- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
-
Theology and philosophy, Contemporary French Philosophy, Jean-Luc Marion, Philosophical Theology, Jacques Derrida, Émmanuel Lévinas, and 5 moreFrench phenomenology: Michel Henry, Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste and Emmanuel Levinas. Husserl and Heidegger., jean-Yves lacoste, Revelation, Merold Westphal, and Françoise Dastur edit
-
Professor Robyn Horner is a teaching and research academic within the School of Theology, and a member of the Institu... moreProfessor Robyn Horner is a teaching and research academic within the School of Theology, and a member of the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry. From 2010 until 2015, she held the position of Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy.The aim of her research is to find new ways of thinking religious phenomena within contemporary Western contexts, characterised as such contexts are by the immense cultural challenges of secularisation, pluralisation, and detraditionalisation. She investigates this area both theoretically (especially through the use of hermeneutic phenomenology, together with a variety of post-structuralist tools of critique), and practically (in collaboration with the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project). Her distinct contribution to the field is the way in which she approaches the signification of religious phenomena by means of affection or disturbance, and interprets them contextually. Robyn Horner teaches and supervises in the area of enhancing Catholic identity, poststructuralism and French phenomenology, and theological recontextualisation. edit
“The Leuven Project: Enhancing Catholic School Identity?” appeared in the May 2022 edition of ITQ. Motivated by concerns that the article misrepresents the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) research in the academic forum and... more
“The Leuven Project: Enhancing Catholic School Identity?” appeared in the May 2022 edition of ITQ. Motivated by concerns that the article misrepresents the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) research in the academic forum and fundamentally rejects the theology of the Second Vatican Council from which it springs, I write to clarify some of its misconceptions and critique some of its theological assumptions. In particular, Dr McGregor’s claims that the ECSI Research has a “very novel account of revelation and especially of the meaning of ‘symbol’” colour the entire article and preempt its construal of the authors on whose work it comments: Didier Pollefeyt and Lieven Boeve.
Research Interests:
A variety of social settings promote factors which help protect young people from developing poor social and emotional outcomes. Schools are one such setting. Objective: This study examined whether there was an association between... more
A variety of social settings promote factors which help protect young people from developing poor social and emotional outcomes. Schools are one such setting. Objective: This study examined whether there was an association between Australian school sectoral environment (Government, Catholic or Independent) and levels of depressive symptomology over the high school years. Design: Data was drawn from the longitudinal International Youth Development Study (IYDS). Six waves of data, collected annually from 2002 to 2008 were used. Participants: At baseline, the Australian state-representative sample included 2884 Australian adolescents aged 10-18 years. Results Multilevel piecewise linear and logistic regression analyses were completed, controlling for a variety of demographic variables, and protective factors at the individual, school, family and community level. Using the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) as a measure of depressive symptomatology, school-level sectoral differences were found for SMFQ measured as a continuous variable and with clinical cut-point of 12. Over the high school years, adolescents in Catholic schools reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression compared to adolescents in Government (β= -0.39; p <.05) and Independent (β= -0.57; p <.05) schools. Adolescents in Catholic schools were also less likely to report having clinical levels of depressive symptoms, compared to those in Government (OR=0.79; p <.05) schools. Overall, piecewise regression identified that across all sectors, depressive symptomology decreased between 10 and 13 years of age, but significantly increased for girls at age 13. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the state-wide Catholic school sector operating during this study, may have been protective for adolescent mental health. Future research should examine whether the differences observed here are common to Catholic school systems in other localities, countries and continues into adulthood.
Research Interests:
To try to speak of ‘experience of God’ is always risky. From a philosophical point of view, the risk is that we will collapse the distinction between the sheer otherness of God and the limits of human thought, meaning that the God we... more
To try to speak of ‘experience of God’ is always risky. From a philosophical point of view, the risk is that we will collapse the distinction between the sheer otherness of God and the limits of human thought, meaning that the God we ‘experience’ is no God at all. From a theological point of view, the risk is not only that we will overlook this distinction and subsequent collapse, but that we will also speak for God in our own names – not only as a community, but also as individuals. At the same time, in a Western cultural space that is highly detraditionalised and framed by immanence, being able to open onto the possibility of finding God in experience assumes a new importance. Here, I sketch what forms part of a larger project on revelation. Addressing the tension between propositional and relational accounts of revelation, I argue that phenomenology offers a way forward for theology to consider revelation in the context of experience. An examination of experience yields the possibility of encountering God in affective knowledge, an approach which can be tested in the example of the experience of Ignatius Loyola.
