The Degrees of Knowledge (The Collected Works of Jacques Maritain, Vol. 7)

The Degrees of Knowledge has the honor (perhaps) of being among the most well-worn texts upon my shelf of contemporary Thomistic texts. It will be impossible to sing the praises of Maritain's text in a helpful review, but a few observations might help to convince the appropriate readers that the cracked spine of my text reflects more than my penchant for the poetry of this giant of the Thomistic renewal of the first half of the 20th century.From the beginning, I will admit that if one is looking either for a fully systematic, textbook treatment of epistemology, this is likely not the place to find the exact genre thus desired. Like much of Maritain's work - by his own admission elsewhere - his approach has a certain "ad hoc" character that prevented him from writing text books of such a sort. (Arguably his gift was not for writing such texts, anyway, but that is another matter for reviewers of his Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Logic.) That being granted, the Degrees of Knowledge is far from being a hodgepodge of essays but instead reflects the seemingly innocuous title of a collection of his essays entitled "The Range of Reason." While the Degrees does not systematically present the whole narrative of epistemology in a manner that would befit a fully (i.e. essentially exhaustive) scientific exposition (one that would arguably require a shelf of volumes to be fair), Maritain's text rousingly places the whole breadth of epistemological concerns before the reader - and does so with plan in mind, even if the text seems to be meandering to the reader's eye. Instead of outlining the whole project, a few observations will hopefully suffice for this review.Regarding potential readers, there is some ambiguity as to the appropriate nature of the audience for this text. Above all, let us admit that there is a true conceptual barrier to entering Maritain's text, though not one that would be insuperable even to the lay reader. When I think that my epistemology professor suggested this text to me during my years as a Catholic seminarian, I am amazed that he thought I could either chew or swallow the dish placed before me. This is particularly the case given that most of my formation was (lamentably) thin in Thomism, thus leaving me without much of the vocabulary that plays a significant structural role in Maritain's Thomism (based as it is in the traditional Dominican commentators - a fact never to be forgotten if he is to be understood properly). In any case, the personal anecdote merely allows me to say that I first read the Degrees in a state of being "in over my head." Admittedly, I had enough philosophical vocabulary to help me start, so that is all that I suggest. To this end, I would suggest that one turn elsewhere for the appropriate overview of philosophical problems and its general history (a task left to other reviewers of other texts).That granted, if one were to pass that hurdle, the text does present some additional problems for contemporary philosophers (just as much for analytic thinkers as for those who live in the pluralistic realm that comprises much else in philosophy - even in Catholic circles). To such persons, I can only speak "as an outsider," for while I was no Thomist when I entered Maritain's thought, I was so predisposed as a Catholic to find miself exiting as a (rather bellicose, sadly) Thomist. However, I do not think that my mere predisposition made the text open to my eyes. Having a background in computer science and a decent interest in biology, I was not at first taken up by the religious portions of the text but instead by the lucidity of Maritain's presentation of the problems of mathematical ontology, modern physics, and the questions of realism raised by modern epistemology. It was not in the details of the argument that I was first "sold" but instead in the very life of the text. The problems were real and vexing for Maritain, and if the office of the wise man is to order things, I will give the laurels of wisdom to this orderer of epistemology. To the contemporary reader - above all those "outside" the shared vocabulary of scholasticism and Thomism - I still recommend the text insofar as it is not a "merely Thomist" project but really the attempt of a philosopher to face the epistemological pluralism of his day in order to defend knowledge not only in the traditional Aristotelian "cursus" but likewise in the many advances of modern / contemporary science AND in religious knowledge. (Likewise, while it only is tangential, the latter begins to open into questions of practical - i.e. moral - epistemology that would play a significant role in other works by Maritain.)As a cautionary note - lest the reader later feel himself or herself to be misled - the text is dated and to a degree marked by the French intellectual climate in which Maritain wrote and thought about questions of scientific epistemology. Likewise, his treatment of St. John of the Cross and the general questions of mystical theology (and natural contemplation) are marked by limitations given his formation under the spiritual tutelage of Garrigou-Lagrange. Likewise, his direct discussion within Thomism is marked by a natural (though undefended) commitment to the Dominical commentary tradition. Finally, there are clear marks that a number of the questions being raised "in house" concerning Thomism are limited to the controversies of Maritain's day. (For full disclosure: I myself am a partial devotee to Garrigou-Lagrange and to the Dominican commentators. Therefore, my remarks are meant as an observation regarding the context of Maritain's writing and not as a full-blown critique.)Let it be noted that none of these limitations are insuperable problems, for they do not appear to lead Maritain astray. They merely contextualize some of his engagement with topics of currency in a different era. Nevertheless, at the core (and extending far beyond the nucleus of said core) of each topic, he is dealing with a number of epistemological concerns that retain currency insofar as they reflect perennial distinctions in a manner that is not merely appealing to the authorities of his time, though most definitely speaking with them. In short, no text can engage either with the whole of history or with the future, though it can ask questions of reality in a true and cogent manner (thus being more than an historical blip).Thus, in fine, to any with good will, I recommend this text highly. Bear in mind that you are reading neither a comprehensive textbook nor an historical positioning of the project of epistemology, though both factors enter into the chapters. Instead, you are reading a work of philosophy - a philosopher speaking in his own voice, though from a tradition and in a certain time - that really is seeking not merely to consider a set of problems in epistemology but instead to ponder the unified breadth of reason's range - from the most experimental details of the sciences to the experiential heights of contemplation that are only considered as a theological question (though in a manner handled with a most subtle philosophical instrument). Tolle lege! The experience is worth it - even if you must return to the text over and again (and perhaps hunt down an old Thomist to understand the arcana in a footnote).

