What do you think?
Rate this book
The Drama of Atheist Humanism
Henri de Lubac, S.J. De Lubac traces the origin of 19th century attempts to construct a humanism apart from God, the sources of contemporary atheism which purports to have "moved beyond God." The three persons he focuses on are Feuerbach, who greatly influenced Marx; Nietzsche, who represents nihilism; and Comte, who is the father of all forms of positivism. He then shows that the only one who really responded to this ideology was Dostoevsky, a kind of prophet who criticizes in his novels this attempt to have a society without God. Despite their historical and scholarly appearance, de Lubac's work clearly refers to the present. As he investigates the sources of modern atheism, particularly in its claim to have definitely moved beyond the idea of God, he is thinking of an ideology prevalent today in East and West which regards the Christian faith as a completely outdated.
539 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
53 people are currently reading
1334 people want to read
About the author
Henri de Lubac
97 books100 followersHenri-Marie de Lubac, SJ (1896-1991) was a French Jesuit priest who became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. His writings and doctrinal research played a key role in the shaping of the Second Vatican Council.
De Lubac became a faculty member at Catholic Faculties of Theology of Lyons, where he taught history of religions until 1961. His pupils included Jean Daniélou and Hans Urs von Balthasar. De Lubac was created cardinal deacon by Pope John Paul II on February 2, 1983 and received the red biretta and the deaconry of S. Maria in Domnica, February 2, 1983. He died on September 4, 1991, Paris and is buried in a tomb of the Society of Jesus at the Vaugirard cemetery in Paris.
De Lubac became a faculty member at Catholic Faculties of Theology of Lyons, where he taught history of religions until 1961. His pupils included Jean Daniélou and Hans Urs von Balthasar. De Lubac was created cardinal deacon by Pope John Paul II on February 2, 1983 and received the red biretta and the deaconry of S. Maria in Domnica, February 2, 1983. He died on September 4, 1991, Paris and is buried in a tomb of the Society of Jesus at the Vaugirard cemetery in Paris.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 12, 2016
I was given this book several Christmases ago back in my apologetics craze. I guess I started reading it with the wrong expectations. Once I dropped apologetics things began to make more sense. The book divides into three or four sections. First, Henri de Lubac gives a thorough (if at times dense) analysis of the major atheist leaders: Marx, Feurbach, and Comte, Comte providing a foil for a brief Christian response.
The next section is on Dostoevsky the prophet. Compares and contrasts Nietszche.
The final section is “Search for a New Man.” The first part of this is rather good. He gives several brief, short critiques of “progressivism” and ends with a plea for a new Christian Humanism. His criticism of Marxism’s historicism is perfect (and too long to post here. His discussion of “the supernatural” was sublime.
The supernatural is not a higher, more beautiful, or more fruitful nature…it is the irruption of a wholly different principle. The sudden opening of a kind of fourth dimension, without proportion of any kind to all the progress provided in the natural dimension (466).
The final part of the book is about Nietszche’s mystical experiences. Aside from a few good quotes here and there, I found it to be rambling.
Maybe not the best intro to Henri de Lubac, and certainly not the easiest book to follow, but one that is definitely worth reading and will certainly repay multiple readings.
February 13, 2021
What a towering work of critical genius! This study is a sweeping analysis of the spirit of the modern age that is able, at the same time, to examine each thinker with amazing depth. I read this book to deepen my understanding of Comte, a much forgotten thinker, even though he influenced the nineteenth century spirit in countless ways. However, I gained so much more in my appreciation of Dostoevsky and my understanding of the Nietzschean spirit. De Lubac is also quite an original and insightful Christian thinker in his own right. While he may not be quite to the taste of a secular audience, since he condemns both atheism and religious indifference. However, I would say this is a must-read for any Christian intellectual.
May 26, 2025
Why reading this book :
The ideas and movements this book discusses—such as Atheist Humanism and Nihilism, Atheist Socialism and Marxism, and Atheist Positivism and Rationalism—are now widespread around the world. Muslim societies today face a crisis of direct core confrontation with these ideas, as one of the last relatively standing vestiges against Western liberalism.
And as Sun Tzu says:
Hence reading this book, as it explains the intellectual, spiritual, and psychological foundations and origins of these ideas and movements.
Context:
Yet, this book is a Catholic answer to these movements and ideas within their European context, which does not quite apply to our situation in the Muslim world.
I would even argue that the complex context and issues of European Christianism since the Renaissance were part of what originated these ideas—a combination of metaphysical inconsistencies, feudal and clerical social injustices, and the intellectual dogmatism that developed within Catholic doctrine over centuries in Western Europe.
We did not have these problems in the Muslim world, at least not to the same extent, and our belief system was never the source of metaphysical inconsistencies, dogmatism, or social injustice.
This is not to say that we have been free of issues—we have had and still have our own problems to solve, like everyone else everywhere. But the general consensus is that these problems do not stem from our belief system. In fact, our religion explicitly warns against such deviations and imbalances, providing guidance to avoid and correct them.
Yet, these revolting movements are being mindlessly imported and projected onto our societies in a screaming, abject mis-context, with total ignorance of our real problems and true solutions.
An inverted Faith :
* The Humanist and Nihilist atheism being actually an inversion of the Christian ideal of "The Man created in the image of God" , to make it instead "The Man who creates his own God" in the image of what he aspires to be.
Thus, "it is now time for Man to become his own God, overcome his ideals, become an over-man (Übermensch), become 'The Man-God' " — Nietzsche.
* The Socialist and Marxist atheism being again an inversion of the Christian ideals of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. It is actually an immanentizing of the eschaton — it's here and now, an earthly heaven, flattening the narratives, a horizontal utopian Tower of Babel with a flattened Social Justice that defies the skies.
* The Positivist and Rationalist atheism (which resulted in scientism) being actually an inversion of the Christian Metaphysical and Clergy Order, replacing it with a substitute of pure Physical Scientific Order, but still a blind dogmatic corps of scientists that eliminates any other source of truth, reality, or knowledge — a prison/castle made of glass.
The Dostoevsky's Chapter :
A comparative study of the prophetic Nietzsche’s and Dostoevsky’s insights in their writings—philosophical for the first, literary/psychological for the second—about the outcome and impact of these movements on European societies. It is more a showcase of how similar both men are in their genius and their psychological and neurological eccentric experiences.
Despite that, they both come at opposite ends and standpoints of these movements, the main pivot point between both stands being "Faith."
It is a sad chapter... reading about these two men can only make you sad for both, yet also inspires a sorrowful empathy for them, despite everything..
..
A good book.. very good book.
The ideas and movements this book discusses—such as Atheist Humanism and Nihilism, Atheist Socialism and Marxism, and Atheist Positivism and Rationalism—are now widespread around the world. Muslim societies today face a crisis of direct core confrontation with these ideas, as one of the last relatively standing vestiges against Western liberalism.
And as Sun Tzu says:
Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated..
Hence reading this book, as it explains the intellectual, spiritual, and psychological foundations and origins of these ideas and movements.
Context:
Yet, this book is a Catholic answer to these movements and ideas within their European context, which does not quite apply to our situation in the Muslim world.
I would even argue that the complex context and issues of European Christianism since the Renaissance were part of what originated these ideas—a combination of metaphysical inconsistencies, feudal and clerical social injustices, and the intellectual dogmatism that developed within Catholic doctrine over centuries in Western Europe.
We did not have these problems in the Muslim world, at least not to the same extent, and our belief system was never the source of metaphysical inconsistencies, dogmatism, or social injustice.
This is not to say that we have been free of issues—we have had and still have our own problems to solve, like everyone else everywhere. But the general consensus is that these problems do not stem from our belief system. In fact, our religion explicitly warns against such deviations and imbalances, providing guidance to avoid and correct them.
Yet, these revolting movements are being mindlessly imported and projected onto our societies in a screaming, abject mis-context, with total ignorance of our real problems and true solutions.
An inverted Faith :
* The Humanist and Nihilist atheism being actually an inversion of the Christian ideal of "The Man created in the image of God" , to make it instead "The Man who creates his own God" in the image of what he aspires to be.
Thus, "it is now time for Man to become his own God, overcome his ideals, become an over-man (Übermensch), become 'The Man-God' " — Nietzsche.
* The Socialist and Marxist atheism being again an inversion of the Christian ideals of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. It is actually an immanentizing of the eschaton — it's here and now, an earthly heaven, flattening the narratives, a horizontal utopian Tower of Babel with a flattened Social Justice that defies the skies.
* The Positivist and Rationalist atheism (which resulted in scientism) being actually an inversion of the Christian Metaphysical and Clergy Order, replacing it with a substitute of pure Physical Scientific Order, but still a blind dogmatic corps of scientists that eliminates any other source of truth, reality, or knowledge — a prison/castle made of glass.
The Dostoevsky's Chapter :
A comparative study of the prophetic Nietzsche’s and Dostoevsky’s insights in their writings—philosophical for the first, literary/psychological for the second—about the outcome and impact of these movements on European societies. It is more a showcase of how similar both men are in their genius and their psychological and neurological eccentric experiences.
Despite that, they both come at opposite ends and standpoints of these movements, the main pivot point between both stands being "Faith."
It is a sad chapter... reading about these two men can only make you sad for both, yet also inspires a sorrowful empathy for them, despite everything..
..
A good book.. very good book.
