Jacques Maritain on Moral Philosophy
“THE
philosopher cannot—especially in our time—shut himself up in an ivory
tower; he cannot help being concerned about human affairs, in the name
of philosophy itself and by reason of the very values which philosophy
has to defend and maintain. He has to “bear witness” to these values,
every time they are attacked, as in the time of Hitler when insane
racist theories worked to provoke the mass murder of Jews, or as today
before the threat by communist despotism. The philosopher must bear
witness by expressing his thoughts and telling the truth as he sees it.
This may have repercussions in the domain of politics; it is not, in
itself, a political action—it is simply applied philosophy.
“It
is true that the line of demarcation is difficult to draw. This means no
one, not even philosophers, can avoid taking risks, when justice or
love are at stake, and when one is face to face with the strict command
of the Gospel: haec oportuit facere, et illa non omittere, “these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Mt 23:23).”
~Jacques Maritain: On the Use of Philosophy: Three Essays
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The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David. Oil on canvas, 1787; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
