Fideism

Fideism ( from the Latin fides = faith ) is a faith stance that attaches to the faith absolute priority over reason. It originated in the 18th century within Catholicism and returns as well as the corresponding religious and faith- philosophical concept on Joseph de Maistre ( 1753-1821 ) and Louis de Bonald ( 1754-1840 ) and was later confirmed by Félicité de Lamennais ( 1782-1854 ) further developed.

Genesis

The fideism was founded by Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821) and Louis de Bonald (1754-1840), then by Félicité de Lamennais (1782-1854) ( Essai sur l' Indifference en matière de religion I-IV, 1817-23 ) trained. The same is also found in Louis Eugène Marie Bautain ( 1796-1867 ). These theologians were of the view that the only source of faith and therefore also the origin of religious knowledge is a supernatural revelation.

This doctrine, which was suspicious of human reason in principle, was fought in the following period of the Catholic Church. In 1840 Bautain had to sign a declaration to him by Pope Gregory XVI. was presented. In it, he had to acknowledge that it could give " on the way to a purely natural knowledge [ a ] certainty about the existence of God " in addition to the disclosure.

The fideism found primarily in France but also in Germany and Belgium received.

Rejection by the Catholic Church

The criticism that ultimately led to the rejection as heresy of fideism, made fast to the substantial pre-arrangement of the knowledge of God in faith before those in reason. This theology would lose any arguments representable basis.

The fideism is ( faith and reason ) from the year 1998 by Pope John Paul II explicitly rejected in the encyclical Fides et Ratio.

Evangelical Reformed understanding

The term in the understanding of the Reformed churches that only the faith as such is crucial, not the content of faith.

Other meanings

In the so-called Symbolfideismus of Auguste Sabatier and Eugène Menegoz (also called School of Paris ) was a strict preorder the revelation then maintained, this, like all other religious terms, but now interpreted as symbols. This deliberately made ​​relativization should allow switching between orthodox and liberal theology, but remained an episode.

In the philosophy of religion is meant by fideism, the view that religious belief is no rational justification is capable, as faith and reason are mutually exclusive.

Representatives of fideism

Important representatives of a religious philosophy fideistic include Tertullian and Kierkegaard. Even Wittgenstein is frequently understood as fideist.