Christian Philosophy Research Articles

Towards a Christian Understanding: The Pursuit of a Christian Philosophy, written by Steven R. Martins

Towards a Christian Understanding: The Pursuit of a Christian Philosophy, written by Steven R. Martins

Expressing Faith in a Phenomenological Mother Tongue

The article first exposes a section in Edith Stein’s masterwork, Finite and Eternal Being, where she explicitly reflects upon the relation between philosophy and theology, and on the possibility of a Christian philosophy. Here, Stein enlarges the scope of rationality when propagating faith as a source of knowledge in its own right. The phenomenological first-person perspective and notions of intention and fulfillment help to elucidate the different ways of getting to know God, finding its utmost source in the lived mystical experience. Despite including theological content in her phenomenological analysis, Stein proposes a possible “common ground” where the non-believer is also invited to join in an epistemological effort. This proposition, I suggest, is pointing forward to the contributions of the so-called “new phenomenologists” of the last half-century, Emmanuel Levinas and Jean-Luc Marion being examples of how theology and philosophy, though separate, may enrich each other.

L’epistemologia religiosa di Tommaso d’Aquino alla luce del dibattito contemporaneo sulla filosofia cristiana

In this article, I focus on what emerges from Thomas Aquinas’s religious epistemology once taken into consideration in the light of the contemporary debates on Christian philosophy. I argue that Aquinas profitably explores what is specific to Christian faith – its being under the command of the will moved by God’s grace. According to Aquinas, it seems that it is precisely that which is specific to faith and distinguishes it from human reason that puts believers in an ideal condition to develop intellectual activities.

L’actualité de la pensée politique de Jacques Maritain cinquante ans après sa mort

The commemoration of the 700th anniversary of the canonization of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) as well as the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) present an opportunity to re-examine the neo-Thomism of the contemporary French philosopher. Our aim here will be to set out the philosophical argument from which Maritain establishes an inseparable link between human rights (i.e., the dignity of the human person) and natural law. We will thus seek to expose how Maritain supports democracy from the horizon of Christian philosophy. In doing so, the Thomistic democracy that Maritain proposes will appear to be distant from both totalitarian collectivism and anarchistic individualism, two current threats to the establishment of an authentic and mature democracy.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE HEART: KAINONIA OF THE UKRAINIAN TRADITION

The research interest is focused on the examination of the kainonia nature of Ukrainian philosophy. It is most deeply revealed within the framework of cordocentrism. As a direction of religious philosophy, cordocentrism most prominently affects epistemological resources and the potential of philosophical knowledge. Cordocentrism reveals itself most fully in the philosophical views of H.Skovoroda. The philosopher successfully combines the Christian tradition with the Ukrainian ethnic identity. Therefore, revealing its potential from the principle of worldview, cordognosia turns into an epistemological platform of philosophical science. This is precisely what is emphasized in the concept of the heart of H.Skovoroda, who examines the fundamental principles of human knowledge of the world.The author focuses on the close connection of the Ukrainian philosophical tradition with the philosophy of Christianity itself. It is this synthesis that becomes an interesting prospect for solving the issue of methodological diversity of modern philosophy (the problem of the methodological crisis). Since it is the cordocentric tradition that lays the foundations of scientific synthesis as a fundamental principle of philosophical knowledge. The latter in the modern epistemological tradition is replaced by analytical research. The practices of “heart synthesis” are aimed at the search for knowledge deeper than logical-evidential epistema or doxa. Thus, in the context of the methodological imperfection of the epistemological problem of modern philosophy, turning to the philosophical heritage of cardocentrism, and directly to the philosophy of the heart of H.Skovoroda, is a promising direction of philosophical knowledge.

Stein’s Phenomenology of Grace

Stein’s Freedom and Grace (Freiheit und Gnade) phenomenologically describes the experience of grace as the desire, communication, or acceptance of God’s Spirit of Love, accessed in the act of faith motivated by the soul’s otherwise unfulfilled desire for self-mastery. This article first discusses the affordances of Stein’s phenomenology which equip her to see grace as a fulfilment of the natural life of the soul, which is experienced as coming from beyond itself. It then addresses how the individual, personal I fails to satisfy its implicit desire for rational and free action in the natural life of the soul and how, in contrast, its opposite, the graced, liberated life of the soul, allows it to, but not on its own, only through union with God’s Spirit. It proceeds from this existential alternative to show how the treatise unfolds as an investigation of the various a priori possibilities for grace to be experienced and why it makes sense to acknowledge faith as a legitimate source of knowledge, as Stein does in work postdating Freedom and Grace. Finally, it is argued that the treatise is phenomenological in nature and that it does not presuppose either metaphysics or Christian doctrine but instead contributes to underpinning both. This argument simultaneously explains Stein’s own subsequent engagement as a Christian philosopher.

