Aren’t we all?

October 9th, 2024

“Xenophanes — the conclusion can hardly be resisted — was at the same time a monotheist, a polytheist, and a pantheist.” — Henry Corbin

I don't remember in which book I read those words above, but it doesn't matter. I remember they were written by Henry Corbin, whom I have been reading a lot lately. And as much as he was right about many things and wrong about many things (especially Iran…), he is undoubtedly right about that — and more. What I mean is — aren't we all like that? Aren’t we all monotheists, polytheists and pantheists at the same time? And to quote Goethe — “as a moralist I am a monotheist; as an artist I am a polytheist; as a naturalist I am a pantheist”. That makes a lot of sense, and it seems to be a common train of thought among those who think about things like that. I am one of them and I feel somewhat disjointed about that idea I only recently found out. I feel like I was conditioned to accept monotheism and the only proper theology — for either believing in or fighting against it. Polytheism was a former simplistic and barbaric theology, and pantheism is meaningless feel-good gibberish — that is what I was conditioned to accept without question. Monotheism is where it's at, and you either go with it or reject it wholesale — and there is no other option. Or there was no other option — because now I think I might have found something interesting and logical that will help me understand better. Understand better what — that is another question…