William Norris Clarke,
SJ (1 June 191510 June 2008) was an American
Thomist
Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church.
In philosophy, Thomas's disputed questions ...
philosopher and
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest. He was a president of the
Metaphysical Society of America
The Metaphysical Society of America (MSA) is a philosophy, philosophical organization founded by Paul Weiss (philosopher), Paul Weiss in 1950. As stated in its constitution, "The purpose of the Metaphysical Society of America is the study of real ...
, as well as founder and editor of the
International Philosophical Quarterly.
Possessing a lively personality and restless intellect, Clarke did not allow his philosophical quest to be limited by traditional interpretations of the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He insisted that
He was a major opponent of
Neo-scholastic interpretations of
Saint Thomas and
Saint Anselm
Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...
.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Books
* ''The Philosophical Approach to God: A Contemporary Neo-Thomistic Perspective'', 1979, revised edition in 2007.
* ''Person and Being'' 1993; reprinted with additional commentary by Ranier R. A. Ibana as ''Person, Being and Ecology'' in 1996
* ''Explorations in Metaphysics: Being-God-Person'', University of Notre Dame Press, 1995
* ''The One and the Many: A Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics'' (2001)
Media
A Taste of Existence with W. Norris ClarkeA Creative Retrieval of Thomism with W. Norris Clarke, S.J.A Reflection on God's Existence, by Fr. Norris Clarke
References
20th-century American philosophers
American philosophy academics
1915 births
2008 deaths
Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America
Fordham University faculty
American Christian clergy
20th-century American clergy
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