May 19, 2020
In The Drama of Atheist Humanism, Henri de Lubac summarizes some essential features of the thought of Feuerbach, Nietzsche, and Comte, showing how their “systems” were profoundly anti-theistic and anti-Christian. De Lubac demonstrates, from their own words, how these thinkers proposed that humanity can achieve its potential only by opposing or definitively relegating to the past the idea of God and the principles of Christian morality. Hence these men propose an ideal of atheistic humanism. This is directly opposed to traditional Western humanism, which is based on the fact that mankind achieves greatness primarily because of the transcendent. (In other words, religious values elevate man beyond himself and open him to possibilities above his own nature.) In particular, Christianity proposes that man is made in the image of God, and so by freeing mankind from slavery to elemental powers and fate, Christianity made possible the fullest flourishing and greatness of human beings. The truth of this is evident in the history of Western achievement in the arts, literature, science, philosophy, etc. The form of so-called humanism proposed by these 19th century thinkers, however, is the inverse. It claims to liberate man from slavery to God and morality, but in reality, it cuts him off from transcendence and therefore limits him to the confines of his own self. The result is not a truly human and flourishing society, but violence, which is evident in the effects of communism (the fruit of Feuerbach’s thought) and Nazism (the fruit of Nietzche’s thought), though de Lubac does not address the latter. De Lubac’s critique is that atheist humanism does not ennoble mankind as it claims to do, but destroys human beings, who are in reality creatures of God. Removing God from man destroys man, who is made by God and for God. De Lubac proposes Dostoyevsky as the antidote to modern atheistic humanism. In his various literary works, Dostoyevsky prophesies the dramatic struggle that takes place in the hearts of men in the 20th century. Dostoyevsky fully understands from his own experience the temptation of atheistic humanism, but he sees further into the depth of the heart and rightly identifies the mystery of God as the only hope for humanity.
The Drama of Atheist Humanism is a highly important book. It helps uncover the fundamental conviction underlying the aggressive atheism that is systematically demolishing the foundational convictions of Western Christian culture (or rather whatever is left of it). De Lubac does not make the claim explicitly, but his presentation suggests that the essence of atheistic humanism is nothing other than a repetition of the temptation of the devil to the first human beings recounted in the Book of Genesis, namely that man must reject God in order to become a god himself. The response must be an equally strong and radical recommitment to the truths of Genesis that man is created in the image of God and therefore achieves greatness not in rebellion but in union with God.
It is easy to see, therefore, why de Lubac argues so strongly in The Mystery of the Supernatural that man is made for God. In the Mystery of the Supernatural, however, de Lubac goes to the extreme, arguing that man has a kind of natural orientation to God as his supernatural end, obliterating any real distinction between the natural and supernatural orders. On occasion this line of thinking enters into The Drama of Atheist Humanism, but it does not take away from the essential argument of the book. One can maintain (contrary to de Lubac) that man has a natural orientation to God as his end (distinct from a supernatural ordering by grace) and still benefit immensely from The Drama of Atheist Humanism. Conversely, reading The Drama of Atheist Humanism helps explain some of de Lubac’s motivation behind collapsing the two orders in his theological argumentation of The Mystery of the Supernatural.
There are a couple reasons why I haven’t given this book five stars, but these have less to do with content than with presentation. First, De Lubac makes unceasing use of quotations. On the one hand, this is helpful for establishing contact with the thinkers he represents. On the other hand, I find it annoying that he speaks so often in the person of his interlocutor. He tries (and often succeeds) in conveying the spirit of another author, but at times this leaves the reader in a confused state. It seems to me that at many points a more detached analysis would have been more profitable. Second, his treatments of Comte and Dostoyevsky seemed unnecessarily long. Many points appeared rather extraneous to the argument, even when they filled out the pictures of the authors under consideration.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, but it takes perseverance to get through. That said, the first half seems to contain the most essential insights. These insights, however, are key to understanding some of the most destructive currents that have thoroughly permeated popular thinking in the West.
The Drama of Atheist Humanism is a highly important book. It helps uncover the fundamental conviction underlying the aggressive atheism that is systematically demolishing the foundational convictions of Western Christian culture (or rather whatever is left of it). De Lubac does not make the claim explicitly, but his presentation suggests that the essence of atheistic humanism is nothing other than a repetition of the temptation of the devil to the first human beings recounted in the Book of Genesis, namely that man must reject God in order to become a god himself. The response must be an equally strong and radical recommitment to the truths of Genesis that man is created in the image of God and therefore achieves greatness not in rebellion but in union with God.
It is easy to see, therefore, why de Lubac argues so strongly in The Mystery of the Supernatural that man is made for God. In the Mystery of the Supernatural, however, de Lubac goes to the extreme, arguing that man has a kind of natural orientation to God as his supernatural end, obliterating any real distinction between the natural and supernatural orders. On occasion this line of thinking enters into The Drama of Atheist Humanism, but it does not take away from the essential argument of the book. One can maintain (contrary to de Lubac) that man has a natural orientation to God as his end (distinct from a supernatural ordering by grace) and still benefit immensely from The Drama of Atheist Humanism. Conversely, reading The Drama of Atheist Humanism helps explain some of de Lubac’s motivation behind collapsing the two orders in his theological argumentation of The Mystery of the Supernatural.
There are a couple reasons why I haven’t given this book five stars, but these have less to do with content than with presentation. First, De Lubac makes unceasing use of quotations. On the one hand, this is helpful for establishing contact with the thinkers he represents. On the other hand, I find it annoying that he speaks so often in the person of his interlocutor. He tries (and often succeeds) in conveying the spirit of another author, but at times this leaves the reader in a confused state. It seems to me that at many points a more detached analysis would have been more profitable. Second, his treatments of Comte and Dostoyevsky seemed unnecessarily long. Many points appeared rather extraneous to the argument, even when they filled out the pictures of the authors under consideration.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, but it takes perseverance to get through. That said, the first half seems to contain the most essential insights. These insights, however, are key to understanding some of the most destructive currents that have thoroughly permeated popular thinking in the West.
