Avant-propos - Studia Moralia

206 JOSEPH CHAPEL
salvation. 4 Such knowledge is not contrary to reason, yet it is beyond
the grasp of reason alone. It is this encounter or “dialogue”
between God and man that even philosophically grounds human
existence and meaning.
Philosophy will assist fundamental theology in demonstrating
that while faith, as a gift from God, is not based on reason,
faith nonetheless finds expression through reason. At the same
time, reason on its own has limitations: “it becomes apparent
that reason needs to be reinforced by faith, in order to discover
horizons it cannot reach on its own.” 5
Likewise, moral theology may have, “an even greater need of
philosophy’s contribution,” 6 for Christian life in the Spirit requires
the use of reason and the exercise of conscience for the
application of both general and specific teachings and precepts
to the concrete situations of life. For this reason, “moral theology
requires a sound philosophical vision of human nature and
society, as well as of the general principles of ethical decisionmaking,”
7 if it will assist the believer to grow in this freedom and
responsibility.
What is needed is a philosophy that is authentic and autonomous
in its own proper method, yet does not prescind from
or exclude the significance of faith. However, much of the philosophy
of recent centuries stands in stark contrast to the biblical
sense of the human person as founded in relationship with
God and the community. Specifically, there has been such a radical
shift in philosophy toward the autonomous subject, that the
way to understanding the “things above,” the transcendent,
seems at times to be closed.
Yet, for the brief period from World War I through World
War II, a philosophical thread emerged which spoke to some of
these issues: dialogical personalism. The failure or limits of sci-
4 FR, 11.
5 FR, 67, citing JOHN PAUL II, Letter to Participants in the International
Congress of Fundamental Theology on the 125th Anniversary of “Dei Filius”
(30 September 1995), 4: L’Osservatore Romano, 3 October 1995, 8.
6 FR, 68.
7 FR, 68.