Research Interests:
Theology, Spirituality, Phenomenology, Revelation, Phenomenology of Religion, and 6 moreExperience, Ignatian Spirituality, French phenomenology: Michel Henry, Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste and Emmanuel Levinas. Husserl and Heidegger., jean-Yves lacoste, French Phenomenology, and Ignatius of Loyola
Hedendaagse ontmoetingen met de heilige Ignatius van Loyola robyn horner De belangrijkste nalatenschap van de heilige Ignatius van Loyola is dat hij ervoer hoe God in het dagelijkse leven aanwezig is en dat hij anderen een manier heeft... more
Hedendaagse ontmoetingen met de heilige Ignatius van Loyola robyn horner De belangrijkste nalatenschap van de heilige Ignatius van Loyola is dat hij ervoer hoe God in het dagelijkse leven aanwezig is en dat hij anderen een manier heeft getoond om dit ook te ervaren en ernaar te leven. Dit bijzon-dere idee, dat het mogelijk zou zijn om een werkelijk persoonlijke relatie met God te hebben, biedt hoop voor de gewone mens die zich misschien niet geroepen voelt tot contemplatie maar er wel naar verlangt om te worden opgenomen in de liefde die in het vooruitzicht is gesteld als betekenis en dynamiek van het christelijke bestaan. Het is bovendien een ondubbelzinnige bevestiging van het seculiere, niet als een tegenover van wat kennelijk heilig is maar als plaats van de zorg en de aandacht van God en de invloedssfeer van Gods handelen. In 1956 stelde Karl Rahner dat de Geestelijke Oefeningen meer aandacht van theologen verdienen en naar mijn idee is dat nog steeds zo, niet in de laatste plaats vanwege de theologische recontextualisering van de openbaring vandaag de dag. 1 De vraag naar openbaring is in de wereld van nu onbegrijpelijk geworden, ook al geldt dat dan misschien niet voor theologen, of misschien zelfs ook wel voor hen. Als het beslissende punt waarop geloof op een wezenlijke manier verder gaat dan elke zogenaamd neutrale benadering van 'religie' is het hele idee van de openbaring problematisch in een van tradities en mythen ontdane, gepluraliseerde en geïndividualiseerde samenleving-zo wordt het bijvoorbeeld getolereerd dat men de Bijbel bestudeert als literatuur maar niet dat men het beroep dat erin wordt gedaan op de lezer of op de gemeenschap van gelovigen serieus neemt. 2 Binnen een academische context betekent spreken over openbaring vaak dat men dan ook niet meer kan deelnemen aan 1 k. rahner, Das dynamische in der Kirche,
Research Interests:
The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we... more
The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we refrain from making judgments in advance about the kinds of phenomena it is possible to encounter. Not only does this enable us to re-frame questions about the distinctions between philosophy and theology, but it also frees theologians from the problematic requirement of assuming a methodological atheism, particularly as they undertake practical theological research.
Unter Rückgriff auf jüngere französische phänomenologische Arbeiten beschreibt der Beitrag eine hermeneutisch-phänomenologische Methodik für die Theologie. Eine solche Methodik fällt im Voraus kein Urteil darüber, welcher Art von Phänomenen grundsätzlich begegnet werden kann. Dies gestattet es, Fragen zum Verhältnis von Philosophie und Theologie neu zu bestimmen und erlaubt es insbesondere im Zusammenhang praktisch-theologischer Forschung, auf einen problematischen „methodischen Atheismus“ zu verzichten.
Unter Rückgriff auf jüngere französische phänomenologische Arbeiten beschreibt der Beitrag eine hermeneutisch-phänomenologische Methodik für die Theologie. Eine solche Methodik fällt im Voraus kein Urteil darüber, welcher Art von Phänomenen grundsätzlich begegnet werden kann. Dies gestattet es, Fragen zum Verhältnis von Philosophie und Theologie neu zu bestimmen und erlaubt es insbesondere im Zusammenhang praktisch-theologischer Forschung, auf einen problematischen „methodischen Atheismus“ zu verzichten.
Research Interests:
Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of revelation. In this article, I use Lacoste’s phenomenology of la parole to rethink a theology of revelation in terms of God’s personal... more
Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of revelation. In this article, I use Lacoste’s phenomenology of la parole to rethink a theology of revelation in terms of God’s personal self-giving in experience. After examining Lacoste’s views of the relationship between philosophy and theology, his liturgical reduction and what this means for an understanding of experience and knowledge, and his thought of la parole more broadly, I give critical consideration to how he thinks the possibility of God’s address to humanity. Lacoste maintains that God’s presence in experience may be known through affection, and, indeed, that the word may so move us that we are able to recognise that presence. He uses the notion of self-evidence rather than the usual phenomenological category of evidence to evince the reasonableness of this response. I argue that while Lacoste accords due deference to a traditional understanding of revelation as the repetition or unfolding of a word addressed to us in the past, his thought also allows us to think revelation as a contemporary event, the hermeneutics of which allow us to know God in ways that are new.
Research Interests:
The question of the gift has once again arisen as a question of debate for phenomenology and theology. In this article the work of Jean-Yves Lacoste on the gift is considered in light of earlier reflections by Jean-Luc Marion and Jacques... more
The question of the gift has once again arisen as a question of debate for phenomenology and theology. In this article the work of Jean-Yves Lacoste on the gift is considered in light of earlier reflections by Jean-Luc Marion and Jacques Derrida. Reading closely his recent work on gift and sacrament, especially in Être en danger, the author looks anew at issues arising there around the sacred, the economy, presence, and exchange. Lacoste’s phenomenological thinking of the gift of the holy in a wound of experience, one that signifies only by the feeling of a lack of feeling, offers a new way forward for theological discernment of the divine gift.
