The Maritainian Philosophical Origins of the Declaration Dignitatis humanae
Ivo Kerže
The Maritainian Philosophical Origins of the Declaration Dignitatis humanae
DOI: 10.62983/rn2865.25b.2
Keywords: Jacques Maritain, Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis
humanae, knowledge by inclination, knowledge by
connaturality, nouvelle théologie
Abstract:
The Second Vatican Council’s declaration Dignitatis
humanae is among the conciliar documents that have
provoked the greatest debate concerning their coherence
with the Church’s earlier magisterium, primarily because
of the document’s liberal tone. In particular, it appears to
prohibit any form of state coercion of citizens in matters of
religion. Its adoption was influenced especially by the views
of Jacques Maritain on this issue; the inherent ambivalence
of his position rendered it acceptable at the Council to both
progressive and conservative factions. In this article, I draw
attention to the deeper philosophical roots of Maritain’s
stance, which are closely linked to his understanding of
knowledge by inclination or connaturality. I further examine
the possible sources of this understanding in thinkers
such as Bergson, Blondel, Rousselot, and Maréchal, all of
whom significantly shaped the development of twentiethcentury
Catholic theology in France, particularly the movement
known as nouvelle théologie. A common feature of
these intellectual sources is their openness to tendencies—
ultimately traceable to Kantian philosophy—that privilege
practical reason over theoretical reason.
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