Maurice Blondel: A Philosophical Life (Ressourcement: Retrieval and Renewal in Catholic Thought | RRRCT)
Overview
French philosopher Maurice Blondel (1861–1949) had a tremendous impact on both philosophy and religion in the twentieth century. He was at once a postmodern critical philosopher and a devout traditional Catholic who strove to keep these two sides of his life in unison, neither separating nor confusing them.
In this first-ever critical examination of Blondel’s entire life and work, Oliva Blanchette tells of Blondel’s stormy confrontations with an academy dismissive of religion and a religion uncomfortable with rational philosophy. The book recounts both Blondel’s biographical history and his systematic philosophy in meticulous detail.
In this Logos edition, every word is essentially a link, helping you search the entire collection for a particular verse or topic. For example, you can search for every instance of the phrase “historical criticism” or “moral theology.” This gives you instant access to a wealth of information on twentieth-century Catholic thought.
- Recent and essential scholarship on modern Catholic theology
- Bibliographical references and indexes
Top Highlights
“where rejection entailed a privation rather than just intellectual neutrality” (Page 8)
“It is a mistake, and a misrepresentation of the mystical life itself, to put down reason and philosophy in order to raise that life higher. Without a proper philosophy of transcendence and of real knowledge by connaturality, one cannot come to a proper appreciation of how sublime mystical life can be, as it elevates reason and will. Without some form of reason and will there can be no authentic mystical experience that is human as well as divine. It is to the credit of Blondel to have highlighted this human element in the theandric experience of mystics and to have demonstrated the hypothetical necessity of some infused gift into the soul for the possibility of such an experience, as something that is in conformity with the deepest aspirations of the human spirit.” (Page 317)
“in action is the equation of the willed will with the willing will” (Page 76)
“It was necessary that there be a choice on the part of man, so that he might enjoy the supernatural life in God as something willed by himself with the élan of grace already given with the supernatural calling. ‘For the dignity of a free being, made in the image and resemblance of God and, consequently, participating in some way in this aseity, calls him to become in some way the arbiter of his own destiny, either by accepting or by refusing the indispensable conditions for an elevation that obliges him to surpass himself if he is willing to confirm within his obediential potency the supreme gift of grace’ (1944, 122–23).” (Pages 701–702)
Here, at last, is the standard reference book on Maurice Blondel’s philosophy that we have been desperately waiting for. Absolutely clear and accessible even to nonconnoisseurs, this book succeeds in showing how much Blondel’s thought is the conceptual reflection of his deep spiritual experience. Written by a real metaphysician, this masterpiece embraces for the first time the wholeness of Blondel’s thorough intentions, from the very first notes to the final texts. Maurice Blondel: A Philosophical Life is, indeed, an event. There will be henceforth a “before” and an “after” Oliva Blanchette’s book, which will delight not only Blondelian researchers but also the entire philosophical community.
—Emmanuel Tourpe, Institut d’Etudes Théologiques
- Title: Maurice Blondel: A Philosophical Life
- Author: Oliva Blanchette
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2010
- Pages: 836