The work of french philosopher maurice blondel lies behind most of the controversies in twentiethcentury french catholic thought, and bore its fruit in the second vatican council. In maurice blondels work, the problem of immortality is dealt with in terms of ones resolution of the problem of human destiny articulated in the form of a selfdeterminative option. The present book brings together, in themain, contributions by historians. No one is better qualified to write about maurice blondel than oliva blanchette. Pdf maurice blondel on the supernatural in human action. Read maurice blondel online, read in mobile or kindle. Download pdf blondel sought to open up a position in philosophy through which the light of christian revelation could pour in. Download maurice blondel ebook free in pdf and epub format. The second article, necessary structures of freedom, is a summary of my doctorate thesis i presented for a meeting of the jesuit philosophical association. For a discussion of blondels broader concept of tradition, see william a. The notion of tradition in maurice blondel sage journals. In order to do so, i have narrowed blondels notion of tradition to its role in the earliest christian movement. The letter on apologetics is a key statement on the possibility and meaning of christian philosophy. It is a field of study which brings together historians, social anthro pologists and a variety of other workers in the human sciences, and cannot adequately be pursued without such collaboration.
The philosopher of freedom was added as an appendix in my book freedom, glorious freedom. Scott, the notion of tradition in maurice blondel, tbeologicalstudies 27 1 966. Twentiethcentury catholic theology and the triumph of maurice blondel william l. Blondel, maurice internet encyclopedia of philosophy.
Past and present publications the invention of tradition. Blondel, maurice 1861 1949, french roman catholic philosopher. Full text of maurice blondel,s philosophy of action see other formats. It is known that, in 1900, maurice blondel collaborated with his brother charles blondel on an article which called for care in the use of words. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the. Maurice blondel at the intersection of theology and philosophy adam c. The second of november, 2011 will mark the 150th anniversary of. Twentiethcentury catholic theology and the triumph of. Although this option can take many determinate forms, it is ultimately one between egoism and. Maurice blondel 18611949 blondel s importance has largely been in theological and catholic philosophical circles in france, germany, spain, italy, and quebec.
This erroneous notion of tradition ignores the churchs logical and indispensable link that must exist between what the church teaches now and what the church has always believed and taught. Modern thought, with a jealous susceptibility, considers the notion of immanence as the very condition of philosophizing. In 451 the council of chalcedon had ruled that christ did not possess one divine nature, but instead possessed two distinct natures, one fully divine and one fully human, with both acting in harmony together. He did not live to complete his account of the social, polit. The letter on apologetics and history and dogma maurice. History and dogma, written in response to the modernist crisis, is an important contribution to the notion of tradition, seeing it neither in terms of historicism nor. This, however, leads him to a central concept and experience, that of a will. In 1984 he published his now standard translation of blondels doctoral dissertation, laction 1893, essay on a critique of life and. Maurice blondel devised a logic of the moral life on the grounds that action itself respects its own law of contradiction. Scott, the notion of tradition in maurice blondel, ts 27 1966. Maurice blondel was born in dijon, france in 1861, entered the ecole normale. He was at once a postmodern critical philosopher and a devout traditional catholic, trying not only to reconcile these two seemingly disparate factors in his own mind, but also to prove to others that the two must go together. For a discussion of blondel s broader concept of tradition, see william a. Culture, tradition, custom, law and gender equality mj maluleke culture is like an umbrella under which some people like to hide from rain, and also to shade themselves from the sun.
Maurice blondels philosophy of action and concrete political theology provide foundations for modern theologies of action. I appreciated the holistic tone of that definition. The levinas reader is the most comprehensive introduction to levinass. Maurice blondel was deeply invested in the christian philosophy debates that took.
Its evolution throughout history is marked by some important shifts. Published together here are two of blondels most significant texts. Finally, the study of the invention of tradition is interdisciplinary. Absolutely impossible and absolutely necessary for man. The letter on apologetics 1896 is a key statement on the possibility and meaning of christian philosophy. By commencing with the reflective subject, blondel compensates the deficiencies of collectivist marxist social analysis. Full text of maurice blondel,s philosophy of action. I hungered for a philosophical framework which i could use to integrate my religious. English this is the first to book to explore blondels entire body of work and provides an introduction to his life and writings and their relevance to the. Maurice blondel on the supernatural in human action. Download pdf maurice blondel free online new books in.
Maurice blondel was first and foremost a philosopher of religion. French philosopher maurice blondel had a tremendous impact on both philosophy and religion over the first half of the twentieth century. This is a status he had to establish for himself at the beginning of his career in an intellectual ambiance that was largely indifferent to questions of religion, at best, if not resolutely adamant against raising such questions in philosophy. Pdf maurice blondel the philosopher of vatican ii myles.
There is a breadth and depth to the claim being made in the teaching that escapes. Dogma in maurice blondel, the letter on apologetics and history and. Theology dissertations and theses theology, department. Thwarted by compulsions and often by habits, the actions we choose often do not reflect the principles we endorse and so we sometimes find our. Maurice blondel the philosopher of freedom i will never forget the joy and excitement i felt the first time i read the philosophical thought of maurice blondel. Recognized in europe as one of the outstanding figures in the catholic revival that began at the turn of the century, blondel was described by pope john paul ii as one of the first to discern what was at stake in.
Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. The ecthesis was another attempt by the byzantine emperors to heal the divisions in the christian church over the disputes over the nature of jesus christ. Blondels idea of tradition for contemporary philosophical and theological. History and dogma, written in response to the modernist crisis, is an important contribution to the notion of tradition, seeing it neither in terms of historicism nor as something mechanical, but as a. I was a student of theology at woodstock college, a jesuit seminary in maryland. Among many other important authors in the 20th century, blondel is responsible for the new theology, that played such a great role in the deliberations and arguments of the second vatican council. This is because, based on blondels false notion of truth, progress in dogma and understanding of truth is in a continual state of evolution or development. Nevertheless, in order to illuminate the significance of the dramatic notion of truth that one can draw from balthasars. History and dogma 1904, written in response to the modernist crisis, is an important contribution to the notion of tradition, seeing it neither in terms of. Gilson was the initiator of this debate on the notion of christian phi. This notion of tradition was challenged by the teaching of vatican ii. Blondel s key insights and his contributions to catholic thinking and a living tradition are discussed along with the educational implications for catholic schools. Maurice blondel the philosopher of freedom maurice. The catholic university of america before and after blondel.
He was professor of philosophy at aixenprovence from 1897 to 1927. In order to do so, i have narrowed blondel s notion of tradition to its role in the earliest christian movement. Transforming catholic tradition, robert koerpel examines blondel s work, the historical and theological development of the idea of tradition in modern catholicism, tradition s relation to reason and revelation, and blondel s influence on catholicisms understanding of tradition. The letter on apologetics, and history and dogma maurice. This paper suggests that an appreciation and application of the notion of maurice blondel s living tradition would help in addressing some concerns about catholic education. Ethics, as a philosophical discipline, was first structured and systematized in ancient greece, most particularly by aristotle.