What Maurice Blondel Taught Us About Faith, Reason, and "Good Faith Philosophy"
Objective: Learn how the French philosopher Maurice Blondel defined Christian philosophy and how his ideas can inspire us to integrate our own intellectual and spiritual lives. The Man Behind L'Action Picture a quiet getaway in Provence in the late 19th century. French philosopher Maurice Blondel was deep in thought, wrestling with the nature of philosophy itself while preparing his massive doctoral dissertation. That dissertation became L'Action (Action)—an unusual topic at the time that demonstrated just how visceral and active human life truly is. For Blondel, Christian philosophy was essentially philosophy in good faith. In fact, he often preferred the term catholic philosophy , meaning it was meant to be universal for all of humanity. Swimming Against the Current Blondel’s path wasn't easy. He faced heavy turbulence from two sides: The Academic Backlash: The professors on his examination board at the Sorbonne severely criticized his work. He was eventually offered...