Research Interests:
While one of the arguments against religious belief relates to its apparent irrationality, it can be shown phenomenologically that there is a di erent kind of rationality at work in religious knowledge, undermining the sharp distinction... more
While one of the arguments against religious belief relates to its apparent irrationality, it can be shown phenomenologically that there is a di erent kind of rationality at work in religious knowledge, undermining the sharp distinction between sacred and secular that enables theology to be marginalised as irrational. Approaching Christianity through the category of revelation, that is, as a way of living and believing that draws not only on founding narratives of revelation but on the ongoing ‘experience’ of transcendence in unveiling truth, I seek to examine how the possibility of truth itself can inspire hatred and so open onto violence. ‘Religious’ violence typically emerges from a hatred directed at otherness. Hatred of what truth reveals is a powerful motivation for violence, but it cannot be shown that this is speci cally religious. Nevertheless, otherness is characterised by an excess that resists objecti cation and may be revelatory of truth. Violence may be religious precisely to the extent that it is directed against the otherness before which each person stands accused.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
It has recently been argued that Derrida's work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any dialogue between Derrida and theology out of play. However, such arguments forget that to forbid the impossible outright is as much to be a... more
It has recently been argued that Derrida's work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any dialogue between Derrida and theology out of play. However, such arguments forget that to forbid the impossible outright is as much to be a slave to metaphysics as to presume that one could attain to it in language. Here I revisit the relationship between deconstruction and negative theology, and reconsider utilising Derrida to think God as the impossible. Arguing that thinking God in the absolute future still cannot sustain theology, I suggest how Derrida's work might nevertheless open onto the possibility of revelation.
Research Interests:
The article examines how students who seek accreditation to teach religious education in Catholic schools in Australia can be brought to a higher level of engagement.
Research Interests:
In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This classic definition is further specified by, for exampie, John Macquarrie, who maintains that: “theology may be defined as the study which,... more
In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This classic definition is further specified by, for exampie, John Macquarrie, who maintains that: “theology may be defined as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon a religious faith,
seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and
has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious
faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company
at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive.
These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university,
particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen
to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and
has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious
faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company
at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive.
These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university,
particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen
to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
Research Interests:
Theology becomes a marginalised pursuit where revelation is excluded a priori from the domain of reason, and relegated to the realm of the faith of individuals. In a contemporary context, however, where the metaphysical limits of reason... more
Theology becomes a marginalised pursuit where revelation is excluded a priori from the domain of reason, and relegated to the realm of the faith of individuals. In a contemporary context, however, where the metaphysical limits of reason itself are exposed, new questions arise about the encounter of thought with its excess. With the work of Jean-Luc Marion, we find an attempt to rethink phenomenology as a philosophical method by means of which we are able to go beyond metaphysics and allow the invisible to make itself manifest. Following Marion's work through to its conclusion, we can argue for a new – if by no means self-assured – place for theology within contemporary discourse.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of... more
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of Jacques Derrida,
and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. While there are aspects of Derrida’s thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and
others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. While there are aspects of Derrida’s thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and
others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes of the icon to sustain the possibility of encounter with the other person and with God, are examined. The question underpinning this... more
The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes of the icon to sustain the possibility of encounter with the other person and with God, are examined. The question underpinning this examination will be to what extent there can be a phenomenology of the invisible--or equally, a theology of perception--that does not compromise invisibility as invisibility.
Research Interests:
The discipline of theology is often considered to play a pivotal role in the transmission of values in a Catholic University. Nevertheless, a number of issues are raised by this belief. What are values? What kinds of values are at stake... more
The discipline of theology is often considered to play a pivotal role in the transmission of values in a Catholic University. Nevertheless, a number of issues are raised by this belief. What are values? What kinds of values are at stake in the teaching
and learning of theology? And given that theology can be defined as "faith seeking understanding," do the values that identify a university as Catholic conflict with the values that also identify it as public? In this article, these questions are raised with regard to the specific mission of Australian Catholic University, and its training of teachers of Religious Education in Catholic Schools.
and learning of theology? And given that theology can be defined as "faith seeking understanding," do the values that identify a university as Catholic conflict with the values that also identify it as public? In this article, these questions are raised with regard to the specific mission of Australian Catholic University, and its training of teachers of Religious Education in Catholic Schools.
Research Interests:
At its most fundamental level, the doctrine of original sin was developed in answer to the problem of evil. It tries to show why things “are as they are,” why there is evil in the world and why humanity seems to be condemned to take part... more
At its most fundamental level, the doctrine of original sin was developed in answer to the problem of evil. It tries to show why things “are as they are,” why there is evil in the world and why humanity seems to be condemned to take part in evil. It is mainly in a Christian context that the doctrine receives its articulated form, even though it also searches in the Jewish tradition (above all in what the tradition says of Adam and Eve) and in pagan culture. And even though its end is to accommodate itself to the human condition, it is formulated in a perspective according to which evil does not have the last word. To believe in the existence of a sin from the beginning, one should first believe in the power of grace, and one can not believe in it but by believing simultaneously that evil does not have its origin in God.
