The Debate on the Shared Domains of the Gods

A Wrap-up

Dear Readers,

Jewish holidays have interrupted my classes with Yitzchok, so in lieu of a class report this week, I’ve decided to wrap up the ongoing debate I’ve been having with Edward Butler (henadologia.substack.com) on the shared domains of the Gods. Edward has just recently published two final relevant posts on the issue and not long ago also Oluwaseyi Bello also put in his two cents in his review of my book Time’s Causal Power, so I’d like to react to all of these. However, first of all, let’s collect all the relevant material to the debate:

1) The Nearness of Nameless Gods - Antonio Vargas
An initial essay of mine articulating the possibility of “Nameless Gods” not tied to a specific mythological or ritual tradition

2)Respondendo a um leitor: Como Deuses compartilham um domínio? - Antonio Vargas
My video providing my answer to the issue of the shared domains of the gods, applying the formula “god = henad + methexeis” and contrasting my solution with “multicosmist” solutions

3)On Shared Domains - Edward Butler
The beginning of the debate proper, with Edward formulating his own multicosmist solution to the issue.

4) A Kind Reply by Edward Butler - Antonio Vargas
In this newsletter under topic #3 I reacted to Edward’s comments, where I push back specifically on his account of perception.

5) Further thoughts on shared domains, and an interesting reading of Śaiva-siddhānta - Edward Butler
Edward recognizes my points about perception and takes us up to a disagreement on the nature of concepts and their determinacy

6) Naming the Gods, again - Antonio Vargas
In this reply, I make some distinctions and raise questions about how special proper names really are in Proclus’ philosophy, ending on a contemplative note with an account of the Animal itself as the primary name in some sense. Commentary by Oluwaseyi Bellow

7) Into the Continuum - Edward Butler
Edward presses me on my reading of Proclus’philosophy of language and also advocates for a view of the (intellectual-)intelligible as “a continuum, a flexible and infinitely divisible, even dialogical space that extends both between and within all units;” seeing this as a conseuqence of the Platonic doctrine of “the profusion of Goods”

Posterior to this, Oluwayesi Bello posted a reflection on shared domains of two Gods, Hephaestus and Ogun written in response to a reflection on Hephaestus by Butler and commented on by me.

8) On the Plurality of Values and the Center of the World - Antonio Vargas

I present my own reading of the profusion of Goods as resolving itself in tragedy and I reinforce my arguments on Proclus’ account on the nature of names. Furthermore, I develpo an account of the unicity of the world as dependent on the expulsion/containment of chaos at its center. (Comments by Oluwaseyi Bello)

After this I published a class report where I returned to the nature of the chaos at the center of the world: Class Report: Christianity, Typhon and Chaos (Comments by Oluwaseyi Bello)

9)Time is a God - Oluwaseyi Bellow
A review and summary of my book Time’s Causal Power: Proclus and the Natural Theology of Time (Brill, 2021), but which near the end articulates some answers to the question of shared domains that I will address below.

10)Some thoughts on disjunctive difference within “the same” God - Edward Butler

Edward presents a final eirenic consideration of our disagreements, comments below. (Oluwaseyi Bellow’s comments here) He also complemented my comments on Typhon here.

Now, some comments on the more recent responses to my views: