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Person and Being
Book
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
9 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
W. Norris Clarke
14 books15 followersA native New Yorker, Father Clarke was born in 1915 and attended Loyola High School. He graduated, enrolled at Georgetown University in 1931 and entered the Society of Jesus two years later. His deepening interest in Thomist philosophy was developed at College St. Louis in England in 1936. He continued his studies at Fordham, earning a master’s in philosophy in 1939. He earned his doctorate from Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he studied under Roman Catholic philosopher Louis De Raeymaeker. Father Clarke was ordained into the priesthood in 1945 and joined the Fordham faculty 10 years later as an assistant professor of philosophy.
He taught for three decades before becoming an emeritus professor in 1985. "Norrie Clarke was the rare combination of scholar and teacher who continued to have a transforming influence on his students well into his '90s," said Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J., former president of Fordham. In 1961, Father Clarke helped found the International Philosophy Quarterly (IPQ), a journal promoting theological dialogue between Europe and the Americas. He served as editor until his 1985 retirement. Even though officially retired, Father Clarke continued to teach in Fordham’s philosophy department and to publish articles. In 2007, he was honored by his peers at a philosophy colloquium on campus, where he presented a talk, “Integration of Personalism and Thomistic Metaphysics in Twentieth-Century Thomism.”
Father Clarke considered his philosophical journey as one moving from strict Thomism to a perspective revitalizing Thomistic philosophy to include an “implicit dimension of personalism.” He felt that the latter was inspired by the writings of Pope John Paul II.The colloquium coincided with publication of a revised edition of his 1979 book, The Philosophical Approach To God (Fordham University Press, 2007). Additionally, the Press will publish a book of his essays on Thomistic philosophy in the fall of 2008, The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
The author of eight books and more than 70 articles, Father Clarke was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the “Aquinas Medal” from the American Catholic Philosophical Association and a Fordham “Outstanding Teacher Award.” He held honorary doctorates from Villanova University and Wheeling Jesuit College.In June 2000, International Philosophy Quarterly published a Festschrift in honor of Father Clarke’s 85th birthday and his longstanding editorial service. Presenting articles were religious philosopher Louis Louis Dupré, T. Lawrason Riggs, professor of the philosophy of religion at Yale University, and the late Gerald A. McCool, S.J., (FCRH ’40) professor emeritus of philosophy and former chair of the department.Father Clarke resided at Loyola Hall, where he was house confessor. Link (here)
He taught for three decades before becoming an emeritus professor in 1985. "Norrie Clarke was the rare combination of scholar and teacher who continued to have a transforming influence on his students well into his '90s," said Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J., former president of Fordham. In 1961, Father Clarke helped found the International Philosophy Quarterly (IPQ), a journal promoting theological dialogue between Europe and the Americas. He served as editor until his 1985 retirement. Even though officially retired, Father Clarke continued to teach in Fordham’s philosophy department and to publish articles. In 2007, he was honored by his peers at a philosophy colloquium on campus, where he presented a talk, “Integration of Personalism and Thomistic Metaphysics in Twentieth-Century Thomism.”
Father Clarke considered his philosophical journey as one moving from strict Thomism to a perspective revitalizing Thomistic philosophy to include an “implicit dimension of personalism.” He felt that the latter was inspired by the writings of Pope John Paul II.The colloquium coincided with publication of a revised edition of his 1979 book, The Philosophical Approach To God (Fordham University Press, 2007). Additionally, the Press will publish a book of his essays on Thomistic philosophy in the fall of 2008, The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
The author of eight books and more than 70 articles, Father Clarke was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the “Aquinas Medal” from the American Catholic Philosophical Association and a Fordham “Outstanding Teacher Award.” He held honorary doctorates from Villanova University and Wheeling Jesuit College.In June 2000, International Philosophy Quarterly published a Festschrift in honor of Father Clarke’s 85th birthday and his longstanding editorial service. Presenting articles were religious philosopher Louis Louis Dupré, T. Lawrason Riggs, professor of the philosophy of religion at Yale University, and the late Gerald A. McCool, S.J., (FCRH ’40) professor emeritus of philosophy and former chair of the department.Father Clarke resided at Loyola Hall, where he was house confessor. Link (here)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 12, 2016
This is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time—it was also quite challenging.
