Thomism is solidly based on the assumption that we know the world first through our senses and then through concepts formed on the basis of our sense experience. In this informally discursive introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas, Ralph McInerny shows how this basic assumption contrasts with dominant modern alternative views and is developed by Thomas into a coherent view of ourselves, of knowledge, and of God. McInerny first places Thomism in context within philosophical inquiry, discussing the relationship between philosophy and theology, and between modern and classical views of philosophy. He then describes the challenges Thomas faced with the introduction of Aristotle’s works into the Christian West. The reader is subsequently guided through such key concepts as art, nature, causes, and motion and shown how Thomas used these concepts to resolve the problems presented by Aristotle. Each chapter is tied to a specific Thomistic text, providing a sample from a number of Thomas’s works.

First Glance At Thomas Aquinas (A Handbook for Peeping Thomists)

MCINERNY, RALPH

Religion & Spirituality

University of Notre Dame Press

A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

The essays in Modernity and Religion comprise the reflections of eight seminal thinkers on various aspects of the problems of modern thought and its attitude toward religion. By concentrating on the supposed chasms between modern thought and the assumptions of Christianity, the contributors do much more than show that modernity has failed by its own standards; they also demonstrate that there are truths about humans and their relations to others and to God that are necessary components of any epoch, past or present.

Modernity And Religion

St. Thomas Aquinas enables the reader to appreciate both Thomas's continuity with earlier thought and his creative independence. After a useful account of the life and work of St. Thomas, McInerny shows how the thoughts of Aristotle, Boethius, and Augustine and Pseudo-Dionysius were assimilated into the personal wisdom of St. Thomas. He also offers a helpful study of the distinctive features of Aquinas's Christian theology.

St. Thomas Aquinas

History

Europe

In Characters In Search of Their Author, the Gifford Lectures delivered at the University of Glasgow in 1999-2000, Ralph McInerny discusses natural theology as it can be discussed in the present philosophical climate. The first five lectures ask "Whatever Happened to Natural Theology?", and trace the fate of philosophical efforts to establish the existence and nature of God in modern times. In the second set of lectures, dealing with "The Recovery of Natural Theology," McInerny defends the viability of the philosophical effort against certain dominant trends in contemporary philosophy. It has been the practise of Gifford Lecturers to write a book based on the lectures, often years after the event. This book contains the text of the lectures McInerny actually delivered.

Characters in Search of Their Author: The Gifford Lectures, 1999-2000

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You: My Life and Pastimes

With I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You, Ralph McInerny―distinguished scholar, mystery writer, editor, publisher, and family man―delivers a thoroughly engaging memoir. In the course of his recollections, McInerny describes his childhood in Minnesota; his grammar school and seminary education, with his decision to leave the path toward ordination; his marriage to his beloved Connie and their active family life and travels; and his life as a fiction writer. We learn of his career as a Catholic professor of philosophy at Notre Dame, his views on the Catholic Church, his experiences as an editor and publisher of Catholic magazines and reviews, his involvement with the International Catholic University, and his thoughts on other Catholic writers. Part homage to his academic home for the last half century and part appreciation of the many significant friendships he has fostered over his life, McInerny's reminiscences beautifully convey his lively interest in the world and his gift for friendship and collegiality.
Written in his characteristically elegant style, by turns charming, poignant, humorous, and revealing, I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You will delight McInerny's many devoted readers.

