The Gospel’s Double Antisymmetry as the End-Point of the Development of Western Society

Abstract

In this article, we addressed the question of whether the Gospel’s double antisymmetry can be found in reality as such and especially in Western society, which has obviously made developments in its history. Based on the conceptual analysis of language, we came to the conclusion that there are four layers of reality: the material world, lifeworld, material life and personal life. Through the analysis of individual layers of reality, we have come to the realization that they are characterized by the double antisymmetry (horizontal and vertical) spoken of in the Gospel. While the world (material and lived) is characterized by the primacy of parts over the whole, life (material and personal) is characterized by the primacy of the whole over the parts. Furthermore, if the material world and material life are characterized by the supremacy of the abstract over the concrete, the lifeworld and personal life are characterized by the supremacy of the concrete over the abstract. Based on examples from logic, science, and society, we also show how this antisymmetry manifests itself in concrete phenomena of everyday life and how it points to the gradual conversion of Western society, which is, according to our conclusion, becoming more and more like the People of God, the heir of the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth.