Year of Grace Series: Chapter 6 Part 2 Different types of philosophies

Different Stances of Philosophy:

There are certain different stances of philosophy with regard to Christian faith.  In brief these are:

    (a) Philosophy completely independent of the Gospels Revelation.

    (b) Christian Philosophy.

    (c) When theology calls upon philosophy.

 A brief summary in respect of reach follows:

(a) Philosophy completely independent of the Gospels Revelation.

This is the philosophy that took shape before the birth of Christ, and in other areas not touched by the Gospel.  Such a philosophy obeyed its own rules and employed the powers of reason alone.  As a search for truth within the natural order, it should be supported and strengthened.  Valid autonomy of thought should be respected, as the results attained are universally valid, provided arguments in favour use rigorous rational criteria.

However some modern philosophers reject this approach and adopt a ‘separate’ philosophy in which the truth offered by divine Revelation is ignored to its own detriment.

(b)   Christian Philosophy.

There is not an official philosophy of the Church, since the faith as such is not a philosophy.  Nevertheless Christian philosophy includes those important developments of philosophical thinking, which would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith.

Christian philosophy is not only subjective but also objective.  It is subjective in the sense that faith purifies reason.  There are questions to be resolved such as the problem of evil and suffering, the personal nature of God and the meaning of life.  Also ‘why is there something rather than nothing?’

Christian philosophy is objective when dealing with content.  Revelation has disclosed the truth that there is a God who created the world, that there is sin in the world responsible for the problem of evil, and that a person is a spiritual being.  The Christian proclamation of human dignity equality and freedom has influenced modern philosophical thought.  History has been important for  a philosophy in the search for truth.

Christian philosophy when reviewing the truth in Sacred Scriptures will discover that man has a supernatural vocation and that there was original sin.  Reason is required to be challenged to recognise such truth, and to look further than it normally would.

It is a fact than many philosophers in recent centuries have abandoned Christian orthodoxy, even though a good part of modern and contemporary philosophy would not exist without the stimulus of the word of God.

(c) When theology calls upon philosophy.

Theology has always and still needs philosophy’s contribution to demonstrate and confirm the intelligibility and universal truth of its claims.

Historically philosophy has retained its autonomy, which remains unimpaired when called upon by theology in its research of providing a critical reason, concept and argument in the light of faith.

From the patristic period onwards, philosophy has served throughout history to indicate the link between itself and theology and the impossibility of their separation.

Theologians need philosophers and vice versa otherwise the grounding principle of autonomy which every science rightly wants guaranteed would be seriously threatened.  Philosophy must respect the truths of faith whenever it engages theology.

The reason why the Magisterium favours Saint Thomas Aquinas’s thought and made him the guide and model for theological studies, is because his is an authentic model of all who seek the truth.  His reason and power of faith were a magnificent example to emulate.

The Pope pointed out philosophy must obey its own rules and its own principles yet truth can only be one.  Revelation can never debase the discoveries and legitimate autonomy of reason, which must never lose its capacity to question and be questioned.  Christian Revelation is an integral focus between philosophical and theological thinking.  The Pope hopes that there will emerge philosophy consonant with the word of God, so that a point of understanding between believer and non-believer will emerge.  Believers will be helped to strengthen their faith when their thought is found to be in union with God’s word.