Our AI hosts unpack chapter 4 of Francis Schaeffer’s book, Escape From Reason. Schaeffer explores dichotomy of reason and non reason which required the leap to nonrational faith. Subscribers to J.R. Miller’s Substack are invited to critique this AI summary and discuss the special content archived on the episode landing page.
Read along with The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview (5 Volume Set) by Francis A. Schaeffer
“This is what it means to say man is dead. It does not mean he was alive and died. He was always dead, but did not know enough to know that he was dead.” — Francis A. Schaeffer
The Briefing
Francis Schaeffer's "Escape from Reason" Chapter 4, "The Leap," argues that modern thought is characterized by a fundamental and irreconcilable "dichotomy" between rationality and hope. This dichotomy, solidified by Kierkegaard, posits that "all rationality leads to pessimism," while "optimism must be nonrational." Consequently, any search for meaning, purpose, or significance in the upper story (optimism/hope) necessitates a "leap" of faith that is entirely divorced from the lower story of rationality, logic, and verifiable truth. This applies equally to secular and religious thought, rendering the specific content of the "leap" incidental to the underlying system of despair.
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