The Quest for the Absolute

225 Pages·1966·8.18 MB·English

by  Stuart B. Martin (auth.)

BOSTON COLLEGE STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY
EDITORIAL BOARD
J.
FREDERICK ADELMANN
(Editor)
Donald A. Gallagher
Norman J. Wells
William E. Carlo
Thomas J. Blakeley
Joseph A. Devenny
John P. Rock
Dedicated
to
RICHARD CARDINAL CUSHING
certainly the most illustrious alumnus
of Boston College in her century of existence
and munificently her most devoted one
BOSTON COLLEGE STUDIES
IN PHILOSOPHY
VOLUME I
THE QUEST
FOR THE ABSOLUTE
J. S.J.
FREDERICK ADELMANN,
Editor
BOSTON COLLEGE MARTINUS NIJHOFF
CHESTNUT HILL THE HAGUE
1966 1966
ISBN-13: 978-90-247-0211-4 e-ISBN-13= 978-94-011-7491-6
DOl: 10_1007/978-94-011-7491-6
Copyright 1966 by Martinus Nijhojf, The Hague, Netherlands_
All rights reserved, including the right to translate or to
reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form_
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank those who have enabled this series of studies
to appear in published form. The Board of Editors worked diligently
in the selection of the papers. We received constant encouragement
and cooperation from the President of Boston College, Very Reverend
Michael P. Walsh, S.J. and the Chairman of the Philosophy Depart
ment at Boston College, Reverend Joseph F. Flanagan, S.J. and the
members of the philosophy department.
Grateful acknowledgment is also made to the various authors and
publishers who kindly granted permission to quote from the following
works: to E. Gilson for permission to quote from his Index scholastico
cartesian; to Allen and Unwin for permission to quote from T. Masaryk,
The Spirit of Russia, for J. B. Baillie's translation of Hegel, Pheno
menology of Mind, and for W. R. Boyce Gibson's translation of E. Hus
sed, Ideas ;to F. Aubier for permission to quote from M. Gueroult,
Descartes selon L'Ordre des Raisons, from Sertillanges, L'Idee de la
creation et ses retentissements en philosophie, and from V. Solovyov,
La crise de la philosophie occidentale; to The Beacon Press for per
mission to quote from M. Medeau-Ponty, La Structure Du Comporte
ment; to Casterman for permission to quote from V. Solovyov, Les
Fondements spirituels de la vie' to Catholic University of America Press
for permission to quote from St. John Damascene's writings in Fathers
of the Church Vol. XXXVII; to Columbia University Press for permis
sion to quote from V. Zenkovsky, A History of Russian Philosophy,
translated by G. L. Kline' to Constable and Company for permission
to quote from V. Solovyov, The]u stijication of the Good, translated
by N. Duddington; to Duquesne University Press for permission to
quote from W. Luijpen, Existential Phenomenology; to Fordham Uni
versity Press for permission to quote from J. Q. Lauer, The Triumph
of Subjectivity; to Harvard University Press for permission to quote
from Wolfson, Philo, Vol. I; to L'Institut Superieur de la philosophie
(Louvain) for permission to quote from F. Van Steenberghen, Ontologie
and Aristote en Occident; to International Universities Press for per
mission to quote from V. Solovyov, Lectures on Godmanhood; to Kohl
hammer for permission to quote from G. Kittel, Theologisches Worter
buch zum N euen Testament; to Macmillan Company for permission to
VIII
quote from T. Masaryk, The Spirit of Russia and from W. R. Gibson's
translation of E. Husserl, Ideas; to Martinus Nijhoff for permission to
quote from E. Husserl, I deen zu einer rein en Phiinomenologie und phii
nomenologischen Philosophie, Vol. I, and fromCartesianischeMeditatio
nem (Band I) and also from H. Spiegelberg, The Phenomenological
Movement; to M. Niemeyer for permission to quote from M. Heidegger,
Sein und Zeit; to N orthwestern University Press for permission to quote
from J. Edie's translation of M. Merleau- Ponty's La structure du com
portement; to Presses Universitaires de France for permission to quote
from R. Lefevre, La bataille du "Cogito", from J. Laporte, Le Rationa
lisme de Descartes, from S. Bachelard, La Logique de Husserl, from
Q. Lauer, PMnomenologie de Husserl, from B. Tatikis, La philosophie
