The Sheed and Ward Anthology of Catholic Philosophy

Edited by James C. Swindal, Harry J. Gensler

Not available to order

Publication date:

01 September 2005

Length of book:

608 pages

Publisher

Sheed & Ward

ISBN-13: 9781461667872

The Sheed & Ward Anthology of Catholic Philosophy is a thorough introduction to the evolution of Catholic philosophy from Biblical times to the present day. The first comprehensive collection of readings from Catholic philosophers, this volume aims to sharpen the understanding of Catholic philosophy by grouping together the best examples of this tradition, both well-known classics and lesser-known selections. The readings emphasize themes integral to the Catholic tradition such as the harmony of faith and reason, the existence and nature of God, the nature of the human person and the nature of being, and the objectivity of the moral law.

Each reading includes a brief introduction and is historically placed within five major groups—1) Preliminaries, including readings from the Bible, Plato and Aristotle, 2) The Patristic Era, selections from Aristides to Boethius, and a heavy focus on Augustine, 3) The Middle Ages, readings from the early Moslem and Jewish thinkers to William of Ockham, with an emphasis on Aquinas, 4) The Renaissance through the Nineteenth Century, including Suarez, Descartes, Pascal, Newman, and Pope Leo XIII, and 5) The Twentieth Century and Beyond, including Maritain and Lonergan, Blondel and Marcel, Geach and Rescher, and others like Chesterton and Teilhard.

Philosophizing about issues that have a bearing on matters of faith has been part of the Catholic tradition throughout its history. But it has heretofore been difficult to find a convenient "scenic outlook" from which to get something of a synoptic overview of the whole readily diversified terrain. In filling this gap the The Sheed & Ward Anthology of Catholic Philosophy meets a real need. The editors deserve our congratulations for their thoughtful labors in producing the panorama of this fascinating and well-constructed anthology.