Bernard Lonergan
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Recent papers in Bernard Lonergan
Reviews the historical origins and principal elements of Karl Rahner's critique of Thomas Aquinas and Bernard Lonergan. Argues that Rahner's critique fails to come to terms with the basic problematic of Trinitarian theology, and... more
Post-modern theology is highly suspicious of social theory and its secular origins. After all, the founder who gave us the word “sociology” also coined the term “positivism.” An alternative strategy is that of Bernard Lonergan, a... more
Conceiving spirituality as a natural dimension of personal growth, this paper examines the relationships between self-esteem, sexual self-acceptance, and spiritual development. Two specific cases serve as examples: acceptance of one's... more
Today's presentation is an exploration in the philosophical foundations of theology. While theology does not necessarily need philosophy to do its work, I believe, as I'm sure the room will agree, that theology does its best work when its... more
A short introduction to Lonergan's philosophy of biology.
According to Bernard J. F. Lonergan, conversion of a human being involves changing of one’s horizon, and the changing of one’s horizon involves the cognitional theory of Lonergan. The cognition of a human being is a dynamic structure of... more
Suppose you are preacher who wants to speak a word to a polarized situation. Words take on meaning within a context and unfortunately yours is a situation divided between " right " and " left " (here meant very generally to signify the... more
From a social-scientific perspective, this paper addresses an overlooked dimension of material poverty, namely spiritual poverty or the lack of spiritual sensitivity, and calls it a psychological disorder. Religions link deep spirituality... more
Peace on earth is not to be expected. First, at least in its subhuman form, the law of nature is survival of the fittest, not self-deferential cooperation. Second, a philosophical consensus to provide needed epistemological agreement and... more
The notion of collective responsibility is not without its difficulty. One may claim that, as men are responsible for the lives they lead, so collectively they must be responsible for the resultant situation. But that claim is too rapid... more
ABSTRACT: Drawing on Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology (1972) I argue that theology can be taught because personal knowledge, of which it is an instance, is at the heart of academic inquiry; and it should be taught because critical... more
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In the second half of the twentieth century there has been an ongoing fascination with the “unreasonable effectiveness” of mathematics in natural science. In the predominant contemporary metaphysical accounts of mathematical beings, that... more
Pensar la mision de la formacion sacerdotal implica considerar los fundamentos sobre los cuales se cimienta el proceso formativo. La dinamica vocacional se realiza en una constante relacion entre la realidad del sujeto llamado y la... more
After two millennia we are still only at the beginning of the mission of Christ to redeem the human race. " The mission of Christ the redeemer, which is entrusted to the church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium... more
Since its inception, modern psychology has struggled to be a genuine science. The impressive natural sciences set the standard; and especially in the era of behaviorism, psychology tried to match them. But things human are much more... more
The teachings about homosexuality in various religions differ, so they cannot specify therapeutic goals regarding sexual orientation. The psychological consensus-opinion emerges as a valid alternative-if it is recognized as spiritual.... more
Over the last decade, new research on the role of feelings in decision making has emergence. Martha Nussbaum’s Upheavals of Thought, Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, Barry Schwartz, Paradox of Choice, Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, Dan... more
Reviews past attitudes toward the relationship between sexuality and spirituality. Notes some sources of the negative attitude prevalent in Western civilization. Relates authors' own understanding of sexuality as a complex phenomenon that... more
Understanding how one's own mind works is helpful for understanding how human beings think
This paper illustrates how the key elements of the emerging synodal Church are oriented to transformation, and how this transformation is effective at the three levels of ecclesial life as individual, community, and universal Church.... more
For those interested in the mysterious Lyndsay Farlow:
https://www.academia.edu/38859496/The_Eyes_of_Billy_Doe
https://www.academia.edu/38859496/The_Eyes_of_Billy_Doe
This thesis examines Fr. William A. Van Roo's contribution to the wide field of theological reflection on the relationship between theological method and the religious experience of the theologian as believer. While the 'turn to... more
This paper argues that, regardless of his personal sympathies either way, Lonergan's systematic and moral theology support and give reason to affirm the Catholic magisterial teaching against contraception.
I comment on Lonergan's Dialectic of Authority and bring it into conversation with functionalist and Weberian thought on power.
I shall first sketch briefly the epochal, indeed, millennial, challenge of Fides et Ratio. In a second section the important achievements of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas in mediating faith and reason through wisdom will be... more
This article explores the relative lack of attention to the sin of pride in Bernard Lonergan, a lack he shares with Aquinas, in contrast to the Augustinian tradition. In order to explain this lack the article considers the dialectical... more
To offer insight and stimulate discussion regarding a burgeoning but enigmatic area of clinical concern, this paper presents an understanding of spirituality as a fully human phenomenon that is essentially independent of, yet open to,... more
Originally a lecture at Seton Hall University, January, 2015, this paper is an introduction to a few of the more striking themes from Lonergan's Christology, including Lonergan's approach to the NT, the development of Christological... more
At first sight the title must seem like a misunderstanding at best, at worst an intentional perversity. After all, the 'Prodigal Son' is not a person, but a character in a parable, a literary form where from the beginning both speaker and... more
In its response to common sense judgements such as “here are two hands,” On Certainty gave an analysis of reasoning as structured in hinge propositions. As Duncan Pritchard points out, here Wittgenstein was influenced by Newman and should... more
In this bibliography I have compiled fifty essays on MuralGaga published between mid-July and mid-January. They detail my efforts of investigative journalism into the "info-wars" conducted by pro-Israel groups against the UK Labour Party... more
The use of psychological testing and services has become a commonplace in the American dioceses and houses of formation. However, the routine and special recourse to psychology is not without its problems and critics. On the one hand,... more
Are all God’s activities identical to God? If not, which are identical to God and which not? Although it is seldom noticed, the texts of Aquinas (at least on the surface) suggest conflicting answers to these questions, giving rise to a... more
Patrick Byrne is a philosophy professor at Boston College and a distinguished Lonergan scholar. His major work is the fruit of many years reflection on Lonergan's foundations of ethics focussing on that refined form of attention we call... more
A review essay on Frederick Lawrence, *The Fragility of Consciousness: Faith, Reason, and the Common Good,* ed. Randall Rosenberg and Kevin Vander Schel (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016). The version posted here is the version... more
The purpose of this article is to show in what respects Strauss’ account of the three waves of modernity and Lonergan’s account of the longer cycle of decline mutually illuminate and add to each other. For reasons of scope, I will largely... more