Tuesday, November 3, 2009

So you're saying I should just give up now, right?

"Both Jaki and Hodgson quoted with approval Duhem’s statement that 'in order to speak of questions where science and Catholic theology touch one another, one must have done ten or fifteen years of study in the pure sciences.'"

–– Stephen M. Barr, First Things, in memoriam of Fr. Jaki

I found this gut-check quotation via a somewhat astounding blog I discovered only this evening: The Duhem Society. As they explain: "Founded on April 7, 2009 [viz., the date of Fr. Jaki's passing in Madrid], our purpose is to study the writing of Pierre Duhem and Stanley L. Jaki, two great Catholic historians of science. All who are 'ready to take a serious look at philosophy and history' are welcome to join."

This society was established in response to Jaki's own recurring plea for just such a society to exist (especially so among Catholics with any intention of engaging science in an historically 'informed' manner). As I think some of you know, I founded a Catholic review, inFORM, with much the same intention, namely, to make Fr. Jaki's work more accessible outside of professional circles (where, even then, it is not given the attention it merits), and to engage contemporary concerns, such as science, bioethics, and religious pluralism, from a classically 'informed' Catholic, Thomistic, Jakian (and, in turn, Gilsonian) perspective.

Where have they been all my life! ;) I'm tickled to see one of the Society's bloggers, Angelo, is a "follower" of FCA. And all this time I never even knew! I guess this means I have officially joined The Duhem Society, since I've been waiting to join it for years! And I guess this means the Society had a periodical even before it existed!

2 comments:

e. said...

"I guess this means I have officially joined The Duhem Society, since I've been waiting to join it for years!"

The seeming double irony is that for two websites supposedly Jakian, there is not an "about" that features, at the very least, a short summary of who exactly Jaki happens to be.

Codgitator (Cadgertator) said...

Oh, come now, e., only those in the know would frequent such curiosa as this and that blog. ;)