Jacques Maritain (1882–1973)

Summary: Explores what is distinctive about Christian philosophy with notes on apologetics and moral philosophy.

Can there be any such thing as a “Christian” philosophy, and if so, in what does it consist? In 1931 Jacques Maritain, a Catholic philosopher delivered a paper at a conference at the University of Louvain. He addresses these questions in the context of a dialogue between Etienne Gilson, Emile Brehier, and Maurice Blondel. This occupies the first part of the essay, in which the show more question of whether philosophy and faith have anything to do with one another.

Maritain argues that Christian belief can enrich philosophy in offering new ideas for rational consideration including that of creation, of God subsisting in God’s self, and unique perspectives on the question of the person raised by the Triune revelation of God. Maritain argues that such insights are not removed from reason but may enrich it. He proposes that reasoning from nature provides knowledge of the existence of God but this is enriched by revealed insights.

At the same time, he contends that philosophy is always ancillary, or a handmaid, to theology. Moreover, he contends that moral philosophy in a fallen world is subalternate to theological ethics. In all this he draws heavily on both Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, believing the latter’s work provides a foundation for Christian philosophical work.

This work also includes brief essays on Maritain’s ideas on the role of faith-informed reason in the work of apologetics, and further elaborating the ideas already touched on concerning moral philosophy.

I found this a challenging read. Some has to do with Maritain’s context, unfamiliar to me. The writing is also dense, laden with philosophical jargon. This edition helps with providing a glossary of many of the technical terms Maritain uses. This is an academic paper, given for other specialists. I hope at some point that someone will produce an annotated version. The ideas are important as a model of what it means to think Christianly about anything. Maritain significantly influenced John Paul II’s personalism. This essay is a concise summary of a significant part of his thought. It is worthy of explication. show less

A difficult read indeed. My interest in the evolution of Catholic thought, Thomas Aquinas, and Aristotle were discussed within the context of Bergsonian philosophy. If understood correctly and oversimplified, that reality is found through intuition, by by-passing the intellect. It goes against everything I have been taught but this was the height of philosophical discussion in 1911.
Did enjoy his appendix on Aristotle.

Mauritain (1882-1973) is an important lettered French author of books on political science and Thomist theology, and these are lectures he gave in Chicago after WWII. The surprise is the amount of optimism he carries to this subject matter - as he evaluates the State and "authority", and the dangers to justice and public safety. He argues that the State is a tool of the people--vox populi--to secure justice and safety, and is evil when it is adored, because there is a Higher Law derived from show more reason and nature. The Catholic martyrs defied evil oppressors because of their freedom and spirit, and loygalty to a Higher law. [Ch VI].

The medieval Thomist (1225-1274) approach is freshened. Filled with unsupported historical claims and contradiction. For example, he finds the establishment of the American Constitution "peerless" for its significance for political philosophy, but without specification, finds it "repugnant to the idea of making human society stand aloof from God" and religious faith [183-4], although we all know that it does not mention God and forbids the "establishment" of a Church by the State.

Critic of Hobbes, and the Machiavellian "Prince" powers, Although he writes in service to the Church and he literally served as Ambassador of the Vatican (1948-1951), Maritain is of little help to the plutocrats who would use the Government/State as their own device for oppression and monopoly. He is an apologist for democracy and social justice, all the way, every time. show less

Difficult to read, but the last chapter in particular makes the struggle worthwhile