Research Interests:
This paper concerns the possibility of "thinking" God, and uses the work of Emmanuel Levinas to frame a contemporary approach to some of the problems involved. The difficult relationship between philosophy and Christian theology is noted,... more
This paper concerns the possibility of "thinking" God, and uses the work of Emmanuel Levinas to frame a contemporary approach to some of the problems involved. The difficult relationship between philosophy and Christian theology is noted, before Levinas's thought is examined as it relates to
that which both marks consciousness and exceeds it. Levinas's adoption of the" idea of the Infinite" and his exploration of two ways in which the Infinite might signify (have meaning) open up a useful trajectory for a thought of God which is not reductive. At the same time. however, this aporetic approach raises difficulties in the context of specific religious traditions. Three
problems as they occur for Christian theology are examined in the light of Levinas's work: the problem of not being able to identify an experience of God as such; the problem of the infinite interpretability of revelation; and the problem of understanding the divinity of Jesus Christ.
that which both marks consciousness and exceeds it. Levinas's adoption of the" idea of the Infinite" and his exploration of two ways in which the Infinite might signify (have meaning) open up a useful trajectory for a thought of God which is not reductive. At the same time. however, this aporetic approach raises difficulties in the context of specific religious traditions. Three
problems as they occur for Christian theology are examined in the light of Levinas's work: the problem of not being able to identify an experience of God as such; the problem of the infinite interpretability of revelation; and the problem of understanding the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Research Interests:
The work of Jacques Derrida has promoted much controversy, and a theological application of Derrida's way of thinking has frequently been seen to be impossible. Yet since Derrida's concern is chiefly with the impossible, and since the... more
The work of Jacques Derrida has promoted much controversy, and a theological application of Derrida's way of thinking has frequently been seen to be impossible. Yet since Derrida's concern is chiefly with the impossible, and since the question of God provokes what is impossible for thought, it may be that Derrida is an important participant in theological conversations. Derrida's understanding that metaphysical thought inevitably undoes itself does not forbid us from thinking, but makes us more sensitive to what resists thought. His writings on negative theology suggest the possibility that thought might be marked by what escapes it. Yet the aporia — what cannot be thought — is not to be resolved by proof but by decision, which leaves open the possibility of religious faith. Religion is a response to what remains secret and the attestation of the secret before the Other.
Research Interests:
Belief and credal commitment sometimes seem to make less and less sense in the West. A kind of 'cultural amnesia' has taken hold, where formal religious adherence begins to seem almost unthinkable. This is especially so for the idea of... more
Belief and credal commitment sometimes seem to make less and less sense in the West. A kind of 'cultural amnesia' has taken hold, where formal religious adherence begins to seem almost unthinkable. This is especially so for the idea of divine revelation. Robyn Horner argues this means we need to re-evaluate how theology proceeds, focusing not so much on beliefs but on experience. Exploring ways in which the experiential might open human beings up to divine possibility, the author turns to phenomenology (especially in the French philosophical tradition) because it seeks to examine unrestrictedly what is given through involved encounter. Bringing phenomenology and poststructuralism together, Horner develops the idea of revelation as an 'event' wherein God interrupts and exceeds human experience, affecting and transforming it. This striking concept, named but largely unexplored by theology, articulates a notion of supernatural revelation which now starts to appear both coherent and plausible.
Research Interests:
Jean-Luc Marion is one of the leading Catholic thinkers of our time: a formidable authority on Descartes and a major scholar in the philosophy of religion. This book presents a concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to the... more
Jean-Luc Marion is one of the leading Catholic thinkers of our time: a formidable authority on Descartes and a major scholar in the philosophy of religion. This book presents a concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to the theology of Jean-Luc Marion. Described as one of the leading thinkers of his generation, Marion's take on the postmodern is richly enhanced by his expertise in patristic and mystical theology, phenomenology, and modern philosophy. In this first introduction to Marion's thought, Robyn Horner provides the essential background to Marion's work, as well as analysing the most significant themes for contemporary theology. This book serves as an ideal starting point for students of theology and philosophy, as well as for those seeking to further their knowledge of cutting-edge thinking in contemporary theology.
