God Without Metaphysics: Some Thomistic Reflections on Heidegger’s Onto-Theological Critique and the Future of Natural Theology in advance
- 1 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Philosophy Documentation Center in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly
- Vol. 95 (3), 527-548
- https://doi.org/10.5840/acpq2021616233
Abstract
The Heideggerian critique of onto-theology has attained a semi-canonical status for continental philosophy of religion. But is the critique itself sound, and does it actually result in a richer philosophical and theological discourse concerning God? in this paper, I argue that Heidegger's onto-theological critique suffers from serious difficulties. First (section II) I examine the critique, summarizing and condensing the critique in its essentials. I use Westphal fourfold criteria as a way of giving it some precision, while presenting it in relative independence from Heidegger's own account of Being. in section III, I examine the results of nononto-theological discourse on God post-Heidegger, suggesting, using the examples of John Caputo and Richard Kearney, that Heidegger's onto-theological critique has not inspired a less problematic religious discourse. in the fourth and final section, I question the legitimacy of the critique itself. While Heidegger's critique of onto-theology has the seemingly admirable goal of rendering our discourse about God less instrumental and idolatrous, a careful analysis of the criteria themselves reveals that onto-theology either misinterprets natural theological discourse on God or subjects it to impossible requirements.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Aquinas and ontotheology againInternational Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 2016
- Marion, Levinas, and Heidegger on the question concerning ontotheologyContinental Philosophy Review, 2010