''The Range of Reason'' is a 1952 book of essays by the Catholic philosopher
Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas fo ...
. The text presents a
Thomist philosophy regarding religion and morality. It contains a study of Atheism, titled "The Meaning of Contemporary Atheism", which has had a considerable impact on Catholic views of Atheism.
Essays
On Human Knowledge
In this essay, Maritain considers
empiricist
In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological theory that holds that knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is one of several views within epistemology, along with rationalism and skepticism. Empir ...
epistemology. While he acknowledges that
sense-data plays an important part in human knowledge of the world, he rejects the thesis that the real does not exist or cannot be known, because he believes that the intellect can transcend sensory experience to perceive the
noumenal world.
''Truth matters: essays in honor of Jacques Maritain''
Jacques Maritain, John G. Trapani, The Catholic University of America Press, 2004, p. 9
On Artistic Judgement
Maritain here supports the theory that the aesthetic
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
carries a "hidden truth", as an expression of the fundamental individuality of the artist.
The Meaning of Contemporary Atheism
Maritain introduces various terms to distinguish the beliefs of atheists. These terms are:
*Absolute atheist - one who denies the existence of the god in whom believers actually believeantitheist
Antitheism, also spelled anti-theism, is the philosophical position that theism should be opposed. The term has had a range of applications. In secular contexts, it typically refers to direct opposition to the belief in any deity.
Etymology
The ...
Absolute atheist
The absolute atheist does not lack belief in God, but rather constantly challenges and fights against God. Those described as such never stop thinking about God in order to liberate themselves from anything that connotes God.
Practical atheist
Practical atheists prefer to be seen as adherents to religious faith for selfish reasons, yet deny the gospels
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
by lacking concern for the well-being of others.
Pseudo-atheist
The pseudo-atheist believes that he or she is an atheist, but unconsciously believes in God. According to Maritain, the "God" whose existence is denied is not God, but rather a being of reason, a nonexistent entity which he or she has mistakenly labeled as God. Thus, the pseudo atheist actually denies an entity that is self-evidently nonexistent or that necessitates negative consequences for nature or humanity.
Real atheist
The real atheist denies the "God Who is the authentic object of reason and of faith and Whose authentic idea he atheist'smind misuses."
References
External links
The Range of Reason
{{DEFAULTSORT:Range Of Reason
1952 non-fiction books
Aesthetics books
Books critical of atheism
Books by Jacques Maritain
Criticism of atheism
Epistemology of religion
Philosophy of religion literature
Thomism
Catholic moral theology
Charles Scribner's Sons books