Better condition than indicated!

The Degrees of Knowledge takes you into the heights and the depths of Philosophy. Maritain, man of the 20th century, found Reality and Truth in the writings of a man of the 13th century. I doubt this is a book for the "hoi poloi". You will need a philosophical Mind. Perhaps not an easy read in the beginning, but once you have found the "wave-length" you will find yourself returning again and again to this book. To have found Truth is like nothing on earth. It takes control and governs. As the Ancients used to say: Magna est veritas!!" If you haven't been caught, persevere in your reading- but not only in the reading but in the daily philosophical Meditation of the Metaphysical Truths of Knowledge. The Book is cheap, thanks to Amazon. For the Philosophical Mind, a rare gem- there is no other word. Ignotus.

Maritain, the major neo-Thomist of the 20th century, has written a masterful tome on most epistemological accounts that is not only versed in "knowing that," and "knowing how," but also the knowledge derived from religious experience, mystical experience, and various other "degrees" of knowledge which, like a spider, are webbed together in a wonderful lattice of gemlike reflections. One will find all sorts of epistemological issues handled with care and illumination -- even ones modern analytic philosophy finds too "metaphysical," -- that most people encounter in the course of a lifetime. A delightful read and a great treasure for future reflection and meditation.

A superb and subtle analysis. Our knowledge is indeed of the real. Yet, the mode of our ideas is not the mode of the real. How does this all work? How do the recent developments in mathematical science relate to all this? Worth a close read.

I wish everyone involved in the philosophy of embodiment would read this so the fundamental errors (namely the omission of the notion of spirituality) could be corrected. If embodiment is truly about personal discovery and ultimate self-accountability then the epistemological exploration in this book will serve as a fantastic argument for incorporating spirituality into any philosophy of self.There is so much in this book it will captivate the reader many times over.

The classic! The best book on epistemology and philosophy of science written in 20th century. Maritain wrote 63 books, but this is the main one.

A "must" for anyone wanting to do solid epistemology

Anyone interested in Thomist or Neo-Thomist philosophy will get many insights from this book. But, be warned, the author's style is dense and convoluted in the extreme. He uses extensive footnotes containing large screeds of medieval Latin which are left untranslated. An easier way into Thomism is to read Etienne Gilson - am authority of equal stature but who's style and expression are clear and lucid.

Per Maritain la struttura del conoscere è gerarchica, inizia con i dati sensiblili, la fisica prima di tutto, per finire nella metafisica, il livello più alto e più comprensivo della conoscenza stessa. Il primato dell'oggetto esterno al soggetto resta il centro della sua riflessione.