by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
With the authorization of the
recipient, we have transcribed a letter to a young man containing advice for
the intellectual life. Such advice, mutatis mutandis, can be useful to
all who fight in the defense of truth.
My dear
friend,
Salve
Maria!
I read with
much affinity the letter you sent me.
Do not
think badly of me if I tell you that I could not stop smiling when I saw that
you wanted to be a man like myself. I guarantee you, with the greatest
sincerity, that you would take no advantage from this. In fact, the effect
would be negative. If I may wish that something good happened to you, it would
be precisely that this would not happen. Moreover, each one of us has a unique
and unmistakable personality, and is called by God to accomplish his own ideal of
perfection. We are compelled to be faithful to the truth within us. This is the
only way we can attain it.
Only a
passion for the truth justifies the existence of philosophers and writers
Speaking
of the truth, we have arrived at the crucial point of everything you said to me
in your letter. The world is full of philosophers and writers. Nonetheless,
there is only one thing that justifies the existence of one or the other: the
passion for the truth. Without this passion, books and philosophies are nothing
but vanities, very dangerous vanities, that put fire to the earth and enflame
the ardor of hell.
He who has
a passion for the truth is disposed to dispossess himself without any
restrictions. He will sacrifice the most enticing ideas, the most ingenious
systems, the most profound and luminous lucubrations, the most highly prized
intuitions, the loftiest pleasures of the intelligence, and finally, the most
captivating notions and the most esthetically pleasing images, in order to
austerely search for and manifest the truth, and only the truth. This is always
difficult for us, in our human condition, to do, because of the essentially
transcendental nature of the truth.
He who
has a passion for the truth brings mans’ aversion on himself
And
this is not all. The truth was never highly esteemed by man, and is absolutely
despised in our days. The truth is one and immutable, but man loves the
diversified spectacle of succeeding appearances; the truth is eternal, but man
follows the fashions; the truth is serious but man is frivolous; the truth
points to obligation, whereas man wants pleasures; at any rate, the truth is
rigid and man has no fiber.
Therefore, he who has a passion for the truth
necessarily brings mans’ aversion on himself, but he will prefer the truth to
temporal goods, to a career, to renown, and to his own reputation. He will be
persecuted and accused by those who adulterate the truth and use it simply as
an instrument of their presumption and lust.
But this is
still not everything. The passion for the truth can bring him to years of
endless silence, while the others, through the production of literary and
philosophical works, exalt themselves in the face of favorable and contrary
opinion. He, nonetheless, will remain silent until the only motive arises that
will make him manifest himself: to give testimony to the truth.
Considering
what I have just said, you could reply that, instead of showing the way of
philosophy, I have shown the way of sanctity. That is true. I just want to
emphasize that for he who has the vocation to study philosophy, his spiritual
perfection is passion for the truth. For us, Catholics, the truth is not only
epistemological or metaphysical, but is the Second Person of the Most Holy
Trinity, the Word of God that became flesh in order to save us.
And now
that we have reached this height, we can put the conclusions aside so as to
answer your particular questions.
The
intellectual life is intimately linked to and dependent on the spiritual life
The
first answer is that there should be no distinction between your spiritual and
your intellectual life. Once you say you want to do God’s will in everything
and decide that you have the vocation to pursue philosophical studies, you
should not worry about your future, nor about how you are going to make a
living: perform your duties conscientiously and hope in Divine Providence. Have
confidence. God does not forget those who serve him.
Nevertheless,
God is wont to prove the trust of his servants. When this happens to you, do
not assume you are abandoned: this is the normal route of Divine Providence.
The solution will come when all appears lost or put in jeopardy. However, do
not expect definite solutions. A certain margin of uncertainty and risk will always
remain. This is necessary because God wants us to put our trust in Him alone
and not in human solutions.
On the
other hand, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are exiles in this world,
and that our present life is provisory and precarious. For this reason, there
are no definitive situations in this world; nor should we desire that such
situations exist. We must live on faith, and because the object of faith is
invisible and beyond human reason, it is necessarily obscure. St. Peter,
walking on the tempestuous sea, is the image of Christian life. I am well aware
that this path is difficult. It is the narrow way Our Lord showed us to
salvation. There is no other.
Avoid
any separation between thought and life
Secondly,
referring specifically to your studies, it is necessary to carefully avoid any
separation between your thoughts and your life. Philosophy cannot be dealt with
the way one resolves a geometrical proposition. In other words, the philosopher
cannot place himself comfortably “outside” of philosophy and formulate it with
elegance and without attachments. To the contrary he, his life, his destiny,
and the destiny of humanity are viscerally dependent on the course of
philosophy. The first philosophical problem he should consider is himself,
because it is through the flesh and blood of his existence that he keeps
himself grounded in reality.
This being
the case, the philosopher should have not only a keen and developed
intelligence, but also a rich, strong, and vigorous personality through which
all of reality could amply resonate. In order to acquire this well-endowed and
profound personality, I think it is useful that, besides all the studies that
are particularly philosophical, which I will address shortly, you cultivate
your soul by coming in contact with the great works in which certain
fundamental characteristics of the human soul are expressed. Frequent exposure
to these books results in an incalculable broadening of vision in relation to
all problems. The works of Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare, and the French classics
are in this category. Take note that they are not irreprehensible, but the
magnificent breath that aggrandizes man flows in all of them.
Also, I am
not telling you to do a systematic study of these works. What I am telling you
is far from this. It is not about studying as in completing a task, but to
appreciate and to savor it. You choose the work that you like the most, or you
could just as well vary by reading at one time a selection from one and later a
passage from another. You have complete liberty. The most important thing is
that you read the original works.
It is not
only appreciation of the great literary works that brings us to our desired
objective but also of paintings of the great masters and music of the great
composers, such as Bach and Handel. Nevertheless, each one should follow his
own inclinations in these matters. I prefer rather to suggest ideas than to
implement them.
St. Thomas is
clearer than his commentators
Considering
now your studies, I must say that I understand perfectly the dissatisfaction
and perplexity that certain authors, who present themselves as thomists, give
you. These authors are truly neither philosophers nor thomists, and the best
thing you can do for the moment is to put them aside. They can only confuse you
and set you on a dangerous path.
In respect to Maritain, he is but a
vulgar man gifted with literary qualities, and without any scientific
seriousness. His followers have superficial mentalities and allow themselves to
be cajoled into and satisfied with his lyrical-metaphysical notions; notions
which, when analyzed more meticulously, do not hold water because they are
quickly seen to be imprecise, doubtful and full of contradictions. I must
confess that, when I was your age, I allowed myself to be mislead by these
notions because they aroused my sensibilities. God, however, gave me the grace
to see the poison in them before it was too late.
When one becomes familiar with the
knowledge of the true philosophers, he is ashamed of the hollow, stupid, and
pretentious digressions of certain pseudothomist philosophists of our day. They
do nothing but deform Thomism, adapting it to the most recent fads (which they
do not even understand). At the same time, with naïve incompetence, they miss
the most profound thoughts of St.
Thomas.
Go directly to the source. Try to
familiarize yourself with the works of St.
Thomas. Do not worry; the angelic doctor is more
intelligible than any of his commentators. It all depends on us habituating
ourselves to his style, and more importantly, to his discipline. This will not
be difficult as long as we apply ourselves with humility.
To begin with, I would recommend
the Prima of the Summa and the De Veritate. In the Prima, leave questions 2,
23, and 24 aside. As far as the De Veritate, for the time being do not go
beyond the 3rdquestion. Since you are beginning, do not devote
yourself to systematic study, but do as I suggested for the classical works.
Remember that you are still not attempting to acquire knowledge of the works of
St. Thomas but
only to familiarize yourself with them.
Therefore, when you come across a more difficult topic, do not force
yourself to comprehend it. Instead, find an easier topic.
And now I am going to make a more
relevant observation: meditation and reflection are more valuable than reading.
For this reason try as much as possible to resolve problems on your own. This
is better than searching for ready-made solutions. Above all, stick to the text of St. Thomas. Do not read
the explanations at the foot of the page. We can think of other things for you
to do once you are accustomed to the style and reasoning of St. Thomas.
We have finally arrived at the
final and most important conclusion. The true philosopher can nourish his mind
and his personality only through an authentic spiritual life. It seems to me
that the best basis for an authentic spiritual life is still the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius, naturally complemented with the Imitation of Christ.
Keeping in mind the orientation I have been giving you through my suggestions,
always attempt to use the original texts without commentaries. And since
Catholic piety is based on Marian inspiration, always have on hand the
excellent works of St. Louis Maria Grignion de Montfort; all of them, if that
is possible.
The devil makes his catches in
the murky waters of agitation
With this, after having asked God to enlighten me for the
responsibility of this task, I think I have answered the questions you
presented in your letter in the best way possible. You will certainly encounter
many shortcomings in my response: It’s my human side. If, however, you have
recourse to God with confidence, He will supplement the faults.
Before all else, be calm and tranquil. I seemed to
discern a certain agitation in your letter. Try not to be worried. The devil
makes his catches in the murky waters of agitation. He is masterful at
irritating nerves and tormenting consciences through the imagination,
suggestions, instigations, and even working directly on the body, where he
causes physical sensations of discomfort, anguish, disgust, palpitations of the
heart, and whatever else there is. Do not allow any of these things to bother
you. Look straight to the hearts of Jesus and Mary and walk with confidence on
the white-capped waves.
And here we are, my friends and I,
at your disposition for whatever you need. No formalities. And do not forget me
in your prayers.
Yours in Jesus and Mary,
Plinio
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