Meister Eckhart’s Ontology of the Subject: Deep exegesis, Trickle-Down metaphysics, and Accidental Humanism

Abstract

Meister Eckhart has historically been considered more of a mystic than philosopher. Renowned for spectacular sermons delivered in the vernacular, describing the divine nature deep in the roots of all beings and the human ability to come into union with it via the practice of abgeschiedenheit , or “detachment”, Eckhart studies are found more within religious studies departments than they are in philosophy. There is a growing trend, however, to reconsider the placement of this thinker and consider his thought as philosophically motivated. Eckhart’s discussion of divine union in the soul is an approach to metaphysics based on philosophical reasoning that is both systematic and long in lineage. In 2019, Robert J. Dobie suggested a reading of Meister Eckhart’s philosophy as “Scholastic Humanism”. In this paper, I examine this reading of Eckhart and argue that, while Dobie has highlighted a key feature in Eckhart’s thought worthy of deeper investigation by the designation “humanism”, his use of this term and the term “scholastic” provide an incomplete description of the Meister’s philosophy. This label draws attention away from the deep influences on his exegesis provided by thinkers such as Maimonides, and what the practice of abgeschiedenheit says about Eckhart’s view of the subject. Thus, although slightly more accurate, the label “Scholastic Humanism” is just as lacking as the “mystic” label. This paper reveals that Meister Eckhart’s thought is scholastic in form and humanist by accident.