"Is it Rational to Believe in God?". Epistemology, Metaphysics and Method in the Works of Bernard Lonergan

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate interrelatedness between various concepts of God and metaphysical assumptions from which they have been derived. This will be done with special attention paid to philosophical work of Bernard Lonergan. On Lonergan's case I will show his solution of problematic presuppositions of scholastic understanding of God. In introduction I will summarize reasons that made me to choose this topic, goals of the thesis and methods I will use. First chapter will be dedicated to brief introduction of selected proofs of God's existence and their metaphysical premises on which they rest. Enlightenment critique of metaphysics will be described and its consequences for metaphysical proofs demonstrated. Second chapter will introduce context and goals of works of modern Canadian Jesuit theologian Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan and his concepts of judgement and selfXaffirmation. Third chapter will be concerned with description of Lonergan's metaphysics and finally with some criticism of Lonergan's approach from perspective of postXmodern, hermeneutic, and linguistic philosophies. In conclusion I will confront Lonergan's results with older philosophies mentioned. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org