 15.9). Kelley's conclusion is thus: the Hermetic topos (space) is the tangent between the God who cannot be conceived and the World that is this God's utter opposite (think dialectic of oppositions again).
It is Kelley's good insight to note that the aforementioned third term is the very medium that unites the relations of oppositions (50). Likewise, if one places the Hermetic Trinity on a shield akin to that of Charlemagne's, the structure is almost identical. We should not stop our analysis here. I suspect that the physical medium scientifically is like to that above. Joseph P. Farrell has explicated this in some of his Byte Show interviews (the precise one escapes). My problem is confusing the Trinity with this medium. As Farrell noted elsewhere, this is probably why St Photios accused the Filioque of having a “physicalist” slant to it.
Kelley then explores the reign of Philip the Fair of France, with special attention to the work of E. Kantorowicz. While Kelley does a fine job explicating Kantorowicz's thesis, the reader struggled to see the connection between this part and the first part of the book.
In conclusion Kelley looks at the philosophy of Leibniz. In Leibniz's monadology we see an ecumenical desire to water down theological terms. Kelley places Leibniz in his Renaissance Neo-Platonic context, which makes sense given his ontological structure.
Of final interest is Kelley's exploration of binary logic (146ff). Specifically, we see a “fundamental opposition between '0' and '1.'” One is “off” and the other is “on.” Besides the neat fact that Leibniz built the structure for today's digital computers, Kelley points out that for Leibniz the binary code was itself an analogia entis (148). Even more, and by now our ears should be attuned the constant Neo-Platonic echoes, we see that “Zero is the radically simple, all-encompassing monad, undeveloped and unscissioned. The one is the developed monad, developed because differentiated. The Monad longs to long, to move forward itself” (149). The conclusion is obvious: modern technology (drawing from the binary code) is alchemical.
Conclusion
It appears that Mr. Kelley's writing is getting sharper and more cogent with each book. This book competently presented the research of Dr Farrell in a clear manner. Further, it presented this research in a new context. Kelley has given us much to think about. The book does make some demands of the reader, both intellectual and organizational. The book assumes some knowledge of Christian theology and Neo-Platonism, but the average layman can still understand the argument.
July 18, 2021
Wonderfully abstruse
A three part play on the alchemical nature of politics and reality itself. From Augustine, to Charlemagne, to Leibniz, Kelly demonstrates that the mysteries have always been with Western society, shaping our discourse and culture.
A three part play on the alchemical nature of politics and reality itself. From Augustine, to Charlemagne, to Leibniz, Kelly demonstrates that the mysteries have always been with Western society, shaping our discourse and culture.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews