The concept of "immanent" for a modern person of average literacy refers to the group of words that are used more intuitively than with knowledge. It seems that the meaning of the term can be guessed without a dictionary, and if you make a mistake, hardly anyone will notice - no one really wants to go deeper and analyze, silently even in response to an incorrect wording. However, if smart people want to not only seem, but really be, it will be useful to clarify the true meaning of the word.
Origin of the word
"Immanent" is a term that originated in the Middle Ages. Then the philosophers compared the "immanent action" and "transcendental action."
Immanent is an action that is closed on itself and does not affect the world around it. Immanent can be considered, for example, reasoning, reflection or analysis.
Transcendental action, on the contrary, is closely connected with the outside world, and its consequences are reflected not only on the actor. The action, as it were, passes - transcends - to other objects, generating new phenomena and events.
Immanence in modern philosophy
Now it is customary to call immanent that which is an integral part of an object or person, that is, that which is enclosed in itself. For example, the external characteristics of an object: color, smell, taste, texture. If we are talking about a person, his character traits, habits, special signs are immanent. You can use this word, for example, in the following context:
- Oh, I know such people! They are immanently scattered and are always late for business meetings! (This means that distraction and lack of punctuality are an integral feature of the described group of people).
- Swiss watches are immanently accurate and almost never break if properly handled.
"Immanent" is a word that is often confused with the adjective "permanent." It is important to remember the simple difference: immanent - internal, permanent - permanent.
Antonyms and synonyms of the "immanent"
The closest synonym for this word is "internal", "intrinsic". The immanent property of an object is that which is inherent in it, characteristic, embedded.
With the antonym, the situation is even simpler: it is only one, but very specific. We are talking about the already mentioned earlier word "transcendental".
Immanence in theism
Among philosophers and religious people, disputes over the immanence or transcendence of God have been going on for hundreds of years. In the first case, God was seen as a creature inseparable from the world he created, knowable and even having a human incarnation. In the second, on the contrary, God was portrayed as a higher, transcendental, unknowable being and living on some completely different side of reality.
Theorists have not come to a single conclusion.
Theory of immanence of the world
This theory is considered in a sense incomplete, but at the same time very original. It states that objects and the surrounding reality exist only in our consciousness and perception. For example, a mug of tea exists on the table as long as we look at it, smell it and taste it. But if you turn away, it will simply disappear from our perception and, accordingly, from reality in general.
Immanent analysis of literary works
In literature, the immanent is a completely different concept. It denotes an analysis method in which the historical context and biography of the author are not taken into account. Very often, this method allows the analysis process to get completely the wrong result that could be achieved if the reader delved into the story of the creation of a poem or story.
So, for example, the famous "Gulliver's Journey" is a fairly simple, albeit very exciting children's tale. However, if you abandon the inherent analysis, it becomes clear that the author is ironic over different social layers. For example, states fighting because they cannot decide which side to start peeling boiled eggs with are satire against Protestants and Catholics.