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Tillich Lectures

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[574]

against the aristocratic structure of society. Then secondly the bourgeois society, which revolted against the two other classes in the name of their economic interests and possibilities. And finally the proletarian groups, who followed the same lead and opposed the bourgeois society after it had come to a victory.

A very interesting cooperation of philosophical thought and this sociological development can be mentioned here, namely the development from the rationalism (which is critical) to the bourgeois victory (which is positivistic); the a of which b, c, d, the Encyclopedists of the 18th century gave the formulas, was done in the name of critical reason. In the moment in which the bourgeoisie was victorious, critical reason was replaced by positivistic reason, by calculating reason, because now, that which is positively given should be RECOGNIZED, but it shouldn't be transformed any more. Positivism is the function of victorious bourgeoisie. Therefore the revolutions of the proletariat were again done in the name of natural law, in the name of CRITICAL reason, not in the name of a given positivism. I cannot go further into this--- this is only a footnote which shows the relationship of intellectual problems to such problems.

Now I said that in all these things the e was very important. Let me come to a conclusion today only with preparing the next lecture by saying a few words about this term "economic," because it betrays innumerable people. If you say that the economic realm is the basis (as the Marxists say) and everything else is the consequence, is CAUSED by this basis, then you make half a dozen primitive logical mistakes, and mistakes which can easily be discovered.

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aRevolution
bRousseau, Jean-Jacques
cVoltaire
dDiderot, Denis
eEconomy

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TL-0579.pdf