Fr. Gaitley recommended this book—actually a lecture—in The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything and despite the subject material (Thomistic theology) I thought, “Well surely I can do a lecture, right? It’s not like it is a full book…” Famous last words.
The basis of Clarke’s writing was a challenge laid down some years ago by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger ... ‘that Christian thinkers had developed a relational notion of the person for use in theology to help explain the Trinity of three Persons united in one God, but had not exploited it adequately, if at all, in their philosophical analysis of the person.’ p.2 This ‘stopping short’ criticism was also taken up by Karol Wojtyla, later St. John Paul II.
I believe that is what Fr. Clarke is claiming to have begun here, though I am no theologian much less a Thomist. Still what I understood, I loved. It has brought me untold consolation during these days and weeks of angry fighting, name-calling and every other sort of sadness I try not to hear or see around me. Why so much animosity in a land of so much beauty and goodness, opportunity and plenty, where even the worst off here are better situated than the so-called wealthy in other countries?
All I can say is read this instead. Even if it is difficult. Discover how we are meant to love each other. Here are a few of the quotes I loved the most:
‘Natural things have a natural inclination not only toward their own proper good, to acquire it, if not possessed, and if possessed, to rest therein; but also to diffuse their own goodness among others as far as is possible.’
‘Not: to be, then to act, but: to be is to act.’
‘(There is) an intrinsic dynamism in every being to be self-communicative, to share its own goodness with others, to pour over into production of another actuality in some way like itself.’
‘A human being is by nature a finite embodied spirit, in search of the Infinite, in social solidarity with its fellow human beings, on an historical journey through this material cosmos towards its final trans-worldly goal. ’
‘Like the Sleeping Beauty, we must first be touched by another before we can wake up to ourselves. This process of awakening from latent to explicit self-consciousness is one that unfolds slowly.’
‘Thomists have always been proud of this distinctive aspect of St. Thomas’s ethics, namely, that his morality is not primarily a morality of obedience to law, in the sense of obedience to particular precepts imposed explicitly from without – as is the case with the ethics of William of Ockham and the Nominalist Tradition – but a morality of the free self-governing person, responsibly guiding itself towards God as final goal, in accordance with flexible inner law – called the natural law – imprinted in the person’s very nature by God, but speaking now to the person through its own inner light of wisdom.’
‘By my actions, therefore, especially the repeated ones, I gradually construct an abiding moral portrait of myself, like an artist’s self-portrait, proclaiming implicitly, “This is the kind of person I am.”’
‘“Be fully what you in fact are,” or better: “ Become fully what you already are, in the deepest, most authentic longing of your nature.” Thus the fully mature moral person does good and avoids evil, not primarily because he will be rewarded or punished according to some law imposed from without, but precisely because he sees it as something good to do (or avoid) in creative harmony with his own nature and the whole order of the good willed by God, in a word, as another step towards his final goal – which in fact, recognized or not – will be union with God.’
‘Unless one has some distinct self to give or share, and some conscious possession of it as one’s own, how could one “give oneself to another” in friendship and love?’
‘Evil is always the privation in a good being of some good that should be there.’
‘We take on a God’s eye view of all things, seeing them as he sees them in the ordered unity of being as a whole, and loving them all as he loves them in the ordered unity of goodness as a whole.’
Fr. Gaitley recommended this book—actually a lecture—in The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything and despite the subject material (Thomistic theology) I thought, “Well surely I can do a lecture, right? It’s not like it is a full book…” Famous last words.
The basis of Clarke’s writing was a challenge laid down some years ago by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger ... ‘that Christian thinkers had developed a relational notion of the person for use in theology to help explain the Trinity of three Persons united in one God, but had not exploited it adequately, if at all, in their philosophical analysis of the person.’ p.2 This ‘stopping short’ criticism was also taken up by Karol Wojtyla, later St. John Paul II.
I believe that is what Fr. Clarke is claiming to have begun here, though I am no theologian much less a Thomist. Still what I understood, I loved. It has brought me untold consolation during these days and weeks of angry fighting, name-calling and every other sort of sadness I try not to hear or see around me. Why so much animosity in a land of so much beauty and goodness, opportunity and plenty, where even the worst off here are better situated than the so-called wealthy in other countries?
All I can say is read this instead. Even if it is difficult. Discover how we are meant to love each other. Here are a few of the quotes I loved the most:
‘Natural things have a natural inclination not only toward their own proper good, to acquire it, if not possessed, and if possessed, to rest therein; but also to diffuse their own goodness among others as far as is possible.’
