Fides et Ratio
From Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Letter of the same name:
Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves (cf. Ex 33:18; Ps 27:8-9; 63:2-3; Jn 14:8; 1 Jn 3:2).
INTRODUCTION
“KNOW YOURSELF”
1. In both East and West, we may trace a journey which has led humanity down the centuries to meet and engage truth more and more deeply. It is a journey which has unfolded—as it must—within the horizon of personal self-consciousness: the more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness, with the question of the meaning of things and of their very existence becoming ever more pressing. This is why all that is the object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life. The admonition Know yourself was carved on the temple portal at Delphi, as testimony to a basic truth to be adopted as a minimal norm by those who seek to set themselves apart from the rest of creation as “human beings”, that is as those who “know themselves”.
Moreover, a cursory glance at ancient history shows clearly how in different parts of the world, with their different cultures, there arise at the same time the fundamental questions which pervade human life: Who am I? Where have I come from and where am I going? Why is there evil? What is there after this life? These are the questions which we find in the sacred writings of Israel, as also in the Veda and the Avesta; we find them in the writings of Confucius and Lao-Tze, and in the preaching of Tirthankara and Buddha; they appear in the poetry of Homer and in the tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles, as they do in the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle. They are questions which have their common source in the quest for meaning which has always compelled the human heart. In fact, the answer given to these questions decides the direction which people seek to give to their lives.
2. The Church is no stranger to this journey of discovery, nor could she ever be. From the moment when, through the Paschal Mystery, she received the gift of the ultimate truth about human life, the Church has made her pilgrim way along the paths of the world to proclaim that Jesus Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). It is her duty to serve humanity in different ways, but one way in particular imposes a responsibility of a quite special kind: the diakonia of the truth.(1) This mission on the one hand makes the believing community a partner in humanity's shared struggle to arrive at truth; (2) and on the other hand it obliges the believing community to proclaim the certitudes arrived at, albeit with a sense that every truth attained is but a step towards that fullness of truth which will appear with the final Revelation of God: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully” (1 Cor 13:12).
3. Men and women have at their disposal an array of resources for generating greater knowledge of truth so that their lives may be ever more human. Among these is philosophy, which is directly concerned with asking the question of life's meaning and sketching an answer to it. Philosophy emerges, then, as one of noblest of human tasks. According to its Greek etymology, the term philosophy means “love of wisdom”. Born and nurtured when the human being first asked questions about the reason for things and their purpose, philosophy shows in different modes and forms that the desire for truth is part of human nature itself. It is an innate property of human reason to ask why things are as they are, even though the answers which gradually emerge are set within a horizon which reveals how the different human cultures are complementary.
Philosophy's powerful influence on the formation and development of the cultures of the West should not obscure the influence it has also had upon the ways of understanding existence found in the East. Every people has its own native and seminal wisdom which, as a true cultural treasure, tends to find voice and develop in forms which are genuinely philosophical. One example of this is the basic form of philosophical knowledge which is evident to this day in the postulates which inspire national and international legal systems in regulating the life of society.
4. Nonetheless, it is true that a single term conceals a variety of meanings. Hence the need for a preliminary clarification. Driven by the desire to discover the ultimate truth of existence, human beings seek to acquire those universal elements of knowledge which enable them to understand themselves better and to advance in their own self-realization. These fundamental elements of knowledge spring from the wonder awakened in them by the contemplation of creation: human beings are astonished to discover themselves as part of the world, in a relationship with others like them, all sharing a common destiny. Here begins, then, the journey which will lead them to discover ever new frontiers of knowledge. Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.
Through philosophy's work, the ability to speculate which is proper to the human intellect produces a rigorous mode of thought; and then in turn, through the logical coherence of the affirmations made and the organic unity of their content, it produces a systematic body of knowledge. In different cultural contexts and at different times, this process has yielded results which have produced genuine systems of thought. Yet often enough in history this has brought with it the temptation to identify one single stream with the whole of philosophy. In such cases, we are clearly dealing with a “philosophical pride” which seeks to present its own partial and imperfect view as the complete reading of all reality. In effect, every philosophical system, while it should always be respected in its wholeness, without any instrumentalization, must still recognize the primacy of philosophical enquiry, from which it stems and which it ought loyally to serve.
Although times change and knowledge increases, it is possible to discern a core of philosophical insight within the history of thought as a whole. Consider, for example, the principles of non-contradiction, finality and causality, as well as the concept of the person as a free and intelligent subject, with the capacity to know God, truth and goodness. Consider as well certain fundamental moral norms which are shared by all. These are among the indications that, beyond different schools of thought, there exists a body of knowledge which may be judged a kind of spiritual heritage of humanity. It is as if we had come upon an implicit philosophy, as a result of which all feel that they possess these principles, albeit in a general and unreflective way. Precisely because it is shared in some measure by all, this knowledge should serve as a kind of reference-point for the different philosophical schools. Once reason successfully intuits and formulates the first universal principles of being and correctly draws from them conclusions which are coherent both logically and ethically, then it may be called right reason or, as the ancients called it, orthós logos, recta ratio.
5. On her part, the Church cannot but set great value upon reason's drive to attain goals which render people's lives ever more worthy. She sees in philosophy the way to come to know fundamental truths about human life. At the same time, the Church considers philosophy an indispensable help for a deeper understanding of faith and for communicating the truth of the Gospel to those who do not yet know it.
