‘The Relationship between the Logos of Well-Being and Modes of Existence in Maximus the Confessor’

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between the notions of ‘logos of well-being’ and the ‘mode of existence’ in Maximus the Confessor. In pursuing this goal the article addresses the problem of how to understand the logos of well-being, which defines the mode of existence on the one hand and how losely it is bound to the logos of nature on the other hand. Although it is possible to contrast the mode of existence to the logoi embedded in its nature, the question arises as to how one’s mode of existence can be established by acting in accordance with the logos of the individual being as well as universal logoi. In answering this question, I intend to interpret certain scenes from the science-fiction film Annihilation as the backdrop against which the relationship between the logos of well-being and the mode of existence will be portrayed. I will first draw a parallel between Maximus’ expression ‘assimilation of particulars to universals’ and examples of individual beings as a combination of different species and genera that appear in the film. Secondly, I will attempt to demonstrate the uniqueness of the mode of existence by analysing the hypothetical existence of two individual beings that share the same logos of nature and the mode of existence. Thirdly, I will argue that the dispassionate relationship between beings defines one’s mode of existence that in return activate the logoi of one’s nature. The result of this investigation is to demonstrate that by acting in accordance with the logos of well-being, the human being establishes its own mode of existence – one that is always in compliance with the divine will.