The Loss of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Has Seriously Harmed Society

Ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato came to understand that that there was something out there greater than the human person, a First Cause, that initiated everything. Thus, they knew there was a reason for existence, yet they were not able to discern Its personal identity. Jesus incarnated the First Cause into salvation history. Through Christ we know the First Cause’s Name and purpose. Catholic Philosophers such as Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas used this knowledge of the final end of man (Heaven) as they developed the tradition of Christian philosophy.

Martin Luther persuasively infected the world with his heresy of separating the interpretation of Sacred Scripture from the authority of Christ and His Church, and of divorcing the individual believer from the Body of Christ. This diabolic rupture was a catalyst for others to remove God – or any notion of a First Cause – from philosophy. Such thinking consequently became an underlying foundation of Modern Philosophy.

By understanding the consequences of the loss of proper philosophy, we can better defend the Catholic Faith. From a historical perspective, this also helps us identify the roots of our current societal collapse.

Modern Philosophy in the Renaissance Period Begins Attacking Universal Truth

René Descartes (1596-1650): In his natural philosophy, Descartes differed from the scholastic schools of philosophy on two major points. First, he rejected the splitting of corporeal substance into matter and form. Second, he rejected any appeal to final ends, divine or natural, in explaining natural phenomena. Refusing to accept the authority of previous philosophers, Descartes frequently set his views apart from the philosophers who preceded him.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626): Bacon has been called the father of empiricism. He argued for the possibility of scientific knowledge based only upon inductive reasoning and careful observation of events in nature. He believed that science could be achieved by the use of a methodical and skeptical approach whereby scientists aim to avoid misleading themselves.

Although most of his specific proposals did not have long-lasting influence (The Baconian Method), the general idea of the importance and possibility of a skeptical methodology makes Bacon one of the later founders of the scientific method. His portion of the method based upon skepticism was a new rhetorical and theoretical framework for science. His practical innovations are still central to debates on science and methodology.

Bacon was renowned as a politician in Elizabethan England, as he held the office of Lord Chancellor. Yet today, he is far better known for his role in the scientific revolution.

Nevertheless, we do well to note that the steady advancement of science was begun in the Middle Ages by Catholics. Scientific experimentation was fostered at universities, which were likewise founded by Catholics (Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Salamanca, Padua, etc.). In fact, the scientific method, developed as a way of glorifying God and fulfilling Scripture, was first crafted by Roger Bacon, an English Franciscan friar (1220-1292).

Rationalism Continued the Errors of the Reformation

As Father John Laux explains, in Church History: A History of the Catholic Church to 1940:

“Rationalism had its beginning in England. Lord Herbert of Cherbury (d. 1648) was the first to construct a system of ‘Natural Religion.’ Only what is common to all religions, he maintained, can be regarded as absolutely true. This common element he reduced to five points:

(1) There is a Supreme Being.

(2) It is man’s duty to honor this Supreme Being.

(3) The Supreme Being must be honored especially by a virtuous life.

(4) Whoever offends the Supreme Being experiences a feeling of regret.

(5) Because the Supreme Being is just, the good are rewarded and the wicked punished in this life and in the next.

These propositions form the basis of so-called ‘Deism,’ that is, belief in a personal God founded on reason and not on revelation or authority.”

Rationalism is the natural continuation of Luther’s view of Sacred Scripture that each person can and should read and interpret the Sacred Page on his own. Yet this results in severely damaging man’s relationship to God. The relationship between God and man is no longer Father to child, but rather distant master to servant (slave). According to Rationalism, if the only communication from God is in written form (the Bible), then it is up to the reader to decide what exactly is meant.

As a result, Sacred Tradition must in turn be disregarded. This then alienates (isolates) contemporary man from those who came before him. Note, it is the devil who promotes isolation, whereas God supports the communion of saints within His Mystical Body.

In purely human terms, written communication can be interpreted in many different ways, often incorrectly.[1] It is inevitable that private, or personal, interpretation will lead to disagreement, factions, and division. All of these are rotten fruits of the Evil One, standing in stark opposition to the unity brought by the Four Marks of Christ’s True Church.

Rationalism also denies, or at the very least minimizes and blurs, the supernatural. Grace, miracles, divine revelation, and salvation must all be given natural explanations. Rationalism even horribly damages the supernatural aspect of the human person.

In Part II of this article, we’ll explore how the so-called ‘Enlightenment’ was anything but that.

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ENDNOTE:

[1] It was not until around 50 A.D. that the first epistle of what is now known as the New Testament was written. The epistles (letters) were written to enlarge the number of communities that would receive the Good News. The letters were often translated into different languages to accommodate the growth and diversity of Christianity. The epistles were taken for the oral teaching of the Apostles. Sacred Scripture is Tradition in written form.

The post How Modern Philosophy Attacks Christian Truths | Part I first appeared on The Fatima Center.

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