Complete Bibliography of Lonergan Studies

REVIEWS

Rixon, Gordon A. Toronto Journal of Theology 24/1 (Spring 2008) 144-45.

Lonergan, Bernard. Insight. Uno studio sul comprendere umano, edizione italiana a cura di Saturnino Muratore e Natalino Spaccapelo, OBL vol. 3. Citta Nuova, Roma 2007.

Danna, Valter. Archivio Teologico Torinese 14/1 (2008) 230-237. (Danna remarks on p. 237 that Muratore's editorial notes, especially those of a linguistic and sometimes very analytical nature, as well as the name index and analytical index make the Italian edition even richer than the English CWL original.)

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Braman, Brian J. Meaning and Authenticity: Bernard Lonergan and Charles Taylor on the Drama of Authentic Human Existence. (See LSN 29/1 [2008] 1.)

Liddy, Richard M. Startling Strangeness: Reading Lonergan’s Insight. (See LSN 27/4 [2007] 3.)

Hefling, Charles. Anglican Theological Review 90/2 (2008) 380-81.

Mathews, William A. Lonergan’s Quest: A Study of Desire in the Authoring of Insight. (See LSN 27/1 [2006] 2.)

Rixon, Gordon A. University of Toronto Quarterly 77/1 (Winter 2008) 361-63.

Sullivan, William F. Eye of the Heart: Knowing the Human Good in the Euthanasia Debate (See LSN 26/1 [2005] 2.)

Liptay, John. University of Toronto Quarterly 76/1 (Winter 2007) 307-309.

DISSERTATIONS & THESES

‘Conversion is the shift that includes changes in the interior process of a person, the way one regards an issue, one’s actions, and one’s openness to God. Conversion is a technical word as defined by Bernard Lonergan in his book Method in Theology... It ... refers to an inner change of heart (affective conversion), a change of viewpoint (intellectual conversion), actions enacted out of a choice of values over satisfaction (moral conversion), and ultimately the inner shift that occurs when grasped by God and moved in love (religious conversion). These questions will be explored through psychological considerations, understandings of spiritual development, theological reflection, and the call beyond to authentic self-transcending intentional loving.’

Dias, Darren J.E. The Contribution of Bernard J.F. Lonergan to a Systematic Understanding of Religious Diversity. Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology, University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2008. Director: Robert M. Doran, S.J.

‘This dissertation is a systematic approach to the question of religious diversity ... The ‘unified field structure’ proposed by Robert M. Doran, which is comprised of Lonergan’s four-point hypothesis coupled with a theory of history, serves as a theological framework and foundation toward an understanding of religious diversity that is open to and anticipates new developments that are bound to occur through the ongoing conversation between the world’s religions. I argue that a Lonerganian-trinitarian approach will result in a new set of questions elicited by the context of religious diversity different from the current debates circumscribed by Christocentric, ecclesiological and soteriological concerns. Such an approach will result in a shift in discourse from causality to that of meaning and a concomitant movement from the metaphysical language and categories of a theoretical theology to the language and categories of a methodical theology derived from intentionality analysis. Lonergan’s trinitarian thought and analysis of human development from above downwards that are explored in this dissertation are two significant areas that remain underexploited and which, I believe, have great potential for any theological enterprise.’ (From the Abstract.)

Lonergan Studies Newsletter 29/4 December 2008

PUBLICATIONS

‘I start with Wilson’s programmatic proposal for the unification of knowledge, followed by some observations on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. I then take up three recent examples of synthesis: Nicolas Wade on the emerging view of early humans, sociologist Manuel Castells on the “network society,” and William H. and John McNeill on the “human web” as a key for understanding history. ... In each case, I shall make connections to Lonergan’s work on the unity/differentiation of knowledge and seek to indicate the relevance to our own quest.’

Byrne, Patrick H. ‘Foundations of “The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research”.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 17-69.

‘In the approach that [Michael] Stebbins and I adopted [in another article], we do not rely upon arguments regarding potential human persons. Instead, we claim that embryos are actual human beings because embryos are actively developing, and that human developing is the being of a human being. In order to support this claim, we explicitly drew upon two aspects of Lonergan’s work in Insight: (1) his technical distinction between explanation and description, and (2) his explanatory account of human development. We argued that each instance of human development is a concrete, unified, intelligible whole – an intelligible wholeness that unifies all of its data, processes, and stages beginning with fertilization. We further relied upon what we refer to as (3) “a version of Kant’s Dignity Principle,” namely, that persons are always to be treated as ends in themselves, never only as means. Since killing embryos as means to obtaining their stem cells for research or therapeutic purposes is a violation of the Dignity Principle, we therefore argue that this would be ethically unacceptable.’

Coghlan, David. ‘Action Research as a Method of Praxis.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 71-85.

