Bernard Lonergan

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Bernard Lonergan

Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan , SJ, CC ( December 17, 1904 , † November 26, 1984 ) was a Canadian Jesuit , theologian and religious philosopher .

Life

Bernard Lonergan's philosophical and theological training is rooted in Thomism ; in Quebec he also studied economics. In 1922 he entered the Jesuit order, received his BA in philosophy from Heythrop College in 1929 and was ordained a priest in 1933. In 1940 he obtained a doctorate in theology with a dissertation on Grace and Freedom: Operative Grace in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas , inspired and supervised by Charles Boyer , SJ . Lonergan has taught at Loyola College in Montreal (now Concordia University ), the University of Toronto (Regis College), the Gregoriana , Rome and Boston College . He is the author of several theologically much-discussed works, including Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957; German: Die Einsicht , 1995) and Method in Theology (1972; German: Methode in der Theologie , 1991). In it he developed what he called the Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) . In 1970 he was named Companion of the Order of Canada . Since 1975 he has been a corresponding member of the British Academy .

plant

After his return from Rome Lonergan wrote four articles in the journal Theological Studies on the "inner word" in Thomas Aquinas , which became important for research on the Thomanian theory of knowledge and knowledge and later under the title Verbum: Word and Idea in Aquinas were published. Lonergan wrote his Insight study as a lecturer at Regis College (affiliated with the University of Toronto). There he developed his generalized empirical method (GEM). He is part of the school of "transcendental Thomism" founded by Joseph Maréchal . The starting point is an analysis of human knowledge, which is subdivided into different levels: experience, understanding, judgment. Similar to Kant, the (claimed) objectivity of the judgment is emphasized. Lonergan also describes the GEM as critical realism . What is realistic about this is the objectivity claim of our judgments about facts and values, the embedding of knowledge and value judgments in a critique of human consciousness is critical. An analysis of the reasons and constitutional conditions of meanings, values ​​and the factors of personal, social and historical developments is fundamental. This critical realism also establishes a Thomistic elaboration of the concept of being as the goal of a dynamic openness of the human intellect.

Lonergan's study Method in Theology, published in 1973, divides this science into eight functional subject areas. In principle, the same method should apply in all disciplines and areas of conscious life. Lonergan particularly intends to lay the foundation for correspondence in disciplines such as philosophy and theology. The lack of a method shared by researchers blocks scientific progress here; Conversely, their existence in the natural sciences explains the rapid progress in knowledge there.

When Lonergan later taught at Boston College, he returned to his initial interests in economics. To this end, he presented two studies: For a New Political Economy and Macroeconomic Dynamics: An Essay in Circulation Analysis .

In the German-speaking world, Lonergan was best known through the Italian Jesuit Giovanni B. Sala . During his lifetime only one book was published in German ( theology in the pluralism of today's cultures ).

Fonts

  • Work edition: University of Toronto Press, laid out in 20 volumes

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lonergan, Bernard JF: Grace and freedom: operative grace in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas (Collected works of Bernard Lonergan vol. 1) = . Univ. of Toronto Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-4799-8 , pp. xviii .
  2. ^ Deceased Fellows. British Academy, accessed July 2, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Lonergan, Bernard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lonergan, Bernard Joseph Francis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian Jesuit, theologian and religious philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH December 17, 1904
DATE OF DEATH November 26, 1984