Philosophy Between Faith and Theology - by Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak (Paperback)

About the Book

This book explores the essential unity of philosophical and theological thought from various perspectives and pleads for a radical change of method in philosophy.

Book Synopsis

Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak contends that while many Catholic philosophers try to practice a modern, autonomous style of thinking, their experience of a faith-guided life necessarily compels them to integrate their scholarly pursuits with their Christian faith. He writes, "Christians who think cannot separate their thought from their faith and theology." Indeed, he argues that the work of Christian, particularly Catholic, philosophers loses its vitality when philosophers try to restrict their reflections to natural reason alone. In this book he explores the essential unity of philosophical and theological thought from various perspectives and pleads for a radical change of method in philosophy. Peperzak maintains that the interdependencies of philosophy, theology, and the sciences must collectively determine the character of a Catholic university. For him, all serious philosophy has a profoundly religious character and is the quest for a kind of wisdom unhampered by arbitrary boundaries. His plea for a paradigm shift in philosophy and theology concentrates on the idea of speaking God's word in a way that provokes appropriate responses, including praise and prayer.

Review Quotes

"Philosophy Between Faith and Theology is a masterful expression of the intellectual resources of the Catholic tradition, as brought to bear on issues of Catholic faith, education, and culture." --Jeffrey Bloechl, College of the Holy Cross

"In this collection of fourteen essays, Peperzak... expounds on various topics related to Christian thought in the context of philosophy. These topics include the importance of theology in the university; the relationship among philosophy, theology, and scientific disciplines; and the place of Christian thought in philosophy. Throughout, he argues that Christian thought in the work of Christian philosophers and intellectuals must necessarily be a part of their academic rationale."--Library Journal

"In this stimulating series of essays, Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak defends the need for a kind of learning that goes beyond academic professionalism, and reflects on how one might re-establish the links between philosophy and the central concern philosophers once shared with sages, theologians and masters of spirituality, for whom the driving force was a profound passion for succeeding in the art of living humanly. [I]f the book reaches only a restricted audience, that would be a pity. For the wider message is one that has much to say to contemporary anglophone philosophers, by no means all of whom are content to see their subject fragment into increasingly narrow specialisms. This rediscovery... is long overdue. []A] powerful and committed piece of advocacy, rich in scholarship and of transparent integrity."--The Tablet

"Peperzak is at his best in his critique of the failures of the modern academy in its uniform imposition of the secularist, Enlightenment ideal of knowledge and in his use of the phenomenological approaches to open up a deeper appreciation of human practice.... Peperzak is to be commended for struggling against the sterility of the modern academy and finding his way to a deeper and higher wisdom as found in faith, addressing himself to the very question of the relation of faith, spirituality, and philosophy."--Crisis Magazine

"This book makes an original contribution to Catholic studies, philosophy, and theology by charting a useful, cogent, and meditative course between Christian faith and scholarship. On the basis of a lifetime's erudition and experience, Adriaan Peperzak transforms the ways we think about faith, theology, and philosophy." --Kevin Corrigan, Emory University

"With intelligence, this book breaks the modern taboo of the separation between philosophy and theology. It is an invitation to philosophy to recover its rooting in life and to become knowledgeable about love. It is an invitation to theology to rediscover its vocation as a mature consciousness of faith, to communicate using all forms of human thought, and to avoid the pathology of fundamentalism. Peperzak, whose thought is well rooted in the traditions of Western philosophy and Christian theology and who is also profoundly aware of the contemporary philosophical-theological debate, is able to speak efficaciously whether to Catholic intellectuals or to any scholar interested in the integrality of human wisdom." --Professor Giovanni Ferretti, director of the Department of Philosophy and Human Sciences at the Università degli Studi, Macerata, Italy

"This book is a refreshing attempt to transcend both modernity and postmodernity. Peperzak recognizes the limits of pure reason without despairing over them. He shows us how our limits can become the conditions for our success." --Catholic Library World

About the Author

Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak is Arthur J. Schmitt Chair of Philosophy at Loyola University, Chicago.