‘First, I review the area of commonsense knowing as the practical world of the everyday where we seek to exercise praxis. Secondly, I provide an introduction to action research, describing its main tenets and practices. Thirdly, I explore how action research and Lonergan’s work have resonances that may form the ground of a science of praxis.’

Copeland, M. Shawn. ‘Edging (Toward) the Center.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 87-92.

‘If the “not numerous center” is an incarnate instance of intelligence in collaboration, taking Lonergan’s account of our global situation as monstrous, then that “not numerous center” in potency can only realize itself in collaboration with certain liberation or liberal or constructive or post-colonial theologians and exegetes, who, although neither students nor disciples of Lonergan, share at least three of his concerns. These are: attention to the concrete, the particular; attention to experience; and self-correction.’

Dadosky, John D. ‘“Centering the Church”: A Development in Ecclesiology Based On Balthasar and Lonergan.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 93-103.

‘I view his [Balthasar’s] his entire opus as a treasure chest, and I would like to share with you some of the jewels I have discovered. I would like to reformulate these in terms of some insights from the thought of Bernard Lonergan in order to continue the twofold ressourcement-aggiornamento development of post-Vatican II Catholic ecclesiology. The resource will be the theology of the church in the Gospel of John as interpreted by Balthasar; the “bringing up to date” will consist in incorporating the notion of mediation into that of two churches articulated by Balthasar in order to ground two dimensions of ecclesial understanding going forward at Vatican II: communion and friendship.’

Doran, Robert M. ‘Being in Love with God: A Source of Analogies for Theological Understanding.’ Irish Theological Quarterly 73/ 3 & 4 (2008) 227-42.

‘The article has four sections. In the first, I describe ... how analogies from grace as well as from nature can provide helpful clues to the meaning of some of the mysteries of faith. In the second, I interpret a late statement of Bernard Lonergan ... in which he suggests the possibility of such an analogy for understanding the divine processions. In the third, I contrast this analogy with the more familiar psychological analogies found in Aquinas and the early Lonergan, and I do so by appealing to St Ignatius Loyola’s three times or moments of election and relating these to Lonergan’s two accounts of reasonable decision. And in the fourth, I attempt to unpack a bit more fully the process experienced in what I am calling the analogy of grace.’

Doran, Robert M. ‘Envisioning a Systematic Theology’ In In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 105-26.

‘... I have made at least a feeble effort to begin a book entitled The Trinity in History, which would be the first installment on a proposed systematic theology whose overall title, I suspect, will be The Law of the Cross: A Systematic Theology, or perhaps even Lex Crucis: A Systematic Theology. I propose in the present paper simply to share with you something of what appears in the draft completed to date... The manuscript in its present form has four chapters... The first is entitled “The Starting Point,” the second “Initial Issues,” the third “Mimesis,” and the fourth “Sacralization and Desacralization in History.” These four chapters, along with a fifth that will present the materials to be transposed from the biblical narrative into a systematic position on the reign of God, would constitute a first part of the book or perhaps even a short introductory volume.’

Finamore, Rosanna. ‘Insight: un invito che si rinnova.’ Gregorianum 89/3 (2008) 640-44.

La nuova edizione italiana di Insight. Uno studio del comprendere umano, terzo volume delle Opere di Bernard J.F. Lonergan, può costituire una circostanza favorevole per essere raggiunti de <> del tutto personale, quello all’appropriazione.’

Hefling, Charles. ‘Another Perhaps Permanently Valid Achievement: Lonergan on Christ’s (Self-) Knowledge.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 127-64.

‘... my topic is Christological. Y is Christ’s knowledge, with special reference to his knowledge of himself... I will be content with expounding a few aspects of Lonergan’s position. Thus the paper is mostly buildup. There is no exciting revelation at the end. Nor will I try to press Lonergan’s views much beyond the point he reached himself. Frederick Crowe has already done that, and what follows here is in some ways a set of notes that fill in the background.’

Komonchak, Joseph A. ‘Lonergan and Post-Conciliar Ecclesiology.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 165-83.

‘... I wish to take the proposal that Bernard Lonergan made in the last chapter of Method in Theology, namely that the Church be considered “a process of self-constitution with worldwide human society,” and, after briefly explaining the notion, to show how it can ground an approach to three of the most important discussions in Roman Catholic ecclesiology since the Second Vatican Council.’

See listings under Berryman, Byrne Coghlan, Copeland, Dadosky, Doran, Hefling, Komonchak, LaChance, Lauzon, Liddy, Maillet, McCarthy, Meynell, Morelli, Murnion, Wallbank, Whelan.

LaChance, Paul Joseph. ‘Theology as Praxis in Augustine’s Confessions: A Community Founded on the Humanity of Christ.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 197-232.

