Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Memory and Identity
open-in-new
<h2 id="description">Description</h2> <p>The chapters are organized into five sections and an epilogue. The sections discuss his views on the issues of: </p><p>1) The nature and limitations of evil; he asserts that 'the ideologies of evil are profoundly rooted in the history of European thought'; especially the French <a href="/facts/Age_of_Enlightenment/Uj2Fa8Mk">Enlightenment</a>, 'radically atheist <a href="/facts/Marxist/sgnnLfax">Marxist</a> revolution', 'National Socialist ideology', and abortion/ gay rights conferred by the European parliament.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> Redemption is the Divine limit imposed on evil, and is given to Man as his task. </p><p>2) The relationship between freedom and responsibility; a discussion of the 'just good', the 'useful good' and the 'pleasurable good' brings him to criticize modern <a href="/facts/Utilitarianism/CVw8Dmmt">utilitarianism</a>. Freedom must be commensurate with truth and love. </p><p>3) The nature of <a href="/facts/Nationalism/IECpIhm0">nationalism</a> in the context of history and culture; patriotism and culture are expressions of love, whereas nationalism pursues the good of one's own nation alone. </p><p>4) The current social state of affairs in Europe; liberty, equality and fraternity grew out of the Gospel, but early capitalism did much damage to these principles. Europe was also uniquely devastated by two world wars.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>5) The virtues and weaknesses of <a href="/facts/Democracy/3tLdVS1C">democracy</a>; Parliaments confer abortion rights but do nothing to defend the unborn child. </p><p>The epilogue is a first hand account of the <a href="/facts/1981_Pope_John_Paul_II_assassination_attempt/Rr7dVLM1">assassination attempt on him</a> on 13 May 1981. </p><p> It also mentions the importance of the <a href="/facts/Thomism/dUbSq3fT">Thomistic</a> philosophy and theology of the prominent <a href="/facts/Doctor_of_the_Church/P9u0StVX">doctor of the Catholic Church</a> <a href="/facts/Thomas_Aquinas/h2vN2VkX">St. Thomas Aquinas</a> to come to a deeper understanding of the Pope's <a href="/facts/Personalism/d7tpqUqz">personalist</a> (<a href="/facts/Phenomenology_of_religion/3Uo7ynsy">phenomenological</a>) presentation of <i><a href="/facts/Humanae_Vitae/VyLw27VN">Humanae Vitae</a></i> in his <i><a href="/facts/Theology_of_the_Body/mSDE15LX">Theology of the Body</a></i> <a href="/facts/Catechesis/dgIyCe5S">catechesis</a>, which he thought had its limitations.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> He writes:</p><p>If we wish to speak rationally about good and evil, we have to return to <a href="/facts/Thomas_Aquinas/h2vN2VkX">St. Thomas Aquinas</a>, that is, to the <a href="/facts/Being/zwJ4I8Bc">philosophy of being</a>. With the <a href="/facts/Phenomenology_(philosophy)/AILzLkKx">phenomenological</a> method, for example, we can study experiences of morality, religion, or simply what it is to be human, and draw from them a significant enrichment of our knowledge. Yet we must not forget that all these analyses implicitly presuppose the reality of the <a href="/facts/God/EITpdL9t">Absolute Being</a> and also the reality of being human, that is, being a creature. If we do not set out from such '<a href="/facts/Philosophical_realism/cPo2pK16">realist</a>' presuppositions, we end up in a vacuum.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Memory and Identity Phoenix, 2004, chapter two <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Memory and Identity Phoenix, 2004, p. 121 <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Fr. Thomas Petri, O.P., STD. "Aquinas and the Theology of the Body".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="https://vimeo.com/19313842" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/19313842</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Pope John Paul II (2005). Memory and identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium. New York: Rizzoli. p. 12. ISBN 0-8478-2761-5. OCLC 474590433. <a href="0-8478-2761-5" target="_blank">0-8478-2761-5</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>