• La Civiltà Cattolica
  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Contact us
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate

No products in the cart.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate

No products in the cart.

No Result
View All Result
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
No Result
View All Result
     
Home 1708

Doubt: Threat or Opportunity?

Giovanni Cucci, SJbyGiovanni Cucci, SJ
September 15, 2017
in 1708, Church Life, Embracing Our Humanity, Faith, September 2017, Vol. 1 no. 8, Spirituality, THE MEANING OF FRANCIS’ INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
0
Doubt: Threat or Opportunity?
0
SHARES
270
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

An emblematic term for our era

Doubt can be considered a watchword for people today. It is the premise for the construction of any solid, critical and complete thought based on reason alone without any recourse to authority or tradition that would penalize liberty or autonomy. The key philosopher of doubt is of course Descartes. According to him it is most useful because “doubt frees us from any sort of prejudice; it prepares for us an easy pathway to habituate our spirit to be detached from the senses, and lastly thanks to it we can no longer have any doubt about what we will later discover to be true.”[1]

But this enticing promise was not fulfilled. Without prior certainty, to which trust should somehow be given – for example, concerning the value of reason and its ability to recognise the truth – doubt in no way prepares an easy pathway; and instead of disappearing, it increases until it becomes a nightmare that renders all that is touched confused and uncertain as in the legend of King Midas. Descartes himself had to recognize this, noting that indiscriminate doubt risked upsetting everything: not only does it not help uncover truth, but it also makes knowledge itself impossible, becoming a sort of “skeptic devil”[2] that can never be exorcised.

Doubt, therefore, has become the unsurpassed master of the modern era, to the extent of becoming a nightmare from which we cannot free ourselves: the more a complete response is sought, the more doubt seems to emerge victorious. As Enrico Castelli acutely noted: “The history of modern philosophy has mostly been the history of an obsession with objectivity.”[3] Things have gone differently than expected: the only thing remaining of objectivity is an obsession with it.

In the Discourse on Method, Descartes proposes what is called in the subtitle, “the right use of one’s reason and the quest for truth in the sciences.” With it he wishes to lay down – by means of mathematics, geometry and the mechanical arts – solid foundations for the building of knowledge, substituting them for the “sand and the mud” of the ancients. Yet reading on, we encounter more of an autobiographical account and a series of images that are closer to poetry and narrative than to epistemology. “The Discourse on Method if we look carefully is not a discourse ‘on the method.’ Rather, if we are honest we do not even find in it a precise definition of what Descartes means by method.”[4]

This article is reserved for paid subscribers. Please subscribe to continue reading this article
Subscribe

Welcome to
La Civiltà Cattolica !
This article is reserved for paid subscribers
Please login or subscribe to continue reading this article
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE
What is La Civiltà Cattolica?

Previous Post

Populism

Next Post

Grace is not an ideology: Pope Francis’ private conversation with some Colombian Jesuits

Giovanni Cucci, SJ

Giovanni Cucci, SJ

Is a member of the College of Writers of La Civiltà Cattolica

Related Posts

Francis’ Vision for a Renewed Theology
Church Life

Francis’ Vision for a Renewed Theology

byJames Hanvey, SJ
May 29, 2023
Don Lorenzo Milani - Priest and Prior of Barbiana - La Civilta Cattolica
Church Life

Don Lorenzo Milani, Priest and Prior of Barbiana

byGiancarlo Pani SJ
May 26, 2023
Children go to school in Tamil Nadu, India. (photo: Jesuit Refugee Service). -church-
Church Life

Renewing and Realizing the Social Doctrine of the Church

byCard. Michael Czerny, SJand1 others
May 22, 2023
The Pope's Mass in Budapest (photo: Vatican Media)
Culture

The European Soul and Prophetic Reception: Francis’ trip to Hungary

byAntonio Spadaro, SJ
May 17, 2023
A Bridge to Walk: An interview with Msgr. Stephen Chow, Bishop of Hong Kong - LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
2305

A Bridge to Walk: An interview with Msgr. Stephen Chow, Bishop of Hong Kong

byAntonio Spadaro, SJ
May 12, 2023
Next Post
Pope_Francis

Grace is not an ideology: Pope Francis' private conversation with some Colombian Jesuits

Subscription Offers

Premium Content

post-apocalyptic-world

What Becomes of Religion in a Post-Apocalyptic World?

January 18, 2018

The Discovery of the ‘Hidden Christians’ of Japan

December 9, 2019
The Bible: A Library Written by Migrants

The Bible: A Library Written by Migrants

January 16, 2018

Browse by Category

BEATUS POPULUS CUIUS DOMINUS DEUS EIUS

The most respected digital Catholic journal from Rome. A must-read on all the present issues alive in the Church. Discover top Church scholars interpreting the history, politics, culture, science and art in the light of the Christian faith.

Categories

  Editions
  Church Thought
  Authors
  Church 
 
  Culture
  Perspective Series
  Politics & Socitey

 

About Us

   Contact Us
   La Civiltà Cattolica  
   China Forum
   Feedback
   Terms & Conditions
   Privacy Policy
    Email : [email protected]
My IP Address : 17.241.75.164
Facebook Twitter Instagram

© Union of Catholic Asian News 2023 | All Rights Reserved.
Except for any fair dealing permitted under the Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate
SUBSCRIBE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?
Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Login
  • Sign Up
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

laciviltacattolica.com uses cookies and similar technologies to optimize the user experience,  analyze site traffic and communicate with subscribers. To read more about how we use cookies and how you can control them click on settings, or click Accept to start browsing our site.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.