Summary: John Newman, Idea of a University, Discourses 1-4.

Summary:  John Newman, Idea of a University, Discourses 1-4.

John Cardinal Newman in the first dialogue of The Idea of a University started first by giving the imperative of starting his discussion with the experience of past years. According to him, the principles he was about to set forth under the sanction of the Catholic Church where his professions in his early years when he though religion to be a matter of feelings and experience instead of faith. Again he affirms that what he is about to put down, can be grasped by common, a venture that is not supernatural or requires divine illumination, hence the inquiry can be applied by mere experience of life. He goes further to give an apologetic statement concerning his intention to borrow the views of some protestants by stating that, the Catholic Church has ever, in the plenitude of her divine illumination made use of whatever reason or wisdom she has found in the teachings of protestants and heretics. His other reason or appealing to protestant bodies in regard to liberal education which stems from the idea that he is simply exploring and making use of reason and human wisdom. It is an abstract investigating which is set to the determination of what is in itself right and true.

In the second discourse, he looked mainly into the issue of excluding theology among the sciences in university teaching. Again, he tries to consider the idea of making the useful art and sciences its principle concern, to the detriment of those liberal studies that it has always consisted in. he sees it as an intellectual absurdity to erect any university without a theological seat. He argues that a university professes to teach universal knowledge; theology is a branch of knowledge. He questions the tenability of the claim that university professes to teach universal knowledge yet excludes from the subject of its teaching, one that harbors so much knowledge. The subject of this discuss is centered on the proposition he clearly made. There are two inevitable conclusions to draw if a university be a place where universal knowledge is professed and in a certain university, the subject of religion is removed, then it is either the province of religion is barren of real knowledge or, that in such a university one important branch of knowledge is omitted. He affirms the knowledge status of religious doctrines.

The third discuss tends to show the omission of this knowledge from other sciences is both prejudicial and in-defensible. His argument centers on the fact that some scholars are so enclosed to their own disciple and disinterested in the discourse or assimilation of other subjects. They are impatient to entertain any interruption or demand of anything that does not bear upon their particular branch of knowledge. They claim that Theology and human science are two distinct provinces and so separate subjects should be treated separately. A compromise that was reached between them and their counterparts became that theology should be excluded from public school but provisions should be made in private school where there may be considerable number of subject in need of such knowledge.

He argues that all knowledge form one whole since it has only one subject matter. With this in mind, any systematic omission of any one science from the index prejudices the accuracy and completeness of our knowledge altogether, also its importance. He argues that, granting theology is a real science, we cannot call ourselves philosophers if we exclude it. Hence if thre is anything like religious truth, it is imperative that we explore it, else we create a prejudice to truth of every kind.

The definition of theology according to Newman is the science of God or the truth we know about God put into system. It discourses on a being infinite, yet personal; absolutely separate from creature, yet in every part of the creation at every moment; transcends all things yet under everything.