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I really think Notre Dame might gradually be becoming more Catholic. Fr. Jenkins is a friend and former professor of mine, and was the first person to introduce me to Catholic philosophy (and to advise me to pursue a philosophy major!) so I’m obviously biased, but I think he could do good things for the school. When I was applying to grad school, with lots of worries about what it would be like to be Christian (I wasn’t yet Catholic) in a field dominated by liberal atheists, his advice was both honest and sobering. It would, he agreed, pose some challenges. But he promised that holding onto my faith would be well worth the costs it might carry, not only for the sake of my soul but even for the sake of my scholarship. He truly believes that a firm Catholic faith can enrich academic work. This seems to me an excellent view for the president of Notre Dame to have.
Some good news from my alma mater.
6 Responses to “Some good news from my alma mater.”
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St. Louis-Marie de Montfort,
Pope St. Pius X,
St. Joseph,
St. Ambrose of Milan,
St. Thomas Aquinas,
St. Francis (and St. Clare),
St. Catherine of Siena,
St. Alphonsus Ligouri,
St. John Chrysostom,
It is sometimes noted by Father John Corapi that to not be conscious of the spiritual realities is a serious deficiency on the part of the secularist. That is why Fr. Corapi likens it to insanity…which is exactly what it is…to not be in touch with reality. Not only is Catholic philosophy ordered by both the natural world (natural law) and the supernatural (metaphysics) but it also has a good bit of help from God Himself (theology). Thus authentic philosophy exists within the Catholic Church and the other arenas only posses some truth within the extent that they share in the Catholic beliefs.
Clara,
Can you recommend a good intro book to philosophy that is thoroughly Catholic?
Summa Theologica :) And I’m only half joking…
Philosophers tend to avoid introductory books. A good one that comes to mind, which is not “thoroughly Catholic,” but which is rather sympathetic to non-materialist views, is Roger Scruton’s An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Philosophy.
I haven’t read it, but this also looks potentially interesting” A Student’s Guide to Philosophy by Ralph McInerny of Clara’s Alma Mater.
Doctor Asinorum,
I have the Summa (as well as “Tour of the Summa” by Msgr Wrenn). I also have The Four Cardinal Virtues by Pieper and his treatise on Faith, Hope & Love. The latter is a bit much for me.
Yes, to second what the Doctor said, it’s a bit hard to think about how all of philosophy would be introduced in one book. Even textbooks designed for intro courses in philosophy tend to be just collections of articles and excerpts from great philosophical works. I also wasn’t sure whether you wanted a book introducing all of philosophy but explaining and interpreting it in a Catholic way, or a book introducing Catholic philosophy.
If the former, the Scruton book is a good choice, but another, which is perhaps more explicitly Catholic, is Maritain’s “Introduction to Philosophy.” It’s sort of a romp through some major trends in the history of philosophy and then through some contemporary fields (contemporary to Maritain, at least, though obviously many things have changed in the last few decades). St. Thomas reassuringly emerges as the champion. It’s overall quite an interesting book.
If it’s specifically Catholic philosophy you want, then of course you’ll be particularly interested in the philosophy of the Middle Ages. David Luscombe’s “Medieval Thought” gives a kind of summary of the main players. In the interests of filling out the picture, that book has a fair amount of historical information as well.
And then you can dive into the Summa.
Hope that helps!
I knew there was a reason I liked Clara. Good suggestions!