‘In this paper I will attempt to make a case for a twofold structure of the Confessions according to which the books themselves and the complexly interwoven themes may be related within a literary whole... In the fourth section [of the paper] I will offer brief remarks on the problem of dialectic and the interpretation of the Confessions. This is a text that deliberately and pedagogically makes demands on the reader to undergo the kind of personal development that Lonergan indicated is necessary for resolving theological difficulties. It is in the willingness to undergo these developmental changes that one becomes an increasingly luminous and voluntary participant in the work of providence in the world and in the evocation of a community founded upon the humble Christ.’

Lauzon, Greg. ‘Emerging Probabilities and the Operators of Musical Evolution.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 185-96.

‘There is a dynamism that pushes music forward. Parameters within a given musical system have a finite range of variables. The more these variables are explored the harder it becomes to create music that does not sound cliché. That thirst for the “new sound” compels artists to explore new frontiers for how music is made. There are numerous operators in the evolution of music. I have chosen four as being most relevant to this paper: (1) new technology; (2) development of new playing methods; (3) a radical combination of seemingly unrelated musical styles; (4) role of audience.’

Liddy, Richard M. ‘Startling Strangeness: A Memoir.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 233-51.

‘I attempt [in the book Startling Strangeness] to recount my own journey to that startling and strange moment around 1967 when the reality of intelligence came home to me. For besides being an account of reading Insight itself and the specifics of that moment when it seemed to me “I got it,” the book is also an account of how I came to that moment, the personal, social, and cultural forces that made it possible for me to pick up and read Insight... [T]he story of any person coming to read Insight is the story about the formation of a horizon and many elements that went into the formation of that horizon. In this article I will outline that formation in my own life and the specifics of wrestling with an understanding of understanding.’

Locklin, Reid M. ‘Toward an Interreligious Theology of Church: Revisiting Bernard Lonergan’s Contribution to the “Dialogue of Religions”.’ Journal of Ecumenical Studies 43/3 (2008) 383-410.

‘This essay offers a reexamination of the thought of ... Lonergan as a resource for comparative theology and interreligious dialogue. The first part compares two Lonergan scholars—Vernon Gregson and Joseph Komonchak—to explore the implications of their respective interpretations of religion, religious belief, and the Christian community. The second part returns to Lonergan’s own writings, along with selected works of the Hindu teacher Swami Dayananda Saraswati and the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to demonstrate some limitations of Gregson’s approach, especially its narrow focus upon religious experience and interiority. Ultimately, I suggest, Lonergan’s categories of meaning, community, and revelation, as developed by Komonchak, represent richer resources for engendering authentic inquiry and encounter across conflicting religious claims.’

McCarthy, Michael. ‘Towards A Catholic Christianity: A Personal Narrative.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 253-70.

‘The question I want to explore in this narrative is what is meant to become more fully Christian by becoming more genuinely Catholic... From the beginning, the Christian mission was to become katholou, Catholic, to integrate into a living community of faith the full diversity and pluralism of the human race with all its concreteness and all its differences, in the full equality achieved through Christ’s redemptive work.’ The ‘narrative’ includes discussion of the influence upon the author of figures such as John Dunne, Lonergan, and Charles Taylor, and it ends with a brief outline of what ‘a Catholic Christianity faithful to the message of the gospel and the mission of redeeming the world’ would be like.

Maillet, Gregory. ‘“At the Still Point” Where “There Is Only the Dance”: Logos, Lonergan, and T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 271-93.

‘Lonergan’s Method lists “the religious leader, the prophet, the Christ, the apostle, the priest, the preacher” as being among those who “announce[s] in signs and symbols what is congruent with the gift of love that God works within us”; but, based on Lonergan’s other comments on literature, we should certainly add “poet” to this list, particularly T.S. Eliot, a poet whose understanding of “the word of God’s love” is so congruent with Lonergan’s.’

Maricle, Brian Andrew. Thomas Kuhn in the Light of Reason. Mission Viejo, CA: Brian Maricle, 2008.

‘The basic premise of this book is that the success of Newtonian science during the Enlightenment gave rise to a tremendous confidence in the power of reason which helped – among other things – to inspire a rational pursuit of human rights. Unfortunately, confidence in the importance of reason has declined since the Enlightenment. Thomas Kuhn made a significant contribution to the loss of such confidence by presenting an image of science where the stamp of rationality is barely visible. Based on Lonergan’s book Insight, I attempt to show that reason is the foundation of science and thereby demonstrate that Kuhn’s philosophy of science is fundamentally misleading. Kuhn excluded the rational nature of science that Lonergan articulates so brilliantly.’ The book can be ordered from any Barnes and Nobles store or online: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780974793009&ourl=Thomas%2DKuhn%2Din%2Dthe%2DLight%2Dof%2DReason%2FBrian%2DMaricle http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=thomas+kuhn+in+the+light+of+reason&tag=yahhyd-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=31261088011&ref=pd_sl_9smpbfp6ve_e . The author would welcome reviews from interested Lonergan scholars.

