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Document Details : Title: God in het handelen Subtitle: Mystiek, filosofie en theologie bij Maurice Blondel Author(s): BOCKEN, Inigo Journal: Tijdschrift voor Theologie Volume: 59 Issue: 3 Date: 2019 Pages: 257-280 DOI: 10.2143/TVT.59.3.3286841 Abstract : The meaning of the philosophy of Maurice Blondel (1861-1949) for theology is still controversial and is high on the agenda of theological debates. This is right because it was Blondel’s intention to reconstruct the Christian faith from a general philosophical perspective. This reconstruction involves a radical criticism of the dualism between nature and supernatural as it originated in the Modern Age. It is not only secular philosophical thinking that suffers from it, but also Modern theology, which believed it had to derive its legitimacy from the separation between nature and supernatural. Blondel therefore had to fight on two fronts: against secular modern rationality and against modern theology, both expressions of a way of thinking that Blondel considered abstract. It is this abstract way of thinking that Blondel fundamentally criticizes in his first major book L’action: Essai d’une critique de la vie et science de la pratique (1893). In this book, acting is the starting point and framework of all arguments. He discovers the will as the driving force. It is in the will that Blondel perceives the activity of God. This becomes clear at the end of L’action. In the present contribution the significance of mysticism for this philosophy is paramount. It is through the reference to the mystical tradition that he finds points of departure for a thinking that is non-dual and from which he can develop the meaning of his action philosophy for theology. In the contribution, Blondel’s interest in mysticism is thematised through his collaboration with Henri Bremond. Mysticism is also the arena where the Neothomistic philosopher Jacques Maritain enters into battle with Maurice Blondel. At stake is the possibility of direct encounter with God, which is criticized by Maritain. Finally, in this contribution the ambiguity of the will is seen as a starting point for current debates. A theology inspired by Maurice Blondel will be able to act as a criticism of a culture that is all too strongly guided by an urge for clarity. |
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