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Catholic Intellectual Traditions
led by Joseph Wawrykow
Associate Professor of Theology
What is the relation between Catholic faith and intellectual work, including that conducted at the university? Does Catholic faith stimulate or stifle intellectual work? Or is it, at bottom, irrelevant to the intellectual enterprise? That there is in fact an intimate connection between the life of the mind and the Christian faith is a conviction that emerged quite early in the Christian movement and maintained by Catholic Christians ever since; witness in this regard the early characterization of Christianity as 'the true philosophy,' and the similarly early designation of Christian discipleship as the 'pursuit of wisdom.' More recently, however, this perceived close connection has been called into question; some critics go so far as to doubt whether one can be both Catholic and a genuine intellectual.
The seminar's exploration of the relation between Catholic faith and the intellectual life will fall into two parts. The first will look at the articulation, in early Christianity, of the "rule of faith" (the basic tenets of the religion), and how the identification of these beliefs about God, and Christ, and the human person as made by and for God, stimulated a certain openness to the intellectual achievements of the broader culture, allowing Christians to draw on originally non-Christian ideas and concepts to clarify the faith ("faith seeking understanding"). The second part will investigate the tenability of this view of the positive connection between faith and reason, taking into account modern distrust of authority and tradition; the concern to maintain the integrity of reason and of the non-theological disciplines; the tendency in modernity to privatize religion and so safely segregate it from the full range of human endeavors; and, the rather changed circumstances of a pluralistic, secularized society. Together, the two parts of the course should allow students to deepen their knowledge of Catholicism as both a faith and a culture.
The seminar will provide the opportunity to read and discuss texts by such influential authors as: Augustine, Aquinas, and Bonaventure; Michael Buckley and Alasdair MacIntyre; Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. There will not be any formal written assignment, but participants will be expected to come prepared to each seminar session with a thoughtful question or a brief written response pertaining to the reading.
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