‘Not: to be, then to act, but: to be is to act.’
‘(There is) an intrinsic dynamism in every being to be self-communicative, to share its own goodness with others, to pour over into production of another actuality in some way like itself.’
‘A human being is by nature a finite embodied spirit, in search of the Infinite, in social solidarity with its fellow human beings, on an historical journey through this material cosmos towards its final trans-worldly goal. ’
‘Like the Sleeping Beauty, we must first be touched by another before we can wake up to ourselves. This process of awakening from latent to explicit self-consciousness is one that unfolds slowly.’
‘Thomists have always been proud of this distinctive aspect of St. Thomas’s ethics, namely, that his morality is not primarily a morality of obedience to law, in the sense of obedience to particular precepts imposed explicitly from without – as is the case with the ethics of William of Ockham and the Nominalist Tradition – but a morality of the free self-governing person, responsibly guiding itself towards God as final goal, in accordance with flexible inner law – called the natural law – imprinted in the person’s very nature by God, but speaking now to the person through its own inner light of wisdom.’
‘By my actions, therefore, especially the repeated ones, I gradually construct an abiding moral portrait of myself, like an artist’s self-portrait, proclaiming implicitly, “This is the kind of person I am.”’
‘“Be fully what you in fact are,” or better: “ Become fully what you already are, in the deepest, most authentic longing of your nature.” Thus the fully mature moral person does good and avoids evil, not primarily because he will be rewarded or punished according to some law imposed from without, but precisely because he sees it as something good to do (or avoid) in creative harmony with his own nature and the whole order of the good willed by God, in a word, as another step towards his final goal – which in fact, recognized or not – will be union with God.’
‘Unless one has some distinct self to give or share, and some conscious possession of it as one’s own, how could one “give oneself to another” in friendship and love?’
‘Evil is always the privation in a good being of some good that should be there.’
‘We take on a God’s eye view of all things, seeing them as he sees them in the ordered unity of being as a whole, and loving them all as he loves them in the ordered unity of goodness as a whole.’
February 8, 2025
Giving this book 4 stars solely because every time I’m forced to read a book for grad school, I like it a little less. Otherwise, it would probably be a 5. BUT, this book gives a great outline of who we are created to be and what we should be focusing on as persons. It highlights the areas of self-possession, self-transcendence, and self-gift. Overall, a good read.
August 21, 2024
This little "creative completion" of Aquinas's philosophy of being and philosophy of persons was much more engaging and ground-breaking than I anticipated.
Clarke draws on contemporary phenomenology to complete aspects of Aquinas's thinking and makes some arguments that, if true, are brilliant. In short, it goes something like this: The perfection of Being is Personhood, thus the most perfect beings are persons. Personhood is inherently relational, self-communicative, and receptive. Thus, persons are a combination of both substance (being) and subjectivity (personhood). This is true of finite persons.
If the above is true, then we have reason to think that Absolute, Infinite Being (what we name when we invoke God) is also personal. Not only that, but there's reason (not merely by revelation but philosophy) to think that there's a distinction of persons within Absolute Being who live in eternal relation to each other, which is something like the Trinity. This gives reason to prioritize Christian metaphysics over something like Buddhist metaphysics.
My summary is inadequate to the worthiness of Clarke's arguments. So I simply must recommend that you read it, and if you do, let me know what you think.
Clarke draws on contemporary phenomenology to complete aspects of Aquinas's thinking and makes some arguments that, if true, are brilliant. In short, it goes something like this: The perfection of Being is Personhood, thus the most perfect beings are persons. Personhood is inherently relational, self-communicative, and receptive. Thus, persons are a combination of both substance (being) and subjectivity (personhood). This is true of finite persons.
If the above is true, then we have reason to think that Absolute, Infinite Being (what we name when we invoke God) is also personal. Not only that, but there's reason (not merely by revelation but philosophy) to think that there's a distinction of persons within Absolute Being who live in eternal relation to each other, which is something like the Trinity. This gives reason to prioritize Christian metaphysics over something like Buddhist metaphysics.
My summary is inadequate to the worthiness of Clarke's arguments. So I simply must recommend that you read it, and if you do, let me know what you think.