Ideał wychowania. Refleksja w oparciu o myśl ks. Zygmunta Mościckiego

Every man is connected with a family, cultural, circle, national and religious circle. Every man who lives consciously asks himself about the purpose and meaning of life. Christian philosophy is that kind of knowledge which helps to find answers to the questions and a kind of factor of inner integration. The main purpose of the researching is: mental integration of a human beeing, reconciliation with life, the world and the culture on a common ground of wider world view synthesis which contributes an order based on pursuing to recognize the truth. Following the way a man functions based on a certain value hierarchy which determines process of upbringing and selfbreeding. Contents connected with above terms are characteristic for priest Zygmunt Mościcki, for him creating an attitude which enables to persue the highest targets. Keywords: upbringing, self-education, ideal of upbringing

Bringing Philo Home: Responses to Harry A. Wolfson’s Philo (1947) in the Aftermath of World War II

AbstractIn 1947 Harry Austryn Wolfson published his massive and revisionary Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With the book, Wolfson aimed at proving that Philo was an innovative and highly influential philosopher—by no means an isolated Jew of no consequence to the history of philosophy. As becomes clear from numerous letters written to Wolfson on the occasion of the publication of the book and stored at the Harvard University Archives, for Jewish readers Wolfson’s proposed rehabilitation of Philo could provide a point of orientation. It served as a source of comfort and of pride in the post-war years. While the main thesis of Wolfson’s book, Philo as the precursor of medieval philosophy, was rejected by most scholars of Philo and ancient philosophy, the letters and notes discussed in this article show that much more was at stake than a purely academic discussion.

왜 동물철학이 필요한가?

The author concludes that it is necessary to examine and reflect on the prevailing animal view in Korean society, which includes cows, pigs, goats, and even pets, and that a new alternative is needed. In that regard, the author plans to establish the concept, key issues, and philosophical status of animals in an academic manner by pioneering animal philosophy, as there has been no systematic discussion on animal philosophy in Korea so far. This article first addresses the question of “why animal philosophy is necessary in our society?” and aims to clarify the relationship between Christianity and animal philosophy. We will confirm that there has been a growing interest in the study of animals, animal ethics, and animal philosophy within the Korean Christian community. Here, we will examine the perspective of Andrew Linzey (1952-), a professor of theology at the University of Oxford in the UK, who advocates for the understanding of animals, animal rights, and the ethics of compassion from the perspective of Christian philosophy. In particular, we will focus on discussing the relationship between moral sensitivity towards animals and religion, the challenges that animal issues pose to traditional Christian theology, and the misconceptions about animal rights and Christian understanding. Lastly, we will examine the current significance of animal theology and animal philosophy as advocated by Linzey, as well as the influence of the Korean Christian community on these ideas.

Christian Philosophy and Christian Philosophers: Response to Gutowski

The essay is a response to Piotr Gutowski’s Creative Thinking about God and Respect for Christian Identity. The author clarifies his understanding of the Christian integrity and responds to some criticisms formulated by Gutowski.

Creative Thinking about God and Respect for Christian Identity

In the article I refer to the philosophy of William Hasker and his proposal to reconcile respect for the basic dogmas of Christianity with the contemporary standards of knowledge and the needs of people today.
 In the first part I analyse Hasker’s view on the idea of Christian philosophy. Since he assumes the truthfulness of the main doctrines of Christianity, he is not opposed to being referred to as a Christian philosopher, but neither is he enthusiastic about this name. This attitude is the result of his conviction that the state of absolute neutrality is not possible in philosophy and that regardless of the views accepted as true by a given thinker the requirement for good philosophy is fairness and evaluating all perspectives and beliefs for their internal coherence and their correspondence with the evidence. Therefore, Hasker first tries very carefully to reconstruct positions different from his own and to track down various difficulties in them, especially contradictions. In my opinion, however, the objection of self-contradiction is ineffective when applied to philosophical positions which, as a rule, use vague concepts. The same applies to the claim that these positions are contradictory to evidence, because one of such vague notions is also the notion of evidence. That is why philosophical claims have the extraordinary ability to persist in life or unexpectedly revive after being considered definitively dead. It does not follow from this that one cannot convincingly justify one’s position using less formal criteria. 
 In the second part I focus on the rhetorical device used by Hasker to make his concept of God more attractive. He suggests that we should shape our concept of God based on our idea of a great man, i.e. one who educates children to live independently and is able to effectively and fairly manage large groups of people. Leaving aside the accusation of anthropomorphism, the question arises about the epistemic value of this image, which is not universal, changes over time and depends on the conditions in which people live. The content of this image proposed by Hasker isn’t also consistent with the idea of the God of Christian orthodoxy, which is dominated by traditional rather than open theism. This is where the problem of linking creative thinking and respect for Christian identity arises. Regardless of the opinion that open theism has among traditional theists, Hasker supports the concept of a strong Christian identity determined by a universally recognized creed. I propose to treat this identity a little more flexibly.