November 24, 2017
Committing to reading this 500 page tome is like commiting to running a marathon
It took longer than I would have liked to read this because I got bogged down in the end in the Experience of Eternity and Search for a New Man chapters (pages 347-398 and 399-468 respectively). Essentially, part 4, which is an extended conclusion, is a slow wade through the mud and much of the positive "answers" offered in response to the criticisms of Atheism (Feuerbach, Nietzsche, Comte and Marx) seem dated. The only salvation to the entire section are the passages on Dostoevsky at the beginning of the section and Nietzsche as Mystic at the end.
But let us return to the beginning:
Part One: Atheist Humanism
I. Feuerbach and Nietzsche
II. Nietzsche and Kierkegaard
III. The Spiritual Battle
The book starts very powerfully as a deconstruction of Neitzsche and Feuerbach by using Kierkegaard, Paul Claudel, Rainer Maria Rilke amongst others to find the fatal flaw in the Atheist system. But de Lubac is most successful in exposing the weakness, not by appealing to those authorities but by having Nietzsche fall on his own sword. But this is not to say de Lubac doesn't paint a smpathetic picture of, especially, Nietzsche. Nietzsche emerges as a tragic hero, or at least a sympathetic villain in the pages.
Part Two: Auguste Comte and Christianity
I. The meaning of Comtian Atheism
II. Christianity and Catholicism
III. Positivist Transpositions
This section was very much a pleasant surprise. If Nietzschean nihilism is the intellectual atmosphere in college coffee shops and jazz-smash-poetry circles, well, I just about forgot how Comte is the very air we breath on a daily basis. Like moving to a new city with a strong industrial smell, de Lubac gives a hint at the fresh air offered by Catholicism and the reader becomes painfully aware of the stench of Comte as it comes wafting back. But Comte is no simple villain either. He is rather the misled saviour and the greatest of paradoxical thinkers. He hates Christ and loves St. Paul, he dismisses monotheism only to idolize polytheism, he scoffs at Christianist but longs for Medieval Catholicism, he hates people but loves humanity. His paradoxes, unlike Chesterton's, are all backwards. Given fine wine and vinegar, he routinely chooses the vinegar and argues for it backwards. By the end, you are not sure if wine is supposed to made you feel warm or cry and gasp for breath. The problem is, the legions are now convinced that wine is just immature vinegar. The only irony is that the legions all accept the Comtian negativism but reject his own positives, as if they could get rid of all the heads on coins but keep the tails.
"While the Protestants and the deists have always attacked religion in the name of God, we must discard God, once and for all, in the name of religion." (Comte, p. 173-4)
Part Three: Dostoevsky as Prophet
I. Comparison with Nietzsche
II. The Bankruptcy of Atheism
III. Experience of Eternity
This section was both too short and too long. A knowledge of Dostoevsky is necessary here as the gaps cannot be so easily filled as with Feuerbach, Kierkegaard or Comte. The appeal to Dostoevsky is wonderfully done and the connection is clear.
"Nietzsche, in cursing our age, sees in it the heritage of the Gospel, while Dostoevsky, cursing it just as vigorously, sees in it the result of a denial of the Gospel." (p. 285)
However, ,the section on the Experience of Eternity starts to drag on, become repetitive and I feel loses the vein repeatedly and this flows into:
Part Four: Mystical Confrontations
I. The Search for a New Man
II. Nietzsche as Mystic
The Search for a New Man is not just my wife's favourite quest but also propably the most theological chapter and least interesting. It falls somewhere between ressourcement and Pascendi and feels like wading through mud at times. However, all is saved in the final chapter, Nietzsche as Mystic which is like rereading Don Quixote twenty years later and not laughing the clown but crying for the tragic fool. This chapter motivated me to do two things, reread Zarathustra and buy Copleston's Friedrich Nietzsche: Philosopher of Culture
It took longer than I would have liked to read this because I got bogged down in the end in the Experience of Eternity and Search for a New Man chapters (pages 347-398 and 399-468 respectively). Essentially, part 4, which is an extended conclusion, is a slow wade through the mud and much of the positive "answers" offered in response to the criticisms of Atheism (Feuerbach, Nietzsche, Comte and Marx) seem dated. The only salvation to the entire section are the passages on Dostoevsky at the beginning of the section and Nietzsche as Mystic at the end.
But let us return to the beginning:
Part One: Atheist Humanism
I. Feuerbach and Nietzsche
II. Nietzsche and Kierkegaard
III. The Spiritual Battle
The book starts very powerfully as a deconstruction of Neitzsche and Feuerbach by using Kierkegaard, Paul Claudel, Rainer Maria Rilke amongst others to find the fatal flaw in the Atheist system. But de Lubac is most successful in exposing the weakness, not by appealing to those authorities but by having Nietzsche fall on his own sword. But this is not to say de Lubac doesn't paint a smpathetic picture of, especially, Nietzsche. Nietzsche emerges as a tragic hero, or at least a sympathetic villain in the pages.