Research Interests:
Rethinking God as Gift is situated at the intersection of philosophy, critical theory and theology. The first sustained study of the work of Jean-Luc Marion in English, it offers a unique perspective on contemporary questions and their... more
Rethinking God as Gift is situated at the intersection of philosophy, critical theory and theology. The first sustained study of the work of Jean-Luc Marion in English, it offers a unique perspective on contemporary questions and their theological relevance. Taking its point of departure from the problem of the gift as articulated by Jacques Derrida, who argues that the conditions of possibility of the gift are also its conditions of impossibility, Horner pursues a series of questions concerning the nature of thought, the viability of phenomenology, and, most urgently, the possibility of grace. For Marion, phenomenology, as the thought of the given, offers a path for philosophy to proceed without being implicated in metaphysics. His retrieval of several important insights of Edmund Husserl, along with his reading of Martin Heidegger and Emmanuel Levinas, enables him to work out a phenomenology where even impossible phenomena such as revelation and the gift might be examined. In this important confrontation between Marion and Derrida issues vital to the negotiation of postmodern concerns in philosophy and theology emerge with vigour. The careful elucidation of those issues in an interdisciplinary context, and the snapshot it provides of the state of contemporary debate, make Rethinking God as Gift an important contribution to theological and philosophical discussion.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Plenary Address for the conference: The Challenge of God: Continental Philosophy and the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
Loyola University, Chicago, 14-16 April, 2016
Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
Loyola University, Chicago, 14-16 April, 2016
Research Interests:
Redolent with the idea of supernatural intervention in the everyday, the notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that... more
Redolent with the idea of supernatural intervention in the everyday, the
notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that this is because revelation is considered first as a matter of belief rather than as a question of experience. Revelation presents a problem for our age in three, interconnected ways. Culturally, revelation has become both unintelligible and unimaginable; in lives
largely bounded by the immanence of the world, the concept of revelation seems arcane or anachronistic. Philosophically, revelation resists the kind of analysis that we readily identify with many Western philosophical approaches; there is little place for a concept of revelation linked to the particularity of religious traditions. Theologically, revelation is often understood as a set of things that have to be believed, things seemingly bearing no relation to present experience. In all three cases, belief or lack of belief becomes an obstacle to the very possibility of revelation. I will argue here that revelation can be a meaningful possibility and that we have to allow for that possibility within experience, even as we affirm its impossibility as experience at the same time.
notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that this is because revelation is considered first as a matter of belief rather than as a question of experience. Revelation presents a problem for our age in three, interconnected ways. Culturally, revelation has become both unintelligible and unimaginable; in lives
largely bounded by the immanence of the world, the concept of revelation seems arcane or anachronistic. Philosophically, revelation resists the kind of analysis that we readily identify with many Western philosophical approaches; there is little place for a concept of revelation linked to the particularity of religious traditions. Theologically, revelation is often understood as a set of things that have to be believed, things seemingly bearing no relation to present experience. In all three cases, belief or lack of belief becomes an obstacle to the very possibility of revelation. I will argue here that revelation can be a meaningful possibility and that we have to allow for that possibility within experience, even as we affirm its impossibility as experience at the same time.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... That is expressed in the demand for no motive of return, the requirement of sacrifice, and the need for placing the Gift beyond the necessities of the everyday. ... Why does my Gift always end up having a purpose, or being a response... more
... That is expressed in the demand for no motive of return, the requirement of sacrifice, and the need for placing the Gift beyond the necessities of the everyday. ... Why does my Gift always end up having a purpose, or being a response to someone or something? ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the contribution ‘The Gifted Self: Theological Anthropology and the Challenges of French Thought’, systematic theologian Robyn Horner (Australian Catholic University) makes explicit the fundamental question of contextuality at stake in... more
In the contribution ‘The Gifted Self: Theological Anthropology and the Challenges of French Thought’, systematic theologian Robyn Horner (Australian Catholic University) makes explicit the fundamental question of contextuality at stake in all discussions in this second part of the book. Following through the claim that the theological anthropology of Gaudium et spes is intrinsically modern in approach, she investigates the fate of the modern subject in the wake of poststructuralist critiques such as that of Jacques Derrida. According to Derrida, our relation to the world and to each other is not based in a subject identical to itself; instead, the subject is characterized by différance, splitting forever ‘the self from itself’. Horner then asks whether a (post-)phenomenological anthropology such as Jean-Luc Marion’s might be helpful in renewing theological anthropology. Marion’s work allows us to think the lost or dissipated self by means of the logic of the gift. Unable ever to be present to itself, the subject can only be defined as radical openness to the givenness of the world and of phenomena in general. In that very openness, Marion argues, the subject is itself as radically given to itself, a givenness it realizes only in its responding and thus being given to others. This new definition of the subject and its relation to the world make a new theological definition of the human possible as being given and created by God.
Research Interests:
Theology, Deconstruction, Phenomenology, Contemporary French Philosophy, Theological Anthropology, and 5 moreJacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion, Second Vatican Council, French phenomenology: Michel Henry, Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste and Emmanuel Levinas. Husserl and Heidegger., and Gaudium et spes
Horner performs a dialogue with Jacques Derrida in order to demonstrate the conditions of possibility and impossibility for speaking of his sanctity. Utilising characteristics of his own idiom, Horner also signals some of the main issues... more
Horner performs a dialogue with Jacques Derrida in order to demonstrate the conditions of possibility and impossibility for speaking of his sanctity. Utilising characteristics of his own idiom, Horner also signals some of the main issues in the debate over Derrida's implications for theology and religion.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The work of Emmanuel Levinas is sometimes used to open up new avenues of thought within Christian theology. In this chapter, Horner explores the nature and legitimacy of the use of Levinas in a Christian context.