Humor & Entertainment

Dante and the Blessed Virgin is distinguished philosopher Ralph McInerny's eloquent reading of one of western literature's most famous works by a Catholic writer. The book provides Catholic readers new to Dante's The Divine Comedy (or Commedia) with a concise companion volume. McInerny argues that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the key to Dante. She is behind the scenes at the very beginning of the Commedia, and she is found at the end in the magnificent closing cantos of the Paradiso. McInerny also discusses Dante's Vita Nuova, where Mary is present as the object of the young Beatrice's devotion. McInerny draws from a diverse group of writers throughout this book, including Plato, Aristotle, St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, and George Santayana, among others. It is St. Thomas, however, to whom McInerny most often turns, and this book also provides an accessible introduction to Thomistic moral philosophy focusing on the appetites, the ordering of goods, the distinction between the natural and the supernatural orders, the classification of capital vices and virtues, and the nature of the theological virtues. This engagingly written book will serve as a source of inspiration and devotion for anyone approaching Dante's work for the first time as well as those who value the work of Ralph McInerny. "Dante was a literary genius with a profound understanding of St. Thomas Aquinas and the philosophia perennis that structured and permeated the Divina Commedia. Who better to help us get beyond the (brilliant) surface to the depths of Dante than the most literarily genial of Thomas' twentieth (and twenty-first) century disciples, the indefatigable Ralph McInerny? Dante needed guides, from Vergil to Beatrice, to reach the summit of Paradiso. Fortunately, we have Ralph McInerny to accompany us on the same journey." --Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., Founder and Editor, Ignatius Press "Weaving together poetry, philosophy and theology, Ralph McInerny shows that 'the Blessed Virgin Mary is the key to Dante.' Starting with the Vita Nuova and the beginning of the Divine Comedy, this becomes ever more explicit throughout the great poem, till the magnificent closing cantos of the Paradiso. The book is beautifully written, making sense of every step, however complex at times, of the great journey to the gate of heaven described by Dante in the Commedia, drawing on Scripture, on Aquinas, on philosophers like Aristotle, on a medley of modern and contemporary writers, with immense learning, always worn lightly and made easily accessible. Dominant are themes that concern everyone, such as love or happiness, are treated with freshness and clarity so the reader is made to feel he or she is discovering them anew. The total effect is joy induced by the incredible wealth of content of this little book and by the light it sheds on so many vital issues." --Thomas De Koninck, Laval University

Dante and the Blessed Virgin

The Very Rich Hours of Jacques Maritain is distinguished philosopher Ralph McInerny’s hymn of praise to the spiritual and intellectual life of the great Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain (1881–1973). The structure of this work is modeled on the medieval book of hours, making use of the daily offices, from Matins through Compline, to examine each stage of the life of Maritain and his wife, Raïssa. Through this unique blending of biography and meditation, McInerny creates a powerful portrait of the Maritains, one that reveals a model of the intellectual life as lived by Christian believers.
 McInerny’s authoritative work provides an interesting and accessible avenue of entry to Maritain’s life and thought. Among the topics McInerny covers are Maritain’s remarkable and diverse set of friends, his involvement in French politics, and the development of his views on the nature and future of democracy, the church, and Catholic intellectual life. By skillfully interweaving Maritain’s philosophy with anecdotes from his life, McInerny demonstrates what distinguished Maritain as a Catholic philosopher and why he is a source of inspiration for McInerny and others of his generation. “This is the best book about Jacques Maritain in the English language. McInerny provides a standard for Maritain scholarship.” —Jude P. Dougherty, Catholic University of America
 “Ralph McInerny has done a great service to the study of Maritain in producing a work that is informative, engaging, and inspiring. No one reading this book can fail to be impressed by the achievements of Maritain or be struck by how apt an author is McInerny to relate them, for he shares in the multifaceted talent of his subject. This book will be read in years to come.” —John Haldane, University of St Andrews “This marvelous portrait of Jacques Maritain demonstrates why in the 20th century he was a unique role model for intellectuals and artists throughout the world. Amidst the tumultuous events of that century, political, cultural, philosophical, Maritain kept his compass pointing to true north, on sanctity through Christ and the Church. McInerny shows why Maritain ought to remain a model for all with a similar goal now.” —John P. O'Callaghan, University of Notre Dame

Very Rich Hours of Jacques Maritain, The: A Spiritual Life

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by MCINERNY, RALPH. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by MCINERNY, RALPH

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by MCINERNY, RALPH. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

First Glance At Thomas Aquinas (A Handbook for Peeping Thomists)

A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists

Modernity And Religion

St. Thomas Aquinas

Characters in Search of Their Author: The Gifford Lectures, 1999-2000

Characters in Search of Their Author: The Gifford Lectures, 1999-2000

I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You: My Life and Pastimes

Dante and the Blessed Virgin

I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You: My Life and Pastimes

Very Rich Hours of Jacques Maritain, The: A Spiritual Life