Transcendentalny model argumentacji za istnieniem Boga (Charakterystyka propozycji Bernarda Lonergana)

Abstract

The article is an attempt to reconstruct a model of argumentation for the existence of God presented by Lonergan. The entire discussion covers three crucial parts. In first of them there is a sketch of the point of view of the Canadian philosopher and theologian on the question of possibility of natural knowledge of God. Taking an effort of critical analysis of traditional doctrine on natural knowing of God Lonergan defines the normative principles of theistic argumentation. First of all he postulates essential in this case connection of philosophical inquiry with the religious experience. At the same time he presents ontological conditions of rational and objective knowledge of God. Second part of the article is a synthetic description of transcendental method of argumentation which ‒ as Lonergan maintains ‒ meets the criteria and demands of the current philosophy of God and theology. At the interpretation of the author of Insight the transcendental method is a normative system of repeated and mutually intermingled activities which constitute human cognition apparatus. The system arises from the original mind dispositions and constitutes the foundation of every concrete research method. All the detailed methods are based on substantiation of transcendental norms commanding careful, intelligent, rational and responsible conduct. Those norms have a priori character ‒ they exist beforehand (before they are expressed in words) in spontaneous movement of human consciousness. In some sense every man knows and uses transcendental method using creative capabilities of mind. Precisely speaking the method is connected with search and critical analysis of necessary conditions of objective cognition and thinking. In the transcendental approach the subject determines heuristic structures o f intentional focus which define the order of cognition activities and influence their objective result. Dynamic structure of cognition indicates inevitable reference to being. In Lonergan's presentation that reference is understood as important and always present element of transcendental structure o f human spirit, it reveals unrestricted horizon of being. In this meaning the transcendental reflection leads to the question about the absolute being. In the third part of the article there was presented an order of argumentation for the existence of God. Lonergan starts with analysis of noetic transcendence of man confirming his opening to the unrestricted horizon of reality. If God is being ‒ he maintains ‒ that means that He is available for the human cognition in the acts of intellectual insight and rational affirmation. In accordance to that the argumentation presumes two phases. The conderations of the first one present “what God is” (if He exists). In Lonergan's ontology assuming “the complete intelligibility” of what is real, the absolute being is understood in the categories of “unrestricted and self-explanatory act of understanding of everything about everything”. The second phase of argumentation is a certain reasoning which leads to the conclusion on real existence of God. Such reasoning has a form of the following syllogism: “If the real is completely intelligible, God exists. But the real is completely intelligible. Therefore, God exists”. According to Lonergan the argument of “intelligibility” based on the categories of cognition analysis should be supplemented properly by introducing into its structure the motives of moral and religious self-transcendence of man. The article is ended up with the attempt of evaluation of Lonergan's conception.