Melchin, Kenneth R. and Cheryl A. Picard. Transforming Conflict through Insight. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.

‘Examining the difficulties of conflict resolution, this book demonstrates how Lonergan’s philosophy of insight can be applied to mediation to lead to more productive and constructive negotiations. The authors provide an overview of conflict research and an introduction to Lonergan’s “insight theory,” offering an outstanding piece of ethical philosophy and a useful method of mediation. Introducing readers to a method of self-discovery, the different kinds of operations involved in learning, and the role of feelings and values in shaping interactions with others in conflict, this volume also includes the practical experience of mediators who detail strategies of insight mediation for working creatively through conflict. Attending to the important role played by transformative learning in navigating conflicts, the authors show how insights and learning can move people past obstacles caused by feelings of threat.’

Meynell, Hugo A. ‘“A Perhaps Not Numerous Centre”.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 295-303.

‘... I shall start with a sketch of what the church is for, in my view, and why it’s worth belonging to her, whatever her faults as an empirical institution, as opposed to vehicle of transcendent meaning... So we begin with a potted dogmatics, and a potted apologetics. After these preliminaries, we start getting unpleasant. I am sorry about this, but it is a necessary condition of getting the job done, as I see it... I have faith that ... the church, being founded on divine principle, is always capable of reform.’

Morelli, Mark D. ‘Going Beyond Idealism: Lonergan’s Relation to Hegel.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 305-36.

‘My present aim is to establish the need for an investigation into the relationship of Lonergan’s Critical Realism to Hegel’s Absolute Idealism and to outline generally the strategy to be employed in going beyond Absolute Idealism. Such an investigation is, for reasons I shall provide, especially important for the future of Lonergan Studies and, I think, long overdue.’

Wallbank, Phyllis. ‘The Adolescent and the Use of the Philosopher Lonergan’s Questions.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 391-95.

‘The really troublesome adolescent is, we are told, a product of Western society; it does not occur in the same lasting way in the East. I think that the similarities and differences are shown in that wonderful passage in St. Luke’s Gospel about the newly adolescent boy Jesus. I hope to show how Lonergan’s questioning alertness can be of great help at this stage of development. I shall also show the difference in that environment that hinders the adaptation to society in the West.’

Walmsley, Gerard. Lonergan on Philosophical Pluralism: The Polymorphism of Consciousness as the Key to Philosophy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.

In Insight, Lonergan made the intriguing and problematic claim that ‘the polymorphism of consciousness is the one and only key to philosophy.’ In Lonergan on Philosophical Pluralism, Walmsley examines Lonergan’s many discussions of the different forms of human consciousness, as well as his sustained responses to the problems raised by philosophical and cultural pluralism. Looking closely at Lonergan’s thoughts on patterns of experience, different levels of consciousness, and the differentiations of consciousness that occur through the historical development of individual human minds, Walmsley shows how polymorphic consciousness allows individuals to understand a range of philosophical positions. By understanding this range, an individual is able to sympathetically and critically appreciate different positions. Testing the strength of Lonergan’s position, he directly engages postmodern thought and comparative philosophy to demonstrate that Lonergan’s account of polymorphic consciousness provides a better basis for a positive evaluation of difference than does the work of many postmodern thinkers. The book is both an illuminating study of Lonergan’s thought, and an intriguing proposal for how difference and pluralism can be understood.

Whelan, Gerard. ‘Importanza e attualità di Bernard Lonergan.’ La Civiltà Cattolica 159, III/17, no. 3797 (September 2008) 370-81.

Whelan, Gerard. ‘Robert Doran and Pastoral Theology: Reflections from Nairobi, Kenya.’ In Lonergan Workshop, vol. 20: The ‘Not Numerous Center’: For Insight’s 50^th Anniversary and Method in Theology’s 35^th Anniversary. Ed. Fred Lawrence. Boston, MA: Boston College, 2008, 357-90.

‘Doran’s thought centers on a theology of history... In this article I turn to recount how I attempted to apply the heuristic structures offered by Doran to the teaching of pastoral theology at Hekima College, the Jesuit School of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya. I offer this account for two reasons. The first is that perhaps other teachers of pastoral theology could benefit from it. The second is that I accept the claims of Lonergan and Doran that their thought can ground a reorientation of the whole of theology. I would like to think that by my demonstrating how useful their ideas are for the eminently practical task of guiding church praxis, this can contribute to an increased interest in his thought by theologians working in areas other than pastoral theology.’