"Gilson criticizes attempts to trace Dante's position back to Thomism or Averroism. For St. Thomas, every hierarchy of dignity is at the same time a hierarchy of jurisdiction, while for Dante—except for God—a hierarchy of dignity is never the foundation of a hierarchy of jurisdiction, and this corresponds to Dante's specific philosophical problem, which is not so much to define the essence of philosophy as to determine functions and jurisdictions. The principle governing this determination is absolutely irreconcilable with Thomism. St. Thomas knows only one ultimate end: eternal bliss, which can only be attained through the Church; moreover, the spirituality of the ultimate end implies that between temporal and spiritual power there is a hierarchical subordination of the means to the end. For Dante, on the other hand, man can obtain, through the exercise of political virtues, a human happiness completely distinct from heavenly bliss, even if the latter represents a higher end. The thesis of the “duo ultima” legitimizes the complete distinction between the political order and the religious order, which is equally universal to that of the Church, but autonomous and pursuing an end of earthly happiness."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from FranceCatholics from FrancePhilosophers from FranceHistorians from FranceNon-fiction authors from France
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Augusto Del Noce, Gilson Étienne in Enciclopedia dantesca, vol. III, Roma, 1971, p. 33. Reported in 30Giorni.it, article n.° 13074
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_Gilson
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Étienne Gilson
25 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Étienne Gilson →
Related Quotes
"What is most apparent and constant in Thomas' personality, the image he most likely had of himself, is the teacher. T…"
"We can only choose between two kinds of life, the active and the contemplative."
"Thomas considers that a religious may legitimately aspire to the title and functions of master, but since he could on…"
"What, then, will this philosophy be? Thomas only employed it for the service it renders Christian wisdom. No doubt th…"
"The mathematician always proceeds from thought to being or things. Consequently, critical idealism was born the day D…"
"Indeed, all idealism derives from Descartes, or from Kant, or from both together, and whatever other distinguishing f…"
"With Descartes the Cogito ergo sum [I think, therefore I am] turns into Cogito ergo res sunt [I think, therefore thin…"
"As used today, the word realism means in the first place the opposite to idealism when it claims that it is possible …"
"Reality can be grasped at levels of different depths. It is immediately given to us in a kind of block form, which is…"
"Philosophy always buries its undertakers."