Bernard Lonergan, S.J. (17 December 1904 – 26 November 1984) was a Canadian Jesuit Priest. He was a philosopher-theologian in the Thomist tradition and an economist from Buckingham, Quebec. He taught at Loyola College (Montreal), the University of Toronto (Regis College), the Pontifical Gregorian University and Boston College. He is the author of Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957) and Method in Theology (1973), which established what he called the Generalized Empirical Method (GEM). LOL December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason) means reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God. ... Thomism is the philosophical school that followed in the legacy of St. ... An economist is an individual who studies, develops, and applies theories and concepts from economics, and writes about economic policy. ... Map of Quebec with Gatineau highlighted in red. ... Loyola College was a Jesuit college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The University of Toronto (U of T) is a non-denominational, provincially-supported, coeducational public research university located in Toronto, Ontario. ... The Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University is a Roman Catholic university in Rome. ... This article is about Boston College; for the unaffiliated urban university see Boston University. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Education

Entered the Society of Jesus, 1922 B.A. (Philosophy), Heythrop College, University of London, 1929 Ordained a Roman Catholic Priest, 1933 S.T.D. (Sacrae Theologiae Doctoratus), Theology, Pontifical Gregorian University, 1940. Dissertation advised by Charles Boyer, S.J., and later published as Grace and Freedom: Operative Grace in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The University of London is a federation of colleges and institutes which together constitute one of the worlds largest universities. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University is a Roman Catholic university in Rome. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Works

After his return from Rome, Lonergan wrote a series of four articles for Theological Studies on the inner word in Thomas Aquinas which became highly influential in the study of St. Thomas' accounts of knowledge and cognition. The articles were later collected and published under the title Verbum: Word and Idea in Aquinas. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the Roman People) coordinates: 41°54′N 12°29′E Time Zone: UTC+1 Administration Subdivisions 19 municipi Province Rome Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni ( The Union ) Characteristics Area 1,285 km² Population 2,547,677 (2005 estimate) Density 1983/km... Saint Thomas Aquinas [Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino] (c. ...

While teaching theology at the Collegium Regis Christi, later Regis College associated with the University of Toronto, Lonergan wrote Insight: A Study of Human Understanding, inaugurating the generalized empirical method (GEM). GEM belongs to the movement of "transcendental Thomism" inaugurated by Joseph Maréchal. This method begins with an analysis of human knowing as divided into three levels—experience, understanding, and judgment—and, by stressing the objectivity of judgment more than Kant had done, develops a Thomistic vision of Being as the goal of the dynamic openness of the human spirit. The University of Toronto (U of T) is a non-denominational, provincially-supported, coeducational public research university located in Toronto, Ontario. ... Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724 – February 12, 1804) was a Prussian philosopher, generally regarded as one of Europes most influential thinkers and the last major philosopher of the Enlightenment. ... In ontology, a being is anything that can be said to be, either transcendantly or immanently. ...

In 1973, Lonergan published Method in Theology, which divides the discipline into eight 'functional specialties'. Method is a phenomenon which applies across the board in all disciplines and realms of consciousness. Through his work on method, Lonergan aimed, among other things, to establish a firm basis for agreement and progress in disciplines such as philosophy and theology. Lonergan believed that the lack of an agreed method among scholars in such fields has inhibited substantive agreement from being reached and progress from being made; whereas, in the natural sciences, for example, widespread agreement among scholars on the scientific method has enabled remarkable progress. Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason) means reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God. ... Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ...

In later life while teaching at Boston College, Lonergan returned his attention to the economic interests of his younger days. This article is about Boston College; for the unaffiliated urban university see Boston University. ...

For more information, see a complete bibliography of Lonergan's works; view Lonergan's works now in print; or make contact with one of the centers of Lonergan studies, such as the Lonergan Institute for "the Good Under Construction" or the Lonergan Center. Center of research at Boston College based on the teachings of Bernard Lonergan, S.J., who is thought of as one of the leading 20th century philosophers. ...

Philosophy

Lonergan described GEM as critical realism. By realism, he affirmed that we make true judgments of fact and of value, and by critical, he based knowing and valuing in a critique of consciousness. GEM traces to their roots in consciousness the sources of all the meanings and values that make up personality, social orders, and historical developments. More information is available at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ...

His ideas include Radical Unintelligibility and GEM. Radical Unintelligibility is the philosphical idea that we can act against our better judgment. ...

Honours

In 1970 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country. ...

External links

• Commentary and Notes on Insight
• Quotes
• Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan at The Canadian Encyclopedia