Christian Philosophy facing Naturalism

The dispute between naturalism and anti-naturalism has been underway almost since the very beginnings of philosophy. Christian thinkers, by proclaiming that God as Creator transcends the reality He has created, and that human beings as persons transcend the material world, have entered this dispute on the anti-naturalist side. The contemporary dominance in culture of the naturalistic paradigm requires Christian philosophy to reflect on naturalism in the broadest sense (in its various forms), together with its conditions and consequences, and to rethink its relationship to this philosophical tradition. Naturalism rejects the possibility of something existing, being known, or being explained that is separate from the material reality given in empirical cognition. Along with this, it denies human beings transcendence with respect to the natural or social world. In its contemporary iteration, this tradition appeals to the solutions and methods of domain-specific forms of scientific inquiry, relying on them for its own authority. For Christian philosophy, naturalism represents a powerful challenge. It is possible to see in it a threat to Christian philosophy, but it is also possible to discern in it an opportunity for a more critical evaluation of Christian philosophy’s previous solutions, and an opportunity to develop new ones. There is a need for a better understanding of naturalism itself, as well as of what the various domain-specific sciences (including the natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities and, currently, neuroscientific research in particular) have to say about the world and about human beings. Systematic and historico-philosophical questions equally still call for debate – in relation to the centuries-old dispute between naturalism and anti-naturalism, as well as the changing place of Christian thought within it. In our own time, one can witness diverse attempts by Christian thinkers both to critically discuss naturalistic positions and to implement naturalistic approaches or solutions within Christian thought itself. Certainly, the latter cannot ignore the fact that naturalism allows philosophy to maintain cognitive contact with domain-specific forms of scientific inquiry. The organizers plan to conduct this conference in hybrid mode, combining both online and onsite elements. This model will allow all interested persons to participate, while also offering those wishing to actually come to Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow the possibility of doing so.

Christian Philosophy, Christian Philosophers or Christians Making Philosophy?

The objective of this paper is to reflect on the proper way for Christians to do philosophy, in respect of which I have been inspired by a phrase attributed to Cardinal Newman: “We do not need Christian philosophy. We need Christians making good philosophy.” This sentence can appear controversial, but I believe it is not, if its content is made explicit in an appropriate way. To better develop what I understand Newman to be proposing here, I have added another category to his statement, with the consequence that my own text falls into three sections: 1) on Christian philosophy; 2) on Christian philosophers; 3) on Christians who do philosophy. This is the scheme that we will use to position ourselves as regards the complex issue of the relationship between philosophy and Christianity.

Paolo Valori on Searching for Truth Everywhere as a Feature of Christian Philosophy

This article presents the views of Paolo Valori (1919–2003), a little known philosopher and Italian Jesuit who was one of the first scholars in Italy to deal with Husserl’s thought. Valori belonged to the so-called “second wave” of Italian phenomenology. His critical analysis of Maurice Blondel’s views, and his reflections on contemporary philosophy, led him to the conclusion that a dialogue between Christian philosophy and contemporary thought is called for. One aspect of this dialogue may be the opening up of Christian philosophy to the search for truth in the human sciences, and to various tendencies in philosophy and theology. Such an opening can be called “the search for truth everywhere.” The article presents the sources of Valori’s views and his understanding of interdisciplinary dialogue. This analysis is supplemented by a presentation of his concept of truth, and the text ends with an example of the practical application of this approach within his conception of phenomenological ethics.

A Christian Theodicy

This is the opening talk of the conference Christian Philosophy and Its Challenges organised by Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow on 20-22 September 2022 in Poland. The talk was given by Richard Swinburne, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, and was later edited into this openning essay of the issue dedicated to Christian Philosophy.