Part Two: Auguste Comte and Christianity
I. The meaning of Comtian Atheism
II. Christianity and Catholicism
III. Positivist Transpositions
This section was very much a pleasant surprise. If Nietzschean nihilism is the intellectual atmosphere in college coffee shops and jazz-smash-poetry circles, well, I just about forgot how Comte is the very air we breath on a daily basis. Like moving to a new city with a strong industrial smell, de Lubac gives a hint at the fresh air offered by Catholicism and the reader becomes painfully aware of the stench of Comte as it comes wafting back. But Comte is no simple villain either. He is rather the misled saviour and the greatest of paradoxical thinkers. He hates Christ and loves St. Paul, he dismisses monotheism only to idolize polytheism, he scoffs at Christianist but longs for Medieval Catholicism, he hates people but loves humanity. His paradoxes, unlike Chesterton's, are all backwards. Given fine wine and vinegar, he routinely chooses the vinegar and argues for it backwards. By the end, you are not sure if wine is supposed to made you feel warm or cry and gasp for breath. The problem is, the legions are now convinced that wine is just immature vinegar. The only irony is that the legions all accept the Comtian negativism but reject his own positives, as if they could get rid of all the heads on coins but keep the tails.
"While the Protestants and the deists have always attacked religion in the name of God, we must discard God, once and for all, in the name of religion." (Comte, p. 173-4)
Part Three: Dostoevsky as Prophet
I. Comparison with Nietzsche
II. The Bankruptcy of Atheism
III. Experience of Eternity
This section was both too short and too long. A knowledge of Dostoevsky is necessary here as the gaps cannot be so easily filled as with Feuerbach, Kierkegaard or Comte. The appeal to Dostoevsky is wonderfully done and the connection is clear.
"Nietzsche, in cursing our age, sees in it the heritage of the Gospel, while Dostoevsky, cursing it just as vigorously, sees in it the result of a denial of the Gospel." (p. 285)
However, ,the section on the Experience of Eternity starts to drag on, become repetitive and I feel loses the vein repeatedly and this flows into:
Part Four: Mystical Confrontations
I. The Search for a New Man
II. Nietzsche as Mystic
The Search for a New Man is not just my wife's favourite quest but also propably the most theological chapter and least interesting. It falls somewhere between ressourcement and Pascendi and feels like wading through mud at times. However, all is saved in the final chapter, Nietzsche as Mystic which is like rereading Don Quixote twenty years later and not laughing the clown but crying for the tragic fool. This chapter motivated me to do two things, reread Zarathustra and buy Copleston's Friedrich Nietzsche: Philosopher of Culture
November 22, 2016
I've wanted to read this book for many years, and finally purchased it to do so. The book seems to be a collection of four separate essays brought together in one larger volume.
It is rare to find someone as charitable and fair as de Lubac is in analyzing and critiquing the "Four Horsemen" of 19th century atheism: Comte, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche. De Lubac shows the appeal of their theories, and is careful to point out where their analyses, claims and criticisms are correct. He never resorts to the cheap shot or ad hominem attack. Even when he shows the shortcomings, failings, and contradictions in these views, he does so in a way that is full of charity and respect.
Definitely worth reading if you are interested in 19th century philosophy, atheism, religion, and such. But do go and actually read Comte, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche on your own and draw your own conclusions.
It is rare to find someone as charitable and fair as de Lubac is in analyzing and critiquing the "Four Horsemen" of 19th century atheism: Comte, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche. De Lubac shows the appeal of their theories, and is careful to point out where their analyses, claims and criticisms are correct. He never resorts to the cheap shot or ad hominem attack. Even when he shows the shortcomings, failings, and contradictions in these views, he does so in a way that is full of charity and respect.
Definitely worth reading if you are interested in 19th century philosophy, atheism, religion, and such. But do go and actually read Comte, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche on your own and draw your own conclusions.
May 12, 2013
A very good book. For the most part the book seeks to describe the various atheist traditions: Nietzsche, Feuerbach/Marx, and Comte; but this is in many ways merely a lead-up to his discussion of Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche as prophets who understood the trajectory of the modern project, Dostoyevsky in the positive sense and Nietzsche in the negative. The only real argument section of the book, entitled The Search for the New Man, is classic de Lubac and appropriately excellent. While not the best-wrought of his books (Catholicism and The Mystery of the Supernatural, in my opinion), this is a very detailed 'meditation' on the nature of atheism, showing with much quotation that its 19th century prophets were also its greatest destroyers.
May 17, 2018
right before she was famous,
brevity ensnared;
sewage plant: Karl Comte, Inc.
brevity ensnared;
sewage plant: Karl Comte, Inc.
March 28, 2022
Great but thinking back I think there is one great missing piece in this story: Hegel.
