 
Book Reviews Out of a Kantian Chrysalis? Critiquing the Philosophy of RelativismBy Ronald McCamy Reviewed by Douglas A. Brandt Tuesday, April 20, 1999 |
||
| All
Presbyterian ministers and teachers would benefit from having several
technical philosophical books on their study shelves. One I would
recommend is Ronald McCamy's Out of a Kantian Chrysalis?. Relativism has become a dominant philosophy in today's intellectual world. Out of a Kantian Chrysalis? gives the pastors and teachers a working knowledge of this trend within Christendom, particularly the drift of the Roman Catholic Church toward theological pluralism. Protestants may be unaware of this shift within Catholicism. Yet they need to be acquainted with it, for at stake in discussions of pluralism are the existence truth and the knowledge of reality, cornerstones of the Christian faith. McCamy examines the 1920s debate between Fr. Joseph Maréchal, the father of Transcendental Thomism, and Jacques Maritain, a traditional Thomist. Maréchal attempted to find a way to bring about a "rapprochement" between the subjectivism of the 17th century philosopher Immanuel Kant and traditional realism the 13th century theologian/philosopher Thomas Aquinas. Contemporary Catholic pluralists such as Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan are directly indebted to the post-Kantian innovations of Maréchal. As with most pluralistic endeavors, these Catholic thinkers tried to bring the church "up to speed" with the age. However, McCamy notes that Maritain "understood such a development to be epistemologically suicidal." As Maritain said, "[a Thomistic] butterfly cannot be made to emerge from a Kantian chrysalis." It is also very helpful for Protestants to be exposed to Jacques Maritain, an able champion of objective truth. Reality is God's creation, therefore, we can know it. These are radical thoughts today, but very pleasing and comforting! For example, McCamy cites Maritain, "The truth of Faith is the infinitely transcendent truth of the mystery of God [nevertheless] God has willed that it be expressed … in human concepts and words …" Out of a Kantian Chrysalis? is a short book, only 168 pages including footnotes. Although the subject is technical, McCamy's prose is lively and accessible. He recounts the Maréchal/Maritain debate with adroitness and subtle wit, thereby offering a solid foundation for those who seek to understand and answer the philosophical underpinnings of pluralism and relativism. McCamy's valuable work offers historical perspective on Kantian subjectivism, a compendium of sound philosophy, and real insight into the philosophical sloppiness of modern pluralism. Douglas A. Brandt is senior pastor of the Lancaster Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, New York. |
||
|
Home,
· The
Presbyterian Layman, ·
News, |