".. Jewish and Islamic faiths, but there does not seem to be any record of persecution of these groups.."
Worth: do you really believe Jewish people have not been persecuted for being Jewish? 8-) I think persecution underlines much of Jewish history.
"... after all, Catholics as an organization haven't brutally harmed other groups en masse in CENTURIES, or at least decades, not including defenseless child victims of sexually abusive clergy..."
Oooh.. I hope none of the protestants in Northern Ireland is reading this (although history does tell us about how it all started); What about the girls in the Magdalene laundries? And the involvement of the Church in a civil war in Rwanda by siding with the Hutus?
I am only asking. I have no axe to grind agaist any religious group. I am still learning about the many sects in Christianity in Europe and how they shape people's behaviours.
As for your question re parents' role and religious education of children: I imagine that both under international convention and the US bill of rights (or equivalent), they would be free to turn their backs on any religion or enter any other religion.
In today's PC world - and because of a minority out to harm rather than care for children - children have more rights than parents do, in some societies and I think you and I both live in such societies.
I think the deeper question is: who has authority over children? The parents who carry out their responsibilities well? Or the remote, uninvolved State?
Posted by: Shefaly | May 16, 2007 at 03:45 AM
Thank you, as always, for your international point of view. Of COURSE Jews have always been persecuted around the world throughout their history! My post was intended to be relegated to the state of affairs, past and present, in the U.S. Yes, there is more than enough anti-Semitism to go around, even in the U.S., but we don't have the kind of headline-grabbing "events" in that realm that many other parts of the world do.
There is the deeper question of who has authority over children, and there is also the question of how much religion would there be in the world, and what would the distribution of each sect be, if not for parental influence over their children's faith (what I refer to as "indoctrination")? I think it odd that in a matter as important as this, the very eternal soul of the child (if that is your belief), it is largely the parents' choice with regard to what becomes of that soul. I'm not advocating anything here, but merely wondering, what if children were "taught" a wide variety of very different religious philophies and histories along with their words and numbers, then allowed to choose when they reached the age of "maturity" that some religions recognize (for Catholics, called Confirmation, at around age 14, and for Jews, the Bar and Bat Mitzvah, I believe also around that same age)? Which would "win"? I would think those that spread through military expansion/empire and forced coercion, i.e. Christianity and Islam, may not fare as well as Judaism or Buddhism or many others that aren't even on our radar.
Thanks Shefaly, and that British/European & Indian perspective is enouraged whenever you find the time!
Posted by: worth | May 16, 2007 at 08:11 AM
Catholics as an organization haven't brutally harmed defenseless child victims - certain sexually abusive members of the clergy have!!!
Posted by: Sandy | May 22, 2007 at 12:16 PM
I'm sorry Sandy, but I must disagree. If an organization knowingly allows proven pedophiles to interact in an unsupervised setting with children, and goes to every length to ensure that the individual's history of pedophilia remains a "private" matter and hides it from unsuspecting children and parents, then that organization is brutally harming defenseless children. If, on the other hand, they actively and transparently attempt to root out all clergy members with documented (by the Church in the form of complaints by parents who are sworn to secrecy in exchange for their settlements from the Church) incidents, then I would agree that the organization should not be (as) at fault. Unfortunately, we don't have that happier situation to deal with at this time.
Posted by: worth | May 22, 2007 at 12:33 PM
so every church in every parish in every state is guilty of what you say? then and only then can you call out the entire Chatholic Church, no?
Posted by: Sandy | May 22, 2007 at 12:44 PM
Worth: Seems the pingback did not work. Anyway you may be interested in this inadvertent meme on parenting and religion that seems to be making its way through my end of the blogosphere:
http://laviequotidienne.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/a-chain-of-posts-parenting-religion-and-a-childs-perspective/
This is of course my post but it refers to the others that discuss the same thing.
Thanks.
Posted by: Shefaly | October 10, 2007 at 07:06 AM
I know it is a bit cheeky but do you plan to implement a search function on your blog?
Sometimes I want to cross-ref but find it a bit difficult to refer to specific posts because I cannot find them. :-(
Thanks
Posted by: Shefaly | October 10, 2007 at 07:07 AM
Shefaly: search functionality, coming right up (I've had the same issue on my own blog, I'm ashamed to admit)! I have had a search box before, but it slowed down the site. That was several months ago, so I'll go find some more candidates and try them out. Suggestions?
Also, I did read your long post that you mentioned in your Comments here today. I only wish it were longer. Truly great stuff, in my opinion. I have lots to say about some of what you wrote, and I'm torn between responding in these Comments, or in Comments at your blog, or in an entire long post of my own. I believe I'll go with posting them on your blog's Comments, once I get a few more uninterrupted moments.
Posted by: worth | October 10, 2007 at 04:55 PM
Worth: Thanks.
The comments are following in many places - on AUM, on TRF and on mine. I had so little time y'day that I did not read all the comments on my own blog and did not respond to them. They need serious time, not my stretch-break minutes. At this stage of the thesis, I am not taking serious time out... :-(
Looking forward to your comments. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Shefaly | October 11, 2007 at 12:57 AM