Transcendence [H]

The freedom of humans to transcend their individual, social, environmental and natural conditions is said to be their peculiar characteristic and is fundamental to ethics and religion. Marx emphasized the ability of humanity as a whole to transcend socioeconomic alienation; while Christianity looks not only to transcending the natural self in concerns and activities with non self-centred goals, but also to the ultimate, supernatural, transcendent reality which makes human transcendence possible at all. In fact, transcendence may be defined as an encounter with the holy which may constitute the source and goal of conversion. It is the domain of the sacred.

According to Kant, although transcendent objects are beyond theoretical knowledge they can be apprehended by faith and supported by practical reason. According to Jung, transcendence may be experienced in connection with sacred rites of renewal or the seeing of visions; but the experience is said to effect no permanent change or [transformation]

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For the Christian it is divine transcendence which differentiates the creator from the created and which, because it is the basis of human transcendence, cannot be separated from divine immanence by which the Holy Spirit is present in and acts through the creature. Arguments which have been put forward to rebuff the apparent implication that therefore divine transcendence inhibits human freedom include: the liberating rather than oppressive conception of the future as a paradigm for transcendence (Moltmann); the liberating immanence of divine incarnation and presence.