Third Crossroad

Because God is not merely a prescriptive entity but, by virtue of his omnipresence, also a place, Milton implies that knowledge, vitality, and meaningful action depend upon one’s sense of location. For philosophy, one’s understanding (one’s language) determines one’s world; for the religious poet it is the other way round: what one experiences as one’s location, shapes what one knows. A contrast is drawn between the philosopher who begins by denouncing the perceived world, returning to it after a stage of withdrawal into contemplation, and the religious poet who begins with perception of the right kind. Differences between philosophy and religion over the connection between meaningful existence and living an examined life are traced.