Alasdair MacIntyer's book titled GOD, PHILOSOPHY,UNIVERSITIES has a copywrite date of 2009. The book makes an attempt to demonstrate that Catholic Philosophy and Theology have a long and productive history which needs more attention. Readers will learn useful history and attain an appreciation for the achievements of devout Catholic scholars.
MacIntyre's opening sections dealt with a difficult question of the early Christians. Many of the early Christian/Catholic scholars pondered over the fact that God made men to think. Yet, such thinking could interfere with the demands of obedience to God. In other words, what was truth and where did it lie. Historians of the Catholic Church know that Church councils, Catholic debates, etc. continued this argument which is still unresolved. Yet, much original work resulted from these differences of opinion.
The section on St. Augustine (354-430)placed him in the middle of different views of Christ, the Church, etc. St. Augustine was well aware the Council of Nicea (325 AD)and the question of the Holy Trinity. St. Athanasius (c 293-373) argued for the concept of God as Three in One (The Holy Trinity). St. Augustine, who was a Manichean, converted to the Catholic Faith under the auspices of St. Ambrose (347-397). St. Augustine could be a stern moralist, but he also enshrined such virtues such as charity, bona fide love (perhaps Divine Love), etc. MacIntyre related that St. Augustines basic thesis was the men love the wrong things such as greed, lust, power, etc. which separated men from THE CITY OF GOD. St. Augustine saw state power and authority as a necessary evil to control crime and theft.
MacIntyre's section re Boethius (c 480-525), the Pseudo-Dionysius (c. 500 AD), and St. Anselm (1033-1109)confronted the problem of reason and the Faith. Boethius was more of a mystic similar to St. Augustine, but Boethius included Aristotle's (384-322 BC)works on reason and logic. The status of the Psudo-Dionysius was interesting. Some Catholic Churchman confused him with one of St. Paul's associates. When the Psudo-Dionysius' identity was discovered, many Catholic monks and scholars dimissed his work. However, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)accepted it in spite of the questionable status of the author.
Macintyre gave explanations of St. Anselm's (1033-1109)ontological reasons for God's existence. St. Anselm was devoutly religious and an ardent believer in the Catholic Faith. Yet, he is considered by some as the Father of Scholastcism. St. Anselm insisted that there had to be SOME reason to support the Faith or else the Catholic Faith could be called unreasonable.
MacIntyre included the contributions of Jewish and Moslem scholars to Medieval teaching and learning. His inclusion of Averroes (1126-1198) and Maimonides (1135-1209)helped to explain the inclusion of Greek thought and especially Aristotle's corpus into Medieval Catholic universities. Obviously,such thought was challenged in Europe,but Aristotle's work gained acceptance when Church authorities saw it in the service of the Catholic Church and God.
What was of historical interest was the little contribution of the Greek Byzantines. Due to the fact that the Byzantines accepted the concept of Caesaropapism, the Byzantine rulers limited scholarship due to possible potentially dangerous questions about the Byzantine ruler being the head of the Byzantine Church. In Western Europe, the Catholic Church authorities were often at odds with the secular rulers. The Catholic authorities needed thoughtful men to make claims about the rights of the Church vs. secular rulers. The Catholic Scholastics thought that Theology, the Queen of the Sciences, included all learning including history and science. One of the problems that was often debated was the status of the Cosmos. Aristotle and some of the Moslem scholars argued that the Cosmos was eternal. On the other hand,the Catholic Scholastics argued that the Cosmos was created Ex Nihilio or out of nothing. However, as St. Thomas Aquinas stated the goal was truth and knowledge and that truth was where ever it was found even among the Greeks, Jews, and Moslems.
Obviously the crown jewel of Medieval Philosophy/Theology was St. Thomas Aquinas. He attended the University of Naples where he learned of Aristotle's METAPHYSICS and PHYSICS at a time when such studies were banned at the University of Paris (1244). There was an adage that the closer one was to Italy and Rome, the more comprehensive teaching and learning were. St. Thomas Aquinas tried to unite philosophy and learning with what he thought was the truth of the Catholic Faith and reality of God. Aquinas rejected the concept of a universal soul and the duality of the body/soul that was often debated. Aquinas did not see the physical world as evil but as an example of God's creation. Medieval Catholic Schoolmen saw the university as institutions to discover truth and how to think.
The Scholastics who followed St. Thomas Aquinas included John Duns Scotus (1266-1308)and William Ockham (1283-1347)who thought Aquinas tried to prove too much. Scotus and Ockham may be considered as Nominalists because of their overriding concern of the use of concepts and names. This led to the trivalizing Scholasticism and led to parody and ridicule. The teaching of Scholastic thought was reduced to repetition and sterility. As a result, the Scholastics contributed little during the age scientific discovery during Early Modern European History.
MacIntyre argued that men like Descartes (1596-1650) and Pascal (1623-1662), while devout Cathlics, used too much guess work and mysticism to prove reality. Decartes's work was quickly challneged when Newton (1642-1727)corrected some of Decartes' errors in physics. Pascal's "bet" fell on deaf years. MacIntyre stated that between c 1700-1850 that Catholic thought was negligible. The few men who tried to unite philsophy and science were largely ignored. These men included Nicolus de Molegrauche (1638-1715), Father Jospi Bassovitch (1711-1783), and Father Rosini-Serbbate (1797-1850) who did important work but got little attention. Father Gregor Mendal (1822-1884)did pioneer work in genetics only to be neglected until the 20th. century.
This neglect ended during the papacy of Pope Leo XIII and Cardinal Newman (1801-1890). Pope Leo XIII demanded that Scholastic Philosophy/Theology be an integral part of Catholic seminaries and colleges/universities. Cardinal Newman insisted that college/university teaching and learning develop unity across academic disciplines. Newman argued that college/university teaching should include virtue and a bona fide search for truth. This is not the same as good taste as some would have it.
MacIntyre's last chapter is NOT encouraging at all. MacIntyre clearly states that knowledge and learning have disintegrated into petty disiplines and complete disconnection of knowledge and honest scholarship. However, we can hope for more than what we expect.
MacIntyre could have strengthened this book by including Catholic scholars who contributed so much to science while remaining devout Catholics. For example, Father Jaki (1924-2009)did exceptional work in advanced physics. Father Lemaitre (1894-1966)did exceptional work by developing a mathematical model of an expanding universe which was conformed by Hubble (1889-1951). Mention could have also mentioned two books edited by Cardinal Schonborn titled CHANCE OR PURPOSE and CREATION AND EVOLUTION. However, the omission of these books should not deflect from the usefullness of MacIntyre's book.
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