April 4, 2025
Il saggio di H. de Lubac è di una forza e di una lucidità impressionanti. Composto durante la guerra, negli anni ’40, manifesta la vivida consapevolezza del dramma che gli umanesimi atei, a cavallo tra XIX-XX sec., avevano prodotto. Il pensiero degli autori è riportato con un ampissimo numero di citazioni dirette. La confutazione delle tesi dell’umanesimo ateo passa attraverso il rigore scientifico unito a una profonda ironia (soprattutto nella parte II). Molto interessante come tutto il saggio sia attraversato, sottotraccia, da una critica rivolta al razionalismo neoscolastico sia per la sua impostazione apologetica (solo razionale) sia per il suo sistema estrinsecista del rapporto naturale-soprannaturale (cfr. parte IV): la proposta dell’autore è infatti quella di un’apologetica esistenziale, che manifesti la bellezza e la realtà dell’idea cristiana di uomo attraverso la vita vissuta, trasformata dalla grazia: una apologetica narrativa, di cui Dostoevskij è esempio (cfr. parte III). Punti cardine dogmatici della proposta dell’A., dunque, sono la necessità di concepire l'uomo alla luce del desiderio naturale del soprannaturale e una corretta teologia della grazia. Il Dramma dell’umanesimo ateo (1944), dunque, chiede come presupposti tasselli che H. de Lubac avrebbe sviluppato negli anni successivi con Surnaturel (1946) e le sue precisazioni.
November 14, 2020
Como todo teólogo católico romano, Lubac nos plaga de tantas citas y comentarios de autores y pensadores que conforman la columna vertebral de la religión humanista por excelencia: el ateísmo.
La tesis de Lubac es simple: el humanismo ateo es una religión pero dentro de la misma, hay ciertas ramas que se desprenden como lo es el positivismo, materialismo y nihilismo.
Si tuviese que resumir el pensamiento concluyente de Lubac referente a esta multiformidad de ateísmo sería esta cita: “Los sistemas sociales fuera de las bases cristianas, única fuente de transformar al hombre, se convierten fatalmente en sistemas de esclavitud y violencia”
En lo general, Lubac disecciona excelentemente a autores como Feuerbach, Comte, Nietzhe y hasta hace un apartado especial sobre Dostoyevski.
El único ‘pero’ que le pongo a la obra de Lubac es que me hubiese gustado que expusiera su pensamiento y refutar el humanismo ateo y señalar sus deficiencias. Aun así, es una obra que pienso releer de manera más pausada y lenta para comprender algunas ideas que no asimilé completamente.
Aún así, excelente lectura. 4/5
La tesis de Lubac es simple: el humanismo ateo es una religión pero dentro de la misma, hay ciertas ramas que se desprenden como lo es el positivismo, materialismo y nihilismo.
Si tuviese que resumir el pensamiento concluyente de Lubac referente a esta multiformidad de ateísmo sería esta cita: “Los sistemas sociales fuera de las bases cristianas, única fuente de transformar al hombre, se convierten fatalmente en sistemas de esclavitud y violencia”
En lo general, Lubac disecciona excelentemente a autores como Feuerbach, Comte, Nietzhe y hasta hace un apartado especial sobre Dostoyevski.
El único ‘pero’ que le pongo a la obra de Lubac es que me hubiese gustado que expusiera su pensamiento y refutar el humanismo ateo y señalar sus deficiencias. Aun así, es una obra que pienso releer de manera más pausada y lenta para comprender algunas ideas que no asimilé completamente.
Aún así, excelente lectura. 4/5
December 5, 2022
Ho faticato a concludere la lettura.
Noioso, povero, scarso. L'autore vorrebbe ingaggiare battaglia con quello che definisce "ateismo neopagano" (a suo dire la cifra dell'800 e del '900), nelle persone e nel pensiero di Feuerbach, Nietzsche e Comte, per poi presentare, nell'ultimo capitolo, una via d'uscita con la religiosità di Dostoevskji.
Mi aspettavo allora una lotta concettuale senza esclusione di colpi tra l'autore cristiano e i pensatori anticristiani, con cui mettere anche alla prova la mia stessa posizione, che è contraria a quella dell'autore.
E invece quest'ultimo si limita a riassumere, a suon di lunghe citazioni, il pensiero antireligioso dei tre autori, ma mettendoci pochissimo del proprio, se non verso la fine, quando in due o tre paragrafi si limita a proclamare che l'uomo senza il dio cristiano perde la sua umanità. E questo senza argomentazione alcuna. Fuori tempo massimo poi le lunghe pagine dedicate a Comte e il positivismo, forse ancora importanti quando il libro fu scritto (gli anni Quaranta del secolo scorso), ma ormai quasi completamente caduti dell'oblio.
Noioso, povero, scarso. L'autore vorrebbe ingaggiare battaglia con quello che definisce "ateismo neopagano" (a suo dire la cifra dell'800 e del '900), nelle persone e nel pensiero di Feuerbach, Nietzsche e Comte, per poi presentare, nell'ultimo capitolo, una via d'uscita con la religiosità di Dostoevskji.
