Ep. #148 – Fr. Garrigou & the Principle of Finality w/ Dr. Minerd
Summary
What did Fr. Garrigou mean by saying perfections are “formally and eminently” in God? What other distinctions do Thomists typically make when discussing the divine nature? How would Fr. Garrigou defend the principle of finality against a Humean skeptic? Dr. Matthew Minerd joins the show to discuss several essays written by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange.
Guest Bio
Dr. Matthew Minerd is a Ruthenian Catholic, husband, and father, serving as a professor of philosophy and moral theology at Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has translated three books into English by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange including The Order of Things: The Realism of the Principle of Finality, and Philosophizing in Faith, which is a collection of essays that is the subject of today’s discussion.
Topics
- What have you been working on as far as teaching, speaking, and translating?
- Let’s look at the essay “On the Eminence of the Deity” by Fr. Garrigou. What’s it about?
- What does Fr. Garrigou mean by saying perfections are “formally” in God?
- What does Fr. Garrigou mean by saying perfections are “eminently” in God?
- Can you explain additional distinctions Thomists typically make when talking about God’s nature?
- Give us an overview of the book The Order of Things.
- How would Fr. Garrigou answer a Humean skeptic who denies all teleology?
- Can Fr. Garrgiou’s view account for “imperfections” in the evolutionary process such as the presence of vestigial organs?
Resources
Philosophizing in Faith: Essays on the Beginning and End of Wisdom by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange edited and translated by Dr. Matthew K. Minerd
Philosophicalcatholic.com (Dr. Minerd’s personal website)
The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the Intellectual Life by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, translated by Dr. Matthew K. Minerd
The Order of Things: The Realism of the Principle of Finality by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, translated by Dr. Matthew K. Minerd
Related Episodes
Ep. #146 – A Thomistic Introduction to the Divine Attributes w/ Ryan Hurd
Ep. #112 – Natural Theology & the Resurrection of Jesus w/ Dr. Levering
BONUS|Grace, Predestination, & Sin w/ Dr. O’Neill
