Dante’s Understanding of the Two Ends of Human Desire and the Relationship between Philosophy and Theology

Authors

Jason Aleksander, Saint Xavier UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2011

Publication Title

The Journal of Religion

Volume

91

Issue Number

2

First Page

158

Last Page

187

DOI

10.1086/658107

Keywords

Dante, Divine Comedy, Monarchia, Convivio, political theology

Disciplines

History of Philosophy | Italian Literature | Medieval Studies | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

I discuss Dante’s understanding that human existence is “ordered by two final goals” and how this understanding defines philosophy’s and theology’s respective scopes of authority in guiding human conduct. I show that, while Dante devalues the philosophical authority associated with the traditional Aristotelian emphasis on the significance of contemplative activity, he does so in order to highlight philosophy’s ethico-political authority to guide human conduct toward its “earthly beatitude.” Moreover, I argue that, although Dante subordinates earthly beatitude to spiritual beatitude, he nonetheless maintains that philosophy’s authority to reveal a path to spiritual beatitude requires its fundamental independence from theology.

Comments

© 2011 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Recommended Citation

Jason Aleksander. "Dante’s Understanding of the Two Ends of Human Desire and the Relationship between Philosophy and Theology" The Journal of Religion (2011): 158-187. https://doi.org/10.1086/658107