Research Interests:
This is an introduction to Marion's saturated phenomenology, published in Portuguese in Teologia e pós-modernidade. Novas perspectivas em teologia e filosofia da religião, Edited by Jaci Maraschin, Frederico Pieper Pires, pages 141-162;... more
This is an introduction to Marion's saturated phenomenology, published in Portuguese in Teologia e pós-modernidade. Novas perspectivas em teologia e filosofia da religião, Edited by Jaci Maraschin, Frederico Pieper Pires, pages 141-162; Fonte Editorial, 2008, ISBN: 85-86671-87-8.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
An introduction to the third book in the trilogy that includes Reduction and Givenness and Being Given, where Marion renews his argument for a phenomenology of givenness, with penetrating analyses of the phenomena of event, idol, flesh,... more
An introduction to the third book in the trilogy that includes Reduction and Givenness and Being Given, where Marion renews his argument for a phenomenology of givenness, with penetrating analyses of the phenomena of event, idol, flesh, and icon.
Research Interests:
PP 3-24 in Eucharist: Experience and Testimony, Edited by Tom Knowles, 2002, David Lovell.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
PERSPECTIVES IN CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY John D. Caputo, series editor 6. Richard Kearney, Poetics of Imagining: Modern and Postmodern. Second edition. 7. Thomas W. Busch, Circulating Being: From Embodiment to Incorpora-tion—Essays on Late... more
PERSPECTIVES IN CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY John D. Caputo, series editor 6. Richard Kearney, Poetics of Imagining: Modern and Postmodern. Second edition. 7. Thomas W. Busch, Circulating Being: From Embodiment to Incorpora-tion—Essays on Late ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Creative work: original music published in print and audio
Creative work for children - published in print and audio as part of the Storymakers collection, ed. Ellaine Downie
Research Interests:
Creative work for children - published in print and audio as part of Storymakers collection, ed. Ellaine Downie
Research Interests:
Creative work - original music published in print and audio
Creative work - published in print and audio
Creative work - published in print and audio
Creative work - original music published in print and audio
Creative work - published in print and audio
Creative work - original music published in print and audio
Joy sometimes seems like such an old-fashioned word; it seems to bear an innocence or naivety that is unsuited to our times. In the literature, it is frequently compared to happiness: joy is understood to be momentary and fleeting,... more
Joy sometimes seems like such an old-fashioned word; it seems to bear an innocence or naivety that is unsuited to our times. In the literature, it is frequently compared to happiness: joy is understood to be momentary and fleeting, happiness to be more enduring. 1 Discussions of "the good life" often focus on happiness, and not joy, as the ultimate goal-even if what happiness means for philosophers is frequently qualified by the need to develop the habits of virtue. 2 Yet from a particular perspective, joy is the aim of the Christian life. As Augustine writes: "The happy life is joy based on the truth. This is joy grounded in you, O God, who are the truth, 'my illumination, the salvation of my face, my God' (Ps. 26: 1; 41:12). This happy life everyone desires; joy in the truth everyone wants." 3 In this paper, I seek to describe the phenomenon of joy, principally using approaches made available through the works of a constellation of philosophers who do not exclude as a matter of principle the possibility of a phenomenological dialogue with theology. Inspired by the characterisation of "expansive joy" by Jean-Louis Chrétien, I seek to explore the phenomenon of joy and how it is given to experience. Central to this examination will be the question of the intentionality of joy. Faced with Jean-Yves Lacoste's distinction between intentional and non-intentional joy, I draw from the work of Jean-Luc Marion and Claude Romano to show that joy can be thought as an event that interrupts experience. I argue that joy is given prepredicatively to the affect and is recognised by its transformative effects in the self. Further, I maintain that these effects are open to being understood in terms of divine encounter. What is joy? Joy has been defined as "a vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; exultation of spirit,
Research Interests:
To recontextualise from the perspective of a religious tradition depends on a capacity to make that tradition meaningful, and this first involves a commitment to its meaningfulness. The best teachers of English are those who have seen... more
To recontextualise from the perspective of a religious tradition depends on a capacity to make that tradition meaningful, and this first involves a commitment to its meaningfulness. The best teachers of English are those who have seen beauty and truth shine from within a poem or a piece of prose, for no matter how any of the students in the class judge the same work, such educators teach with a passion that can only come from a genuine love of their subject. They do not need the affirmation of others before revealing this love. Instead, they bear witness to it constantly because they cannot do otherwise. The work has called to them unmistakably, and while students at first chuckle to think that their teacher can speak so passionately, they eventually come to know that there is something deeply consonant between the love and the work. In this paper, we will examine: the notion that God reveals Godself by means of tradition, what it might mean that tradition is interrupted and develops in different contexts, and what it might mean that persons who have glimpsed something of God in tradition might come to be responsible for its development through recontextualisation.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this study, we brought the question of the role of faith as a teacher disposition to prominence. We examined what happened when we brought reflection on personal engagement in Christian faith to bear on postgraduate student learning... more
In this study, we brought the question of the role of faith as a teacher disposition to prominence. We examined what happened when we brought reflection on personal engagement in Christian faith to bear on postgraduate student learning about their leadership of the KU Leuven Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project in Australia. While there are acknowledged limitations in our research, we conclude that this explicit reflection on faith through formative activities in the postgraduate unit THCT605 was helpful overall in enabling participants to lead the implementation of the ECSI Project in their workplaces.