Mi aspettavo allora una lotta concettuale senza esclusione di colpi tra l'autore cristiano e i pensatori anticristiani, con cui mettere anche alla prova la mia stessa posizione, che è contraria a quella dell'autore.
E invece quest'ultimo si limita a riassumere, a suon di lunghe citazioni, il pensiero antireligioso dei tre autori, ma mettendoci pochissimo del proprio, se non verso la fine, quando in due o tre paragrafi si limita a proclamare che l'uomo senza il dio cristiano perde la sua umanità. E questo senza argomentazione alcuna. Fuori tempo massimo poi le lunghe pagine dedicate a Comte e il positivismo, forse ancora importanti quando il libro fu scritto (gli anni Quaranta del secolo scorso), ma ormai quasi completamente caduti dell'oblio.
November 8, 2024
This book was educational. I can’t say I “grasped” it all. It was wordy to say the least and I still read picture books for funsies!! Nevertheless!!! This book was goood!. I even ended up reading little bits and pieces to my 6th grade students during a small unit on JPIIs role in the fall of Communism. I was most facinated by Comte. This isn’t much of a book review because I don’t think I grasped all well enough to form some fort of conclusion, idk my conclusion is SPXs motto “Restore All Things in Christ!!” . All in all facinating. I wonder what all these men would think about 21st Century society? What say you, Dostoevsky?
November 2, 2024
De Lubac es de esos genios del pensamiento escondidos. En esta ocasión se centra en el ateísmo con cara humana de Nietzsche (no le gusta nada), de Comte (indica bien que su sistema camina hacia el totalitarismo) y Dostoyevski y su lucha entre fe y no fe. La parte del escritor ruso es sumamente interesante para aquellos que hayan leído su obra.
August 26, 2023
a bit of a marathon but sooo much there! need to read all of Dostoievski and Nietzche now-)
February 10, 2024
Atheism holocaust-er
July 17, 2024
A FAMOUS CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHER CRITIQUES NIETZSCHE, COMTE, FEUERBACH, AND OTHERS
Henri-Marie de Lubac (1896-1991) was a French Jesuit priest and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church; he was one of the 20th century's most influential theologians, and a key figure at the Second Vatican Council.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1963 book, "through the action of a large proportion of its foremost thinkers, the peoples of the West are denying their Christian past and turning away from God. This is not the everyday type of atheism which ... is of no particular significance... Contemporary atheism is increasingly positive, organic, constructive. Combining a mystical immanentism with a clear perception of the human trend, it has three principal aspects, which can be symbolized by three names: Auguste Comte, Ludwig Feuerbach (who must share the honor with his disciple, Karl Marx), and Friedrich Nietzsche... there is a danger that these philosophies, perhaps in new forms, will long continue to be a matter of direct concern... it is suggested that Christians should take cognizance of the spiritual situation of the world in which they are involved."
He begins by noting that "This atheist humanism is not to be confused with a hedonist and coarsely materialist atheism... It is also quite contrary in principle---if not in its results---to an atheism of despair." (Pg. 6) He also points out that Nietzsche "would be the first to find abundant reasons for cursing a great many of those who invoke his name." (Pg. 31) Later, he adds that Nietzsche "has succeeded all too well. His influence today is worldwide. Neo-paganism is the great spiritual phenomenon of our age." (Pg. 66)
Lubac suggests that "we should live our Christianity with more virility, more efficacy, more strength, and, if necessary, more heroism---but we must live it as it is. There is nothing that should be changed in it, nothing that should be corrected, nothing that should be added... In the present state of the world Christianity MUST become a heroic Christianity." (Pg. 72-73)
He suggests that Comte's ideas on the subject of Christianity "are so shocking both to the historical sense and to Christian feeling that... a number of sound minds seem to have made themselves blind in order not to see them." (Pg. 109) He comments that "Comte was able to put his religion into practice only because, in his last years, he had partly lost his sense of reality." (Pg. 134)
This is an interesting critique of these philosophers, and will be of interest to any student of Catholic philosophy.
Henri-Marie de Lubac (1896-1991) was a French Jesuit priest and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church; he was one of the 20th century's most influential theologians, and a key figure at the Second Vatican Council.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1963 book, "through the action of a large proportion of its foremost thinkers, the peoples of the West are denying their Christian past and turning away from God. This is not the everyday type of atheism which ... is of no particular significance... Contemporary atheism is increasingly positive, organic, constructive. Combining a mystical immanentism with a clear perception of the human trend, it has three principal aspects, which can be symbolized by three names: Auguste Comte, Ludwig Feuerbach (who must share the honor with his disciple, Karl Marx), and Friedrich Nietzsche... there is a danger that these philosophies, perhaps in new forms, will long continue to be a matter of direct concern... it is suggested that Christians should take cognizance of the spiritual situation of the world in which they are involved."