Byzantique, part of Histoire de Philosophie edited by E. Brehier, from
M. Merleau-Ponty, La Structure du comportement; to Publications Uni
versitaires de Louvain for permission to quote from A. de Waelhens,
U ne Philo sophie de l' ambiguite; to D. Reidel for permission to quote from
T. Blakeley, Soviet Theory of Knowledge; to Routledge & Regan Paul
for permission to quote from M. Merleau-Ponty, PMnomenologie de la
Perception; to J. Vrin for permission to quote from E. Gilson, L'Etre
et l' essence, and from H. Gouhier, La pensee metaphysique de Descartes;
to Yale University Press for permission to quote from K. Jaspers,
Ways to Wisdom. Also we would like to thank the Libraire Letouzey et
Ane for permission to quote from P. Mandonnet, "Cajetan," Dictionnaire
TMologie Catholique, Vol. II; to the editors of The Modern Schoolman
for permission to quote from J. Owens, "The Number of Terms in the
Suarezian Discussion of Essence and Being," Vol. XXXIV, and from
N. Wells, "Descartes and the Modal Distinction," Vol. XIII; to J.
Vrin for permission to quote from T. Philippe, "Contemplatio meta
physique et mystere de la creation", Revue des Sciences Philosophiques
et TMologiques, XXXIII, and from A. Motte, "Theodicee et Theo-logie
chez D. Thomas d'Aquin", RSPT, XXVI;
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Thomas F. Wall,
a graduate assistant in philosophy at Boston College, for his efforts in
going over the manuscripts and to Miss Helen Lumian and Miss Jean
McCarthy for their generosity in helping with the typing of the volume.
Boston College The Editor
Chestnut Hill February I, 1966
Mass., U.S.A.
Contents
Contributors Page
XI
FREDERICK J. ADELMANN, Introduction XIII
STUART B. MARTIN, The Nature of the Human Intellect as
it is Expounded in Themistius' "Para
phrasis in Libros Aristotelis de Ani
ma"
I
FREDERICK J. ADELMANN, The Theory of Will in St. John Dama
scene 22
WILLIAM E. CARLO, Idea and Concept: a Key to Epistem-
ology 47
JOHN P. ROCK, Divine Providence ~n St. Thomas
Aquinas 67
NORMAN J. WELLS, Descartes on Distinction 104
JOSEPH L. NAVICKAS, Hegel and the Doctrine of Historicity
of Vladimir Solovyov 135
THOMAS J. BLAKELEY, The Salient Features of the Marxist-
Leninist Theory of Knowledge 155
RICHARD T. MURPHY, A Metaphysical Critique of Method:
Husserl and Merleau-Ponty 175
CONTRIBUTORS
Reverend Frederick]. Adelmann, S.]., born in Norwood, Mass
achusetts in I9I5, obtained his doctorate in philosophy from Saint
Louis University. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Depart
ment of Philosophy at Boston College.
Stuart B. Martin, born in Detroit, Michigan, in I928, obtained his
doctorate in philosophy from Fordham University and did post-doctoral
studies at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto,
Canada, where he received a licentiate in Mediaeval history.
William E. Carlo, born in Westchester, New York in I92I, obtained his
doctorate at the University of Toronto, Canada. He has also studied
and taught at Oxford University.
Reverend John P. Rock, S.]., born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
in I9I7, obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of
Louvain and his licentiate in theology from Weston College.
Norman J. Wells, born in Boston, Massachusetts in I926, obtained his
doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto, Canada. He
has published numerous articles in philosophical journals.
Joseph L. Navickas, born in Lithuania in I930, was educated in Germany,
in Belgium, and at Fordham University, where he obtained his
doctorate in philosophy.
Thomas J. Blakeley, born in Cleveland, Ohio, in I93I, obtained his
doctorate in philosophy from Fribourg University, Switzerland, where
he remained until I964 as assistant director of the Institute of East
European Studies.
Reverend Richard T. Murphy, S.]., born in Readville, Massachusetts
in I925, obtained his doctorate in philosophy at Fordham University
and holds a licentiate in theology from Weston College.
"On the one hand the rejection of
the absolute is at the very root of
every philosophy which wants to
be naturalistic."
JACQUES MARITAIN