Aristotelian neothomism in the 20th century: Charles de Koninck and differentiation of sciences of nature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21847/1728-9343.2019.1(159).157443Keywords:
Aristotelian neothomism, de Koninck, Thomas Aquinas, matter, form, philosophy of natureAbstract
The article is dedicated to the ideas of aristotelian neothomism representative Charles De Koninck, who was well-known philosopher and theoretician of science in neothomostic philosophical circles but ideas of who are still not examined enough. Charles De Koninck has initiated the whole new neothomistic movement, which was represented by Laval (Quebec, Canada) and River Forest (Chicago, the USA) schools. The article is aimed to demonstrate the tight connections between medieval and modern philosophies in the frame of Thomism, as well as to clarify the ideas of De Koninck in respect to differentiation of scientific disciplines on the basis of Aquinas teaching. By means of method of comparison, it was proved, that De Koninck uses the same arguments in respect to the difference between math, metaphysics and natural science, as Aquinas used in his 13th century. Still, the main contradiction between two approaches appears to be in the fact, that in Aquinas these three disciplines are represented in hierarchy, where metaphysics is a supreme, and still they are separated. At the same time, De Koninck neglects metaphysics as the less dependable knowledge, but uses physics instead. The article clarifies the approach of De Koninck regarding the notion abstraction of matter which appears to be the most significant reason of understanding both: unity and separation of sciences.
The main purpose of De Koninck was to return philosophy (philosophy of nature in particular) into the science and to prove that no real knowledge can be possible only through experiments and contingent data of material world collection. This approach remained unchanged for the whole further aristotelian neothomism, as well as an idea that natural sciences are superior to metaphysics, specifically in order of obtaining knowledge. De Koninck’s teaching became quite influential among his student and highly beneficial to Catholic philosophy of the North America.References
Aniios Manli Severin, Boethius (2007). About the Trinity. In: Theological Treatises; (R. Paranko, ed. аnd translat.). Lviv: 2-24 (in Ukrainian).
Armour, L. (1991). Science & Religion in the Work of Charles De Koninck. Laval theology queet philosophique. Vol. 47. № 3: 387-400. DOI: 10.7202/400631ar (in English).
Baumeister, A. O. (1998). The theology of the sive of metaphysics in Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. Philosophia prima (metaphysical questions). №1: 80-100. Retrived from https://risu.org.ua/php_uploads/files/articles/ArticleFiles_40821_%C1%E0%F3_%EF%F0%EE_%EC%E5%F2%E0%F4%B3%E7%E8%EA%F3.pdf (in Ukrainian).
Faria, M. L. de. (2017). De Koninck and Aquinas on Matter and Evolution. Forum. Supplement to Acta Philosophica. Vol. 3: 375-394. Retrived from http://www.academia.edu/33706231/De_Koninck_and_Aquinas_on_Matter_and_Evolution (in English).
Hoking, S. and Mlodinov, L. (2018). Great Concept [Velykyy zamysel] (translat. M. Klymchuk). Kharkiv: Knyzhkovyy Klub «Klub Simeynoho Dozvillya». 208 p. (in Ukrainian).
Koninck, Ch. de. (1957). Abstraction from matter: notes on St. Thomas Prologue to the Physics. Laval théologique et philosophique. Vol. 13. № 2. P. 133-196. DOI: 10.7202/1019954ar (in English).
Koninck, Ch. de. (1960a). Abstraction from matter (II). Laval théologique et philosophique. Vol. 16. № 1: 53-69. DOI: 10.7202/1019986ar (in English).
Koninck, Ch. de. (1960b). Abstraction from matter (IIІ). Laval théologique et philosophique. Vol. 16.№ 2. P. 169-188. DOI: 10.7202/1019992ar (in English).
McInerny, R. (1965). Charles de Koninck: A philosopher of Order. The New Scholasticism. Vol. 39. Issue 4. P. 491-516. DOI: 10.5840/newscholas19653944 (in English).
Sakovska, O. Yu. (2015). Old wine in new bottles: Attempts to awaken Aquinas' physics in Aristotelian neo-Thomism. [Stare vyno v novi burdiuky: Sproby probudzhennia Akvinatovoi fizyky v arystotelichnomu neotomizmi]. Scientific notes of NaUKMA. Vol. 167: Philosophy and Religious Studies. Kyiv: VPKNaUKMA: 39-43 (in Ukrainian).
Shook, J. R. (2005). De Koninck, Charles (1906-65). Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, London: A&C Black: 602-603 (in English).
Szatkowski, M. (2018). Ontology of theistic beliefs. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 265 p. DOI: 10.1515/9783110566512-001 (in English).
Thomas, de Aquino. (1953). In octo libros De physico auditusive Physicorum Aristotelis commentaria. Neapoli: M. d'Auria Pontificius Editor, 658 p. (in French).
Thomas, de Aquino. (1988). Summa theologiae cum commentariis Thomae de Vio Caietani. Prima pars. Opera omnia (ussu Leonis XIII P. M. Edit a). Roma: Ex typographia Polyglotta, Vol. 4. 509 p.
Thomas, de Aquino. (1992). Expositio libri Boetii De Trinitate. Opera omnia (iussu Leonis XIII P. M. Edit a). Roma, Paris: Commissio Leonina, Editions Du Cerf, Vol. 50: 1-230.
Trott, E. (2008). Charles de Koninck (1906-1965): Laval’s eminent philosopher of nature. Ultimate reality and meaning. Vol. 31. № 4. P. 241-259. DOI: 10.3138/uram.31.4.241 (in English).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Oleksandra Sakovska
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
1. Authors bear responsibility for the accuracy of facts, quotations, numbers and names used.
2. Manuscripts are not sent back.
3. The publisher does not always agree with the authors' opinion.
4. The authors reserve the right to authorship of the work and pass the first publication right of this work to the journal under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which allows others to freely distribute the published research with the obligatory reference to the authors of the original work and the first publication of the work in this journal.
5. The authors have the right to conclude separate supplement agreements that relate to non-exclusive work distribution in the form in which it has been published by the journal (for example, to upload the work to the online storage of the journal or publish it as part of a monograph), provided that the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal is included.