He begins by noting that "This atheist humanism is not to be confused with a hedonist and coarsely materialist atheism... It is also quite contrary in principle---if not in its results---to an atheism of despair." (Pg. 6) He also points out that Nietzsche "would be the first to find abundant reasons for cursing a great many of those who invoke his name." (Pg. 31) Later, he adds that Nietzsche "has succeeded all too well. His influence today is worldwide. Neo-paganism is the great spiritual phenomenon of our age." (Pg. 66)
Lubac suggests that "we should live our Christianity with more virility, more efficacy, more strength, and, if necessary, more heroism---but we must live it as it is. There is nothing that should be changed in it, nothing that should be corrected, nothing that should be added... In the present state of the world Christianity MUST become a heroic Christianity." (Pg. 72-73)
He suggests that Comte's ideas on the subject of Christianity "are so shocking both to the historical sense and to Christian feeling that... a number of sound minds seem to have made themselves blind in order not to see them." (Pg. 109) He comments that "Comte was able to put his religion into practice only because, in his last years, he had partly lost his sense of reality." (Pg. 134)
This is an interesting critique of these philosophers, and will be of interest to any student of Catholic philosophy.
May 30, 2013
Tre saggi memorabili di De Lubac: su Nietzsche (e Feuerbach), Comte e Dostoevskij. Profetico nel cogliere le implicazioni più remote del pensiero del primo; meno interessante sul secondo, ma in fondo perché meno conosciuto; appassionante nella sua analisi di Dostoevskij, presentato come l'anti-Nietzsche ante litteram.
Mostra come lo scrittore russo si sarebbe calato negli stessi inferni del folle tedesco, descrivendoli con spaventosa lucidità, ma uscendone alla fine con la risposta di una fede profonda e sofferta, invece della orgogliosa e disperata affermazione di sé di Nietzsche.
Un capolavoro del pensiero cristiano contemporaneo. Consiglio senz'altro di leggere la prima e la terza parte. E se appariranno opere di Dostoevskij tra le mie prossime letture, saprete a chi dare la colpa!
Mostra come lo scrittore russo si sarebbe calato negli stessi inferni del folle tedesco, descrivendoli con spaventosa lucidità, ma uscendone alla fine con la risposta di una fede profonda e sofferta, invece della orgogliosa e disperata affermazione di sé di Nietzsche.
Un capolavoro del pensiero cristiano contemporaneo. Consiglio senz'altro di leggere la prima e la terza parte. E se appariranno opere di Dostoevskij tra le mie prossime letture, saprete a chi dare la colpa!
February 16, 2023
I think this is an important book for understanding the world we find ourselves in today. de Lubac walks the reader through the attempts by various 19th century thinkers to construct a world without God.
The three strains of thought he investigates are the Feuerbach/Marx strain of atheist Utopianism, Nietzsche’s proclamations of the coming age of the Superman, and Comte’s positivism. The latter he views as the most insidious as it is the most subtle and most likely to survive the catastrophes of the 20th century (he seems to be onto something here).
He contrasts this with Dostoevsky’s writings, which lay bare their pretensions and true motives and prophesizes their flaws and their fates. An excellent book and a critical read for anyone who wants to understand the undercurrents of our times.
The three strains of thought he investigates are the Feuerbach/Marx strain of atheist Utopianism, Nietzsche’s proclamations of the coming age of the Superman, and Comte’s positivism. The latter he views as the most insidious as it is the most subtle and most likely to survive the catastrophes of the 20th century (he seems to be onto something here).
He contrasts this with Dostoevsky’s writings, which lay bare their pretensions and true motives and prophesizes their flaws and their fates. An excellent book and a critical read for anyone who wants to understand the undercurrents of our times.
October 27, 2017
I learned so much from this book not only about the history of humanism, but also about the roots of atheistic thought today. I found this book so relevant to our current times. I found the section on Comte and positivism and the chapters The Search for a New Man and Nietche as Mystic particularly riveting. This book exposed me to many schools of thought that I knew little about and gave me a greater understanding of atheism today, all with the excellent commentary and Catholic perspective of Henri De Lubac. He explores atheist humanism thoroughly and is incredibly respectful of the men and ideas he writes about.
January 20, 2015
This shows us the genius of de Lubac in terms of articulatig the philosophical tradition of his time and his Christian response to it. Going through the atheist humanisms of his time, he sees how they bring out fundamental values but in the end leads us nowhere because of the rejection not necessarily of God but of transcendence and mystery. Not for apoligetic people, but for those who consider seriously the faith given one's own human condition, that is, existentially.
July 28, 2016
Certainly there were many philosophical, theological, socio-economical, historical, and political concepts brought up in this book that went over my head. But every few pages there was a gem-a sentence, a paragraph-that stopped you dead in your tracks and beckoned you to pause and reflect on the great mysteries of life. A challenging but rewarding read.
December 7, 2023
Stunning for one’s first plunge into philosophy, as was for me back in ‘99: the ramifications of nihilistic thought are as heartbreaking as they are astounding, with DeLubac—a modern day Vergil—as the guide through a new Inferno. He reveals how the fate of civilizations rests upon the answer to the God question. It is the book that made me regret reading futile things like Modern Times.
November 15, 2018
Interesante libro donde se nos explica humanamente la existencia o no De Dios
January 2, 2021
Highly recommend, especially if you want to appreciate more keenly the genius of Dostoevsky.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews