Orestes Brownson and Christian Philosophy

Abstract

It has recently been said that only since the 1930's has the notion of Christian philosophy become object of explicit discussion.1 No doubt the writer had in mind the lively controversy over the validity of the concept of Christian philosophy that came to a head in the historic conference on the subject sponsored by the Soci?t? fran?aise de philosophie in Paris in 1931.2 Contemporary discussions of the meaning and appropriateness of the notion often go back to the Parisian debate and the abundant literature pro and con that grew out of it. We should not think, however, that before the dispute of the 1930's there were no distinctly expressed differences of opinion about the meaning and validity of the term 'Christian philosophy'. The recently published Christliche Philosophie im katholischen Denken des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts2 makes it abundantly clear that already in the nineteenth century philosophers and theologians throughout Europe were discussing these topics and adopting opposing views about them. It is remarkable that one of the most outspoken and articulate protagonists in the discussion was an American, Orestes Brownson. But then, Brownson by any account was a remarkable?if somewhat neglected?man. The present essay concerns his views on Christian philosophy and between philosophy and theology, which he formulated in opposition to the European Ra tionalists and Traditionalists.