Truth, Faith, and Reason

“Kenneth Sayre is one of the widest-ranging minds in American philosophy and also a subtle knower of the philosophical tradition, as his path-breaking books on Plato demonstrate. This new work somehow offers a fulfillment of his earlier thought by addressing the ultimate questions of religion. Both educated Christians, who deeply care about religious issues, and professional philosophers of religion will benefit from this book, which may well be the philosophical testament of the nonagenarian philosopher.”


—Vittorio Hösle, University of Notre Dame





“This critical examination of St. John Paul II’s great encyclical on faith and reason by a prominent philosopher is written for both philosophers and theologians. Theologically informed readers may question the interpretations of Scripture, of Augustine and Aquinas, and of the encyclical itself, but this clear and readable study provides an occasion for them to show how their conceptions of truth, faith, and reason avoid the problems Sayre points out.”


—Gerald McKenny, University of Notre Dame





“Using philosophical methods, Sayre traces the evolution of three related concepts at the core of Christian theology: truth, faith, and reason. His masterful analysis is a major contribution to the history of ideas, as well as a practical demonstration of how philosophy and theology can work in fruitful dialectic—provided we insist on precise thinking about the dynamic between reason and faith.”


—Vern R. Walker, Hofstra University