How Can Christian Philosophers Improve Their Arguments?

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare two concepts which tend to be treated as synonymous, and to show the difference between them: these are critical thinking and logical culture. Firstly, we try to show that these cannot be considered identical or strictly equivalent: i.e. that the concept of logical culture includes more than just critical thinking skills. Secondly, we try to show that Christian philosophers, when arguing about philosophical matters and teaching philosophy to students, should not focus only on critical thinking skills, but rather also consider logical culture. This, as we argue, may help to improve debate both within and outside of Christian philosophy.

Demarcating the Foundations of Analytic Theology and Philosophical Theology

Analytic theology is a thriving research program at the intersection of theology and analytic philosophy. Prior to Oliver Crisp and Michael Rea’s launch of “analytic theology” in 2009, the discipline functioned under the moniker “philosophical theology.” Considerable ink has been spilled on what is analytic theology in the past decade, and most recently by William Wood (2021). Some theologians (e.g., Abraham 2009) have argued that it is systematic theology while others (e.g., Coakley 2013) have been content to remain in a family resemblance class rooted in philosophical theology. At the same time, analytic theology has welcomed Christian philosophers (e.g., Beall 2021) who have migrated into Christian doctrine via philosophy of religion. These philosophers are not systematic theologians, but, rather, philosophical theologians. This essay analyzes the relation between analytic theology, philosophical theology, and philosophy by examining their starting points and how they perceive and access truth, and then proposes a spectrum to graph their overlapping zones of research. I conclude that philosophical theology stands at the heart of the disciplines and thus remains an appropriate term for analytic theologians and Christian philosophers working somewhere in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

Philosophy of luxury: yes and no

The concept of luxury in the spirit sciences does not have a categorical status, meanwhile, luxury in the history of culture sometimes played a primary role. It is difficult to overstate the role of luxury in the development of art and technology. On the other hand, luxury often served as a cause for the ruin of cities and countries. The article focuses on the role of luxury in ancient ethics. Negative attitudes towards luxury contributed to a positive image of austerity. The positive image of austerity in the Hellenistic schools of antiquity served as the basis for the theoretical synthesis of creed and philosophy in Christianity. The spread of Christianity to the upper strata of Roman society was due to the fact that it was high society that was tired of luxury. Ascesis was subjected not to the poorest strata of society, but to the richest, so the problems of exploitation, it must be admitted, had no direct relation to the genesis of Christianity.

The writer’s uncle Pyotr Bulgakov in Vladivostok, Tokyo, and San-Francisco

The article compares two printed versions of the short story ‘The Power of the Devil’ [‘Vlast lukavogo’], written by the priest P. Bulgakov. The first publication of the story took place in China in 1907; the second edition was given the title ‘Greed’ [‘Zhadnost’] and printed in Europe in 1923. The later edition was thoroughly revised: technical inaccuracies were corrected, several scenes cut short, expressive means added, and more profound conclusions drawn. These changes may indicate that the revision was in part supervised by the priest’s nephew Mikhail Bulgakov, later a renowned writer. Pyotr Bulgakov taught theology at the Oriental Institute in Vladivostok, then the Japanese and Russian languages in Japan, where he served as priest for the Russian embassy; he also studied the influence of Christian philosophy on East and Southeast Asia, published papers on Japanese studies, and produced translations. The article touches on his relationship with M. Bulgakov’s family.

Anatoly Kuznetsov. <i>A soul inspired</i>

A book of remembrance by Anatoly Kuznetsov, an enthusiastic scholar of the life, beliefs and works of the 20th-c. pianist and Christian philosopher Maria Yudina. Referring to her personality as ‘symphonic’ and ‘faithful to sobornost’, Kuznetsov spent forty years celebrating Yudina’s memory and sparing no effort to collect and preserve her legacy. He searched for and gathered her articles, letters, reminiscences, and diaries, and brought to light her informal connections, discovering her friends of some years and correspondents from all over the world. Yudina exchanged letters with Adorno, Balanchine, Bakhtin, Zabolotsky, Karsavin, Lozinsky, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Suvchinsky, Florensky, Favorsky, Chukovsky, Shostakovich, and Yavorsky. The rich ‘musical score of life’ is accentuated by the symphonic and polyphonic qualities of her letters. Searching for synthesis, Yudina became its true epitome. Supplementing Yudina’s own writings with scholarly essays and reminiscences about her, Kuznetsov succeeds in capturing the vanishing era.