Research Interests:
Religious and atheistic belief are presented anew in a volume of essays from leading phenomenologists in both France and the UK. Atheism, often presented as the negation of religious belief, is here engaged with from a phenomenologically... more
Religious and atheistic belief are presented anew in a volume of essays from leading phenomenologists in both France and the UK. Atheism, often presented as the negation of religious belief, is here engaged with from a phenomenologically informed notion of experience. The focus on experience, sparks new debates in readings of belief, faith and atheism as they relate to and complicate each other. What unites the contributors is their relationship to phenomenology as it has developed in France in the wake of Heidegger and Husserl. Leading French intellectuals from this context, Jean-Luc Nancy, Quentin Meillassoux, and Catherine Malabou, amongst others, contribute arresting ideas on atheistic faith, the death of God, and anarchic faith, opening up new areas of understanding in a field whose parameters and core concepts are ever shifting.
Revealing the extent to which religious and atheistic belief must be seen to influence, and on a fundamental level, to co-create one another, the pluralistic society in which religious belief is counted as one option amongst many is given primacy. The fact that religious faith has become not only optional but also, in many contexts, strangely alienated from society, deeply modifies the experience of the believer as much as that of the non-believer. A focus on 'experience', over and above 'belief', moves us towards a mode of experiential knowledge which refuses to privilege the atheistic believer and deride the reality of religious belief.
Revealing the extent to which religious and atheistic belief must be seen to influence, and on a fundamental level, to co-create one another, the pluralistic society in which religious belief is counted as one option amongst many is given primacy. The fact that religious faith has become not only optional but also, in many contexts, strangely alienated from society, deeply modifies the experience of the believer as much as that of the non-believer. A focus on 'experience', over and above 'belief', moves us towards a mode of experiential knowledge which refuses to privilege the atheistic believer and deride the reality of religious belief.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Redolent with the idea of supernatural intervention in the everyday, the notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that... more
Redolent with the idea of supernatural intervention in the everyday, the notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that this is because revelation is considered first as a matter of belief rather than as a question of experience. Revelation presents a problem for our age in three, interconnected ways. Culturally, revelation has become both unintelligible and unimaginable; in lives largely bounded by the immanence of the world, the concept of revelation seems arcane or anachronistic. Philosophically, revelation resists the kind of analysis that we readily identify with many Western philosophical approaches; there is little place for a concept of revelation linked to the particularity of religious traditions. Theologically, revelation is often understood as a set of things that have to be believed, things seemingly bearing no relation to present experience. In all three cases, belief or lack of belief becomes an obstacle to the very possibility of revelation. I will argue here that revelation can be a meaningful possibility and that we have to allow for that possibility within experience, even as we affirm its impossibility as experience at the same time.
Research Interests:
In the Catholic Church, which includes in its mission the provision of school education, the significant rise of “no religion” in Western societies prompts serious new questions about how this mission can be lived out. An important... more
In the Catholic Church, which includes in its mission the provision of school education, the significant rise of “no religion” in Western societies prompts serious new questions about how this mission can be lived out. An important response can be found in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project, which provides empirical evidence of the lived faith dispositions of members of Catholic school communities and recommends the enhancement of Catholic school identity through the recontextualisation of faith in dialogue. We argue that the dispositions of teachers are a vital factor in the development of a Catholic Dialogue School. Using aggregated data in Australia, we illustrate the importance of a teacher disposition that is intentionally and explicitly open to Catholic faith.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we... more
The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we refrain from making judgments in advance about the kinds of phenomena it is possible to encounter. Not only does this enable us to re-frame questions about the distinctions between philosophy and theology, but it also frees theologians from the problematic requirement of assuming a methodological atheism, particularly as they undertake practical theological research.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is an introduction to Marion's saturated phenomenology, published in Portuguese in Teologia e pós-modernidade. Novas perspectivas em teologia e filosofia da religião, Edited by Jaci Maraschin, Frederico Pieper Pires, pages... more
This is an introduction to Marion's saturated phenomenology, published in Portuguese in Teologia e pós-modernidade. Novas perspectivas em teologia e filosofia da religião, Edited by Jaci Maraschin, Frederico Pieper Pires, pages 141-162; Fonte Editorial, 2008, ISBN: 85-86671-87-8.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the contribution ‘The Gifted Self: Theological Anthropology and the Challenges of French Thought’, systematic theologian Robyn Horner (Australian Catholic University) makes explicit the fundamental question of contextuality at stake in... more
In the contribution ‘The Gifted Self: Theological Anthropology and the Challenges of French Thought’, systematic theologian Robyn Horner (Australian Catholic University) makes explicit the fundamental question of contextuality at stake in all discussions in this second part of the book. Following through the claim that the theological anthropology of Gaudium et spes is intrinsically modern in approach, she investigates the fate of the modern subject in the wake of poststructuralist critiques such as that of Jacques Derrida. According to Derrida, our relation to the world and to each other is not based in a subject identical to itself; instead, the subject is characterized by différance, splitting forever ‘the self from itself’. Horner then asks whether a (post-)phenomenological anthropology such as Jean-Luc Marion’s might be helpful in renewing theological anthropology. Marion’s work allows us to think the lost or dissipated self by means of the logic of the gift. Unable ever to be present to itself, the subject can only be defined as radical openness to the givenness of the world and of phenomena in general. In that very openness, Marion argues, the subject is itself as radically given to itself, a givenness it realizes only in its responding and thus being given to others. This new definition of the subject and its relation to the world make a new theological definition of the human possible as being given and created by God.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT It has recently been argued that Derrida&#39;s work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any dialogue between Derrida and theology out of play. However, such arguments forget that to forbid the impossible outright is... more
ABSTRACT It has recently been argued that Derrida&#39;s work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any dialogue between Derrida and theology out of play. However, such arguments forget that to forbid the impossible outright is as much to be a slave to metaphysics as to presume that one could attain to it in language. Here I revisit the relationship between deconstruction and negative theology, and reconsider utilising Derrida to think God as the impossible. Arguing that thinking God in the absolute future still cannot sustain theology, I suggest how Derrida&#39;s work might nevertheless open onto the possibility of revelation.
