Book Symposium

Jamesian Notes Toward a More Catholic Theology

Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt

Abstract

Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt engages John Betz’s Christ, the Logos of Creation, utilizing William James’s "will to believe" to examine the imperatives of truth-seeking and error-avoidance. While praising Betz’s use of Przywarian analogy to achieve ecumenical "reconciled diversity," Bauerschmidt cautions against transforming analogy into an all-encompassing system. He advocates for a "Jamesian modesty" that respects irreducible historical "jolts," particularly regarding divine humility and the Incarnation, to ensure a truly Catholic theological method.

Citations

Summa theologiae I, q. 4, a. 3; Compendium theologiae, cap. 27.

John Betz, Christ, the Logos of Creation: An Essay in Analogical Metaphysics (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Academic, 2023), 499.

Summa theologiae I, q. 6, a. 2.

Herbert McCabe, OP, “Appendix 4: Analogy” in Thomas Aquinas, The Summa theologiae, Volume 3 (1a.12–13) Knowing and Naming God (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1964), 106.

William James, “The Will to Believe,” The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy (London: Longmans, Green, 1897), 18.

William James, “On Some Hegelisms,” The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy (London: Longmans, Green, 1897), 268.