January 12, 2022
'Person & Being' is a must read for every person who loves the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The book is a revelation & discusses the new way of looking at the paradox of the human person's relationship with himself & the Divine. As Fr. Clarke states, this book 'Person & Being' is his own creative endeavor to highlight certain aspects of Saint Thomas' theories of self-possession & self-communication which the Saint himself has not touched upon in great detail in his writings, but has hinted at them nevertheless. For those readers who are dissatisfied with the elimination of 'self' in the modern radical mystic traditions of Catholicism as well as of other religions, you'll find this book more than just helpful; it is the key to unlocking what Saint Paul truly meant when he said the words ' Now I live, yet not I.' When I was 18 years old back in degree college, I started practicing a form of Buddhist meditation which I continued to use to my advantage till I was 20. I was dissatisfied with the meditation especially after reading certain Catholic texts & so gave up the meditation before I turned 21. If only I had read 'Person & Being' back then, I would have immediately got an answer to my issue with regards to the abolition of self which highlights most of the mystical teachings & practices of many religions. I realized now the importance of the 'Self' as a substance in keeping with Saint Thomas' philosophy & how indeed 'action follows being' in a much deeper way than we have ever imagined. I also applaud Fr. Clarke on explaining the real secret behind the Holy Trinity in keeping with the philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas which has shed more light on a topic that few people are truly versed in among the Catholic laity. I highly recommend this book to all Catholics who wish to delve more into the teachings of Aquinas regarding the Soul, the human individual, the relationship of the human individual with the Divine & the way the finite being that is humanity seeks the infinite or the perfect good in keeping with Aquinas' theories on the Intellect & Will. The book is highly engaging & a breeze to read. I took a while to read the book however due to prior engagements & a heavy work schedule. 'Person & Being' gets 5 stars from me.
June 16, 2018
This little book is dope.
Want to read
October 26, 2013A Thomistic interpretation of the significance of the category of relation w/r/t the substance of the Human Person. From what I read, does an outstanding job of highlighting the parts of St. Thomas that correspond with the contemporary concern of systemic relations.
October 30, 2021
Person and Being is both a really insightful and really accessible work of personalism. Clarke here gives a satisfying, even if slightly underdeveloped, argument for relationality being grounded in personhood rather than nature, based on the Thomistic idea of existence as more central than nature (and in fact the core of perfection) in all beings. An argument for which I’ve been searching for some time. The argument is grounded in Thomas, while creatively going well beyond Thomas, and very consciously avoiding the common personalist errors of reducing personhood to relations, or excluding relation altogether from personhood, assuming it instead to be merely a property of human nature.
June 22, 2021
Quite good, and not needlessly long. Clarke's treatment of the person as self-possessing, self-communicating, and self-transcending is interesting to think about when considering the wholeness of being.
November 5, 2022
One of my favorite philosophy books. Makes a path between Aquinas and the existentialists by showing personhood to be the highest manifestation of substance manifesting its implicit dynamism.
May 31, 2023
Amazing little book. Will impact my work in philosophy for years to come.
June 6, 2023
An overall excellent book, except where Norris Clarke's theology is slightly off in his separation of man's substantially and relationality and his separation of love/knowledge and existence.
November 9, 2015
Norris Clarke is such a joy to read, and this book is no exception. Here is an example of Clarke's "creative completion" of themes in Thomas, most notably the deep interconnections of the metaphysical category of "being" and "personhood." He argues, quite helpfully and persuasively, that being is inherently "personal" and that personhood is the true end and pinnacle of being. His exegetical work with St. Thomas is masterful, as is his original arguments in extending Thomas's approach.
I recommend the book as a brief exposition of important themes in Thomistic metaphysics as well as offering the authors unique contribution to the personal nature of all being from a Christian perspective.
I recommend the book as a brief exposition of important themes in Thomistic metaphysics as well as offering the authors unique contribution to the personal nature of all being from a Christian perspective.
September 9, 2015
Partindo de uma interpretação da filosofia tomista, Norris Clarke analisa o que significa ser, e mais especificamente o significado de ser pessoa. É notável a capacidade do autor em trazer à tona importantes aspectos filosóficos do cristianismo e proporcionar ao leitor uma excelente reflexão sobre questões tão profundas. Um livro a ser lido e relido por quem quer que se interesse por antropologia filosófica, metafísica e teologia.
August 7, 2021
Brilliant one.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews