Cardinal John Henry Newman’s view on the relationship between faith and reason

Abstract

The article discusses the relationship between faith and reason as viewed by English philosopher and convert Cardinal John Henry Newman. First, Newman's intellectual and spiritual biography is outlined as the background that underpinned his philosophical thought, and then the principles of his theory of cognition are discussed, with particular emphasis on the category of assent. Newman rejects common ideas about faith and reason. He defines them as habits of mind: independent mental orders that occur among both believers and non-believers. A distinction is made between explicit and implicit reason. Faith is the use of implicit reason. It does not demand accurate evidence; rather, it is content with assumptions and is based on weak foundations from the point of view of explicit reason. Faith as the original principle of action differs from argumentation, discussion, analysis and philosophy. There is no conflict between faith and reason although their mutual relations can generate difficulties because both operate in the same field of understanding and search for meaning.