Abstract

My thesis is that Tillich constructed a unified theory of knowledge by developing a synthesis of thought and being, theory and praxis in a system which provides the certainty humanity seeks. He built his theory within an ontological framework. For Tillich, being now took precedence over thinking. "To know" ontologically, for Tillich, was inclusive. Being, thinking, and meaning were symbiotically related. Tillich sought, therefore, to construct a theory of knowledge in which the critical-evaluative function of knowledge would be taken seriously but would also be seen as only one element within the knowing process. ;This dissertation follows Tillich's deconstructive writings in which he asks how we can know "truth." His solution to this problem is his unified theory of knowledge which is developed in his constructive writings. ;This solution centers in Tillich's emphasis on ontology. When he took this ontological turn, he found a key that would unify his thought and give it comprehensive scope. This ontological analysis of being determined the relational dimension in which all human knowledge and truth comes to be and is verified. It dictated an epistemology of participation as well as a praxis that is discovered and applied within community. ;But his ontological perspective also determined his method. Any existentialist theory of knowledge runs the risk of expressing existential truth in a way that essentializes it. To obviate this problem, Tillich created a new methodology that would do justice to the existential aspects of human experience. The earlier styles influenced by idealism and phenomenology were abandoned in favor of a critical-dialectical or metalogical method. ;This method, in turn, led to two major outcomes: the system took on a practical nature and the style became rhetorical. Tillich's systematic theology has a twofold purpose--to provide a coherent rationale for religious belief and to disclose the unconditional as ground and source of our being. This means his system is both apologetic as well as kerygmatic, yet both are constructed in such a manner that the practical dimension is emphasized