Was ist Freiheit?Fragen an Thomas Pröpper

Zusammenfassung / Summary

Toward the end of the 20th century, Thomas Pröpper and Hansjürgen Verweyen have offered similar approaches to go beyond Karl Rahner's argument that man is inevitably a “Hearer of the Word”. Pröpper develops and clarifies his earlier essay in volume I of his “Theologische Anthropologie” (2011). Despite his basic agreement with Pröpper's “point of departure”, Verweyen raises questions concerning the way it is unfolded: Is representation the primary form of cognition? How do “potential” and “actual infinity” relate to each other? Does Pröpper give sufficient attention to intersubjectivity as constitutive for self-consciousness? Is his interpretation of J. G. Fichte's philosophy sustainable? Can transcendental philosophy prove the real possibility of the existence of God and of his revelation, not only exhibit their clear concepts? - In his own approach, Verweyen is less occupied with uncovering the possibility of revelation than with finding adequate criteria for discerning between just and unjust claims to disclose an all-encompassing meaning of a life that seems to be absurd.