The Two Wings of Catholic Thought

The essays are in three sections: (1) doctrinal themes, (2) contemporary implications, and (3) historical aspects. In the first, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., discusses the twentieth-century answers to a question that has long haunted Christians who felt the attraction of pagan philosophy: Can philosophy be Christian? Prudence Allen, R.S.M., and Joseph Koterski, S.J., then treat two philosophical topics that have been the most affected by centuries of contact with the Christian faith: the philosophy of the person and metaphysics. David Meconi, S.J., reflects on the Marian framework that is so typical of Pope John Paul II's thought.

In the second section, Bishop Allen Vigneron considers the significance of this encyclical for Catholic intellectual life today. David Foster discusses the implications of "Fides et ratio" for Catholic universities.

In the final section, Koterski reviews the importance of biblical wisdom literature for the encyclical. Michael Sweeney and Timothy Quinn treat medieval philosophy and modern philosophy respectively. Finally Cardinal Dulles considers the Church pronouncements on faith and reason from Vatican I to John Paul II.