Apologetics/scholarship books

[amarischuk]

I was wondering just how many “Apologists” have read books by some of the great thinkers (not apologists like Chesterton, Sheed, Lunn or Belloc) of the 20th Century. I also choose to leave out the theologians like Rahner, Schellibeeckx, Congar, and de Lubac just to focus on Thomist, Medievalist historian/philosophers.

Since this is my poll, I get to decide who is great.

The authors are: Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Frederick Copleston, Josef Pieper, and Walter Farrell.

 

[DominvsVobiscvm]

I’ve read two books by Pieper. One of them was Leisure: The Basis of Culture. The other Only the Lover Sings.

I think he’s a good thinker, with some nice ideas. My only beef is that he seems to presuppose much of what he says, rather than demonstate why exactly they are true. Simply sounding nice, and quoting a couple of medieval and classical authors, does not make you right.

Perhaps in those works he wasn’t trying to appeal to strict logic, but the reader’s ability to see Truth when it is presented? Much like the apprehension of beauty?

Still, seems awfully objective.

I read those books when I was a freshman at Magdalen College (in Warner, NH). At Magdalen, it was the belief of many (all?) of the professors that beauty was itself something objective; I never found the argument for that to really be convincing. Though it does ring rather true when one considers that God himself must be beautiful, and so cannot be ugly. Therefore, some objective standard must exist somewhere, and I suppose that standard is God himself.

How this relates to physical beauty is beyond me.

Sigh My tangents . . .

 

[amarischuk]

I’ve only read Pieper’s “Guide to Aquinas” which I found to be a very good book. I agree that it was a little light but very historically oriented which I was looking for. If I wanted more philosophy I would read Gilson or Maritain.

I’ve heard good things about “Leisure, the basis of culture” along with “The Silence of St. Thomas” though I have YET to read them.

I wish more people would tell me what they have read, what they haven’t read and what they want to read. I also could use some suggestions.

I absolutely love discussing books, especially these authors and most importantly, the Catholic church needs more than “internet apologists”. It needs people to resurrect true Catholic thinking.

Adam

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

amarischuk:

I was wondering just how many “Apologists” have read books by some of the great thinkers (not apologists like Chesterton, Sheed, Lunn or Belloc) of the 20th Century. I also choose to leave out the theologians like Rahner, Schellibeeckx, Congar, and de Lubac just to focus on Thomist, Medievalist historian/philosophers.

Since this is my poll, I get to decide who is great.

The authors are: Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Frederick Copleston, Josef Pieper, and Walter Farrell.

I’ve heard of all, and read books by most of them.​

And I like chocolate. ##

 

[amarischuk]

I should have added Martin D’arcy…but that was my fault…for shame.

Unfortunately too many people have voted for “who are these guys” and though I do love chocolate too, I think many of the “who are these guys” votes ended there too.

If you don’t know who these guys are, I would highly suggest checking at amazon.com for their books…or google them!

In my opinion these guys were the leading Catholic thinkers of the 20th century in history and philosophy. They are a move beyond the basic history/philosophy of most apologists.

Adam