Online Books by Jacques Maritain
Art and Scholasticism & The Frontiers of Poetry
Originally published in 1920, Art and Scholasticism was Jacques Maritain's first attempt to bring the principles of scholastic philosophy to bear on the domain of the fine arts. Joseph W. Evans, founder and inaugural director of the Jacques Maritain Center at Notre Dame, prepared the translation presented here from the work's third edition (1935), to which is added the essay "The Frontiers of Poetry," originally published in 1927.
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An Essay on Christian Philosophy
In this short work, Maritain elucidates the relationship between philosophy and Christianity from a Thomistic perspective, arguing that the philosophy has its own proper nature and end, but that its state or condition is necessarily altered by Christian revelation. He considers rival positions espoused by Émile Bréhier, according to whom the existence of Christian philosophy is denied, and Marcel Blondel, according to whom the philosophical enterprise effectively implies Christianity within its immanent structure.
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Antisemitism
Based on lectures delivered in his native Paris and New York City in 1938, Jacques Maritain's Antisemitism documented the precarious situation of Jews across Europe on the eve of the Second World War. Maritain considers the social, political, and spiritual dimensions of the issue, drawing both from contemporary sources and the witness of St Paul.
On the Philosophy of History
Maritain's On the Philosophy of History is based on four lectures delivered at the University of Notre Dame in 1955. He outlines here the relationship that the philosophy of history has with other philosophical subjects and theology, then presents certain laws and stages of history that are to be contrasted with those of the Hegelian and Comtian systems.
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On the Church of Christ
Maritain's On the Church of Christ, published in 1970, explores the nature and mission of the Catholic Church in the modern world. The book is one of Maritain's later works, written in the wake of the 2nd Vatican Council, and emphasizes the Church's role as both a spiritual and social institution, central to God's plan for humanity.
The Person and the Common Good
Published in 1947, The Person and the Common Good presents Maritain's clearest and most sustained treatment of the person. Presenting the relations between man, as a person and as an individual, and the society of which he is a part, he makes clear the personalism rooted in the doctrine of St. Thomas, and separates the social philosophy centered in the dignity of the human person from every social philosophy centered in the primacy of the individual and the private good.
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Reflections on America
In Reflections on America, Maritain examines the unique character of American democracy and its implications for both political philosophy and Catholic thought. He praises the American experiment for its commitment to individual freedom, democracy, and the separation of church and state, but also critiques its materialism and tendency to prioritize individualism over communal values, ultimately reflecting on the prospects for a more Christian America.
The Responsibility of the Artist
Based on a series of lectures given at Princeton University in 1951, The Responsibility of the Artist, explores the moral and spiritual duties of the artist in the context of modern society. Maritain argues that art should not merely serve aesthetic or commercial purposes but should reflect deeper truths about the human condition and the divine, and contends that the artist has a responsibility to pursue beauty and truth, while also resisting the pressures of secularism and materialism.
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The following works are currently being prepared for the site and will be available soon:
- Moral Philosophy
- Notebooks
- The Range of Reason
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Selected transcriptions of manuscripts from the Jacques Maritain Papers