--- Bill East <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > 2. Benard 'no great shakes as an intellectual'! Wow. just
> > remember, everybody, The Elastic teacher said it, not me. :-) I do
>
>
> Perhaps I spoke in haste . . .
Actually no, I meant what I said. Bernard was no doubt very
intelligent, and well-read in the scriptures and the Fathers. But his
instincts were not those of an intellectual. What do I mean by that?
Well, suppose (for example) that I happen to disagree (which God
forbid) with something Professor A. says. I might take issue with him
in these terms:
"Professor A. says X, but I think he is mistaken because I do not think
his evidence can bear the weight he places upon it. Y is a very
dubious source, and its reliablity has recently been challenged by
Professor B. Furthermore he does not seem to have considered Z, which
puts the matter in a very different light . . ."
In other words, I would engage with the respected professor A's
argument, point out its shortcomings, invite my readers to see things
differently. This I take to be the intellectual approach.
[Incidentally, if any of our members wish to download the above
paragraph and use it in their own essays/theses/articles/books,
inserting the appropriate names instead of A and B, they are welcome to
do so.]
Bernard's approach however is quite different. He will say,
"Abelard has said X" [where X stands for some heresy], "but you must
believe Y" [where Y is the orthodox faith]. He appeals directly to his
hearers. He does not engage with Abelard at all. He does not consider
whether what Abelard says can bear an orthodox interpretation, whether
there may be anthing to be said for his point of view, whether indeed
Abelard really said it at all. He simpy reiterates the party line.
As a pastor, I have to say there is much in favour of Bernard's
approach. If some renegade bishop comes up with a peculiar opinion, I
do not want to confuse my parishioners, who for the most part are not
intellectuals, with the niceties of his views. I want to remind them
of what they should believe.
As a mode of intellectual discourse, however, it falls sadly short, and
it must have been very frustrating for Abelard and Bernard's other
victims to try to argue with someone who simply wasn't interested in
their point of view.
Oriens.
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