Natural Reason

Natural Reason is an examination of the religious epistemology of Cardinal Newman. Although his epistemology was developed primarily to defend the rationality of religious belief, it is, nevertheless, pertinent to problems of belief in general. The theme of the work is that Newman's central notions conceal crucial ambiguities. These are the result of his inheriting an inadequate philosophical tradition whose limitations make it exceedingly difficult for him to give systematic expression to his thought. The removal of these ambi guities will allow Newman's thought to reveal itself in all its lucidity.