In stark contrast to modernity’s dubious and fragmented opinions and belief systems, Maritain—in works like The Degrees of Knowledge and Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry—proposed a theory of knowledge that permits real, if limited, knowledge of substances, wholes. Some contributors use these works as a springboard from which to examine aspects or applications of knowledge that Maritain left unexplored. Others challenge or question aspects of Maritain’s analysis, seeking to improve upon his work. Still others compare Maritain with other neo-Thomistic philosophers, most notably Etienne Gilson, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Pope John Paul II.
Maritain’s works on human knowledge and the implicit critique of modernity contained within provide an alternative for those seeking to engage the various deficiencies of the “culture of death.” These essays demonstrate the continuing relevance—and timeliness—of Maritain’s thought. Contributors: George Anastaplo, James Arraj, Joseph M. de Torre, Robert Delfino, Raymond Dennehy, John M. Dunaway, Robert Fallon, Desmond FitzGerald, William J. Fossati, W. Matthews Grant, Catherine Green, James G. Hanink, Gregory J. Kerr, John F. X. Knasas, John F. Morris, Ralph Nelson, Douglas A. Ollivant, Matthew S. Pugh, Mario Ramos-Reyes, Steven J. Schloeder, Christopher H. Toner, John G. Trapani, Jr., Henk E. S. Woldring, and Thomas F. Woods.
