Thoughts on Poetry, Prophecy, and the Limits of Logic

“Whenever the nature of the subject permits the reasoning process to be without danger carried on mechanically, the language should be constructed on as mechanical principles as possible; while in the contrary case it should be so constructed, that there shall be the greatest possible obstacle to a mere mechanical use of it.”

- John Stuart Mill

“That which renders Logic possible is the existence in our minds of general notions - our ability to conceive of a class and to designate its individual members by a common name.”

- George Boole

During this morning’s Bible study, a friend and I came across a New Testament reference to Isaiah and began to discuss prophesy. The prophet, we thought, knows exactly what he has seen and presumably aims to share his vision with others in the clearest, most direct way possible. Could it be that the language of the prophets (like the poetic symbolism of Isaiah) is not meant to confuse us but rather is the most direct formulation?

Jesus spoke in parables for those with ears to hear. He used symbolic language that would be understood by some but not by others.

Understanding poetry requires effort. Milton’s Paradise Lost was not written in normal English, not even for his contemporaries. Milton invented a strange form of English for Paradise Lost. Reading Milton is difficult, but when you understand the meaning he is trying to convey - when the interpretation clicks - you know it. The light bulb goes off. It’s the only thing he possibly could have meant.

Speaking plainly carries the risk that your audience may be satisfied with a shallow understanding, mistaking their shallow understanding for complete understanding when the message you mean to convey carries greater depth. On the other hand, Milton’s poetic language, the parables of Jesus, and the symbolic language of the prophets ensures that if you don’t get it, you know it.

It is poetry (and its symbolic, abnormal language) that calls us upward to a higher level of consciousness, not rigorous logic. Logic works on fixed axioms and discrete categories. A higher level of consciousness demands the renovation of axioms and categories. Mechanical logic cannot accomplish this.