STUMPF:

AUGUSTINE:
Discussion throughout the middle ages regarding faith and reason.
Faith means an attitude of trust grounded on diine reelation
!eason inoles "elief grounded in methodological demonstration
Tertullian came do#n on the side of faith$ reason has nothing to do #ith it.
%e also said$ &I "eliee "ecause it is a"surd' (#hen facing contradictions a"out the incarnation)
*faith is so distinct from reason that it is essentiall+ irrational.
*religious faith is contrar+ to and su,erior to reason
Augustine. Faith illuminated reason$ #ithout faith there is no understanding. &faith see-ing
understanding'
*true ,hiloso,h+ inconceia"le #ithout a .oining of faith and reason
*to understand the concrete condition of human e/istence$ e/istentialism$ to "e must "e defined
from the 0hristian ie#,oint$ there is no distinction "et#een ,hiloso,h+ and theolog+
*#e cannot ,ro,erl+ ,hiloso,hi1e until our #ills are transformed$ clear thin-ing is ,ossi"le onl+
under the influence of God2s grace.
*Augustine set the dominant direction for 0hristian #isdom in the middle ages
Theor+ of Illumination
%o# can finite minds$ sensed o".ects$ "e de,lo+ed in a #a+ that rises a"oe their o#n
im,erfections$ and muta"ilit+ and discoer eternal truths3
Follo#ed Plato:
4. the sun in the isi"le #orld
5. the form of the good in the intelligi"le #orld
our minds are ca,a"le of seeing eternal o".ects ,roided that the+ are "athed in their o#n
a,,ro,riate light$ as the sense can form an image #hen it is "athed in light
*the human mind re6uires illumination if it is so see eternal and necessar+ truths$ illumination
comes from God .ust as light is shed "+ the sun.
7the light is not the source of our ideas as the condition under #hich #e recogni1e the 6ualit+ of
truth and eternit+
*N8T the ,rocess of #hich content of ideas is infused in our minds "ut the illumination of
.udgment
*N8T that our human minds can -no# God
09ASS N8TES:
Augustines E,istemollog+
4. :elief ,recedes understanding
5. %old on and +ou #ill gain dee,er understanding
*thin-ing of God in the highest #a+ ,ossi"le is the surest ,ath to holiness
*0hrist as the #isdom of God and logos$ ,rinci,le of "eing$ acct$ reason$ #ord
;. a,,eal to diine aid* 0hrist as the inner teacher #ho enlightens the mind
7"elieing is a necc. 0ondition to achieing the higher e,istemic state of understanding
A is not .ust concerned #ith ,roing God2s e/istence "ut #< meta,h+sical realit+$ a "igger ,icture
to reall+ understand God2s e/istence not .ust "are -no#ledge=
%AND 8UT:
4. 0hristianit+ re6uires "elief (that2s reasona"le)$ and can inole understanding$ on the
"asis of reason)
5. :etter off understanding rather than .ust "elieing
;. 8"ligated to see- und.
USE >U8TES F!8M S%EET
STUMPF
ANSE9M:
No clear line "et#een ,hiloso,h+ and theolog+
Particularl+ concerned #ith ,roiding rational su,,ort for doctrines #hich he acce,ted on faith
Faith and reason led to same conclusions
:elieed that human reason could create a natural theolog+ or meta,h+sics not de,endent on an+
authorit+ other than rationalit+
Natural theolog+? giing a rational account of #hat is "elieed
9I@E AUGUSTINE in that not tr+ing to discoer the truth a"out God through reason alone$ "ut
using reason to understand
&I do not see- to understand in order that I ma+ "eliee$ "ut I "eliee in order that I ma+
understand'
*,roing God2s e/istence could not hae "egun had he not alread+ "elieed.
&I desire onl+ a little understanding of truth #hich m+ heart "eliees and loes'
Faith influenced "eliees i.e. realism
*#hen a finite thing shares in good$ great$ cause$ "eing$ the+ refer to some e/isting realit+. Finite
things share not onl+ #ord "ut "eing #hich e/ists some#here in ma/imum ,erfection.
If #e denied that an identical su"stance e/ists in seeral mem"ers then the Trinit+ #ould amount
to tritheism
&he #ho does not understand ho# man+ men are s,ecificall+ onl+ one man cannot understand
that seeral ,ersons each one of #hich is God are one onl+'
*%is linguistic anal+sis stemmed from #anting to understand #hat it means #hen 0hrist sa+s that
he is the #a+$ the truth$ and the life.
*the functional$ o,erational model has a s,ecific ,ur,ose$ tal-s a"out the end of truth "<c he
needs a theoretical frame#or- for a,,l+ing the truth to "eing$ action$ and #illing
&truth is rightness'
EAA9UATI8N:
Augustine has good affirmation of our rationalit+$ &God for"id that #e should thin- that he hates
in us that #hich he has created su,erior to other animals'
*and that #e are o"ligated to understand=
agree #ith theor+ of illumination$ "ut need to "e careful to sa+ that then onl+ 0hristians can
arrie at truth$ A99 T!UT% IS G8D'S T!UT%
*anselm2s claim that faith and reason lead to same conclusions is true$ in that if God created the
natural #orld$ and gae us scri,ture$ the t#o should not conflict$ "ut can "e misleading "c ma+
im,l+ that our faith ma+ "e inca,sulated in reason
*there are some e/,eriences ,rior to and directl+ more fundemental than inductie reasoning$
than science
*if there isn2t a -ind of -no#ledge other than is demonstra"le than there is no -n. At all.
*#e don2t need science to corro"orate faith$ science ,roceeds "+ gathering eidence and ma-ing
arguments
*some claims to immediate e/,erience must "e ,riileged oer an+ claims #hich result from
arguments
7science must grant that religions claim to moral o"ligation is #arranted$ other#ise science itself
is sus,ect$ scientists need alethic o"ligations
science cannot ma-e a claim against moral o"ligations "c it #ould "e ma-ing a discoer+
undermining the ,rosecution of science itself$
science cannot dis,ose religion "ased on moral o"ligations.