Research Interests:
... Marion, J.-L. 2002b [2001]. In Excess: Studies of Saturated Phenomena Translated by Robyn Horner and Vincent Berraud. ... In another context, he claims that Emmanuel Lévinas was wrong in insisting that phenomenology cannot do without... more
... Marion, J.-L. 2002b [2001]. In Excess: Studies of Saturated Phenomena Translated by Robyn Horner and Vincent Berraud. ... In another context, he claims that Emmanuel Lévinas was wrong in insisting that phenomenology cannot do without the horizon (Kearney et al. 199912. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of revelation. In this article, I use Lacoste’s phenomenology of la parole to rethink a theology of revelation in terms of God’s personal... more
Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of revelation. In this article, I use Lacoste’s phenomenology of la parole to rethink a theology of revelation in terms of God’s personal self-giving in experience. After examining Lacoste’s views of the relationship between philosophy and theology, his liturgical reduction and what this means for an understanding of experience and knowledge, and his thought of la parole more broadly, I give critical consideration to how he thinks the possibility of God’s address to humanity. Lacoste maintains that God’s presence in experience may be known through affection, and, indeed, that the word may so move us that we are able to recognise that presence. He uses the notion of self-evidence rather than the usual phenomenological category of evidence to evince the reasonableness of this response. I argue that while Lacoste accords due deference to a traditional understanding of revelation as the repetition or unfolding of a word addressed to us in the past, his thought also allows us to think revelation as a contemporary event, the hermeneutics of which allow us to know God in ways that are new.
Research Interests:
The article examines how students who seek accreditation to teach religious education in Catholic schools in Australia can be brought to a higher level of engagement.
Research Interests:
The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes of the icon to sustain the possibility of encounter with the other person and with God, are examined. The question underpinning this... more
The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes of the icon to sustain the possibility of encounter with the other person and with God, are examined. The question underpinning this examination will be to what extent there can be a phenomenology of the invisible--or equally, a theology of perception--that does not compromise invisibility as invisibility.
Research Interests:
PP 3-24 in Eucharist: Experience and Testimony, Edited by Tom Knowles, 2002, David Lovell.
Research Interests:
In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This classic definition is further specified by, for exampie, John Macquarrie, who maintains that: “theology may be defined as the study which,... more
In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This classic definition is further specified by, for exampie, John Macquarrie, who maintains that: “theology may be defined as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon a religious faith, seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive. These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university, particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... But, for thought, what is it to give itself, if not to love? ... Derrida summarizes his position in&amp;quot; On the Gift: A Discussion Between Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion,&amp;quot; God, the Gift, and Postmodernism,... more
... But, for thought, what is it to give itself, if not to love? ... Derrida summarizes his position in&amp;quot; On the Gift: A Discussion Between Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion,&amp;quot; God, the Gift, and Postmodernism, Richard Kearney, Jacques Derrida, and Jean-Luc Marion, eds. ...
Research Interests:
... That is expressed in the demand for no motive of return, the requirement of sacrifice, and the need for placing the Gift beyond the necessities of the everyday. ... Why does my Gift always end up having a purpose, or being a response... more
... That is expressed in the demand for no motive of return, the requirement of sacrifice, and the need for placing the Gift beyond the necessities of the everyday. ... Why does my Gift always end up having a purpose, or being a response to someone or something? ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Creative work: original music published in print and audio
Research Interests:
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of... more
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of Jacques Derrida, and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope.1 While there are aspects of Derrida's thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Page 1. ASHGATE Jean-Luc Marion A Theological Introduction Robyn Horner Page 2. ... Page 4. Page 5. JEAN-LUC MARION Jean-Luc Marion is one of the leading Catholic thinkers of our times: a formidable authority on Descartes and a major... more
Page 1. ASHGATE Jean-Luc Marion A Theological Introduction Robyn Horner Page 2. ... Page 4. Page 5. JEAN-LUC MARION Jean-Luc Marion is one of the leading Catholic thinkers of our times: a formidable authority on Descartes and a major scholar in the philosophy of religion. ...