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The encyclical letter places the greatest emphasis on philosophical inquiry rather than on philosophical systems. The very language of the letter stresses the "search," "journey," "path," and "struggle" to attain the truth. There are many paths to truth, and many types of truth—including empirical, scientific, philosophical, metaphysical, and religious truth. When properly pursued, these different paths and types of truth are all compatible. The letter contains a strong defense of the need for philosophy to pursue metaphysics—"the need for a philosophy of genuinely metaphysical range, capable, that is, of transcending empirical data in order to attain something absolute, ultimate and foundational in its search for truth." At several points, John Paul II insists upon the autonomy of reason and of the need of philosophy to follow its own rules and methods without external interference.
This strong defense in support of the life of reason and philosophy is especially significant at the end of the twentieth century. Reason has been under attack from a variety of sources. There has been a prevailing suspicion that the appeal to reason functions as a deceptive mask for ruthless power; that all appeals to universality are disguises for violently suppressing cultural, ethnic, and religious differences; that reason is to be identified exclusively with technocratic reason. Philosophy as an academic discipline has been marginalized. It is no longer viewed as the queen of the sciences, or even as a discipline that can provide theoretical insight into reality or guide practical judgment. (We should not forget that the pope was trained as a philosopher.)
Not only is the letter critical of those fideistic tendencies that tend to undermine the role of philosophy and reason, it is just as critical of those contemporary philosophic tendencies that speak of the "end of metaphysics" and "the end of philosophy." As the letter states, "Rather than make use of the human capacity to know the truth, modern philosophy has preferred to concentrate on the ways in which this capacity is limited and conditioned." This has given rise to "different forms of agnosticism and relativism which have led philosophical research to lose its way in the shifting sands of widespread skepticism."
In this respect, the encyclical is not only a statement about the relationship between faith and reason (and between philosophy and theology), it is also a direct intervention into the very condition of philosophy today. It admonishes philosophy to regain its true path to the knowledge of truth. Anyone who believes (as I do) that there is a proper philosophic place for the concepts of knowledge, truth, objectivity, reality, and universality—even in light of the current critiques of these concepts—will welcome the spirit in which the pope's letter defends reason and the tasks of philosophy. And anyone who believes that there need not be an incompatibility between religious faith and the rigorous open pursuit of philosophy (as I do) will also welcome the spirit of the letter.
But if there is so much that is praiseworthy in this document, then what precisely is so troubling? The more closely we study the letter, the more it reveals deep inner tensions and conflicts. It speaks the language of "openness," "search," "discovery" and "journey." But at the same time, it is quite explicit and firm—even dogmatic (in the pejorative sense)—about what will and must be the end of this journey, about what "genuine" philosophic inquiry will and must discover. It gives with one hand what it takes away with the other. It certainly makes sense that the pope would be critical of those philosophic tendencies that seek to denigrate or undermine Christian faith, and furthermore, that he should indicate how philosophic inquiry might proceed in order best to support a Christian faith. But the document goes far beyond this. Although it disclaims supporting any single philosophic system or path, it makes some very substantial claims about reason, truth, and philosophy that are, at the very least, rationally contestable. It reads like a document that encourages genuine search, inquiry, and openness—as long as one ends up in "right place." The Church already knows what this journey will discover. Let me illustrate what I mean.
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