The critique of Augusto Del Noce to the non metaphysical personalism of Renouvier and Lequier

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine, in the thought of Augusto Del Noce, the significance that the so-called Personalism has had in the philosophical thought in general, and in the Catholic theology in particular. To begin with, the paper explores the thought of Jules Lequier, a founding father of the Personalism. In this first section it is argued that the Personalism has been structured around the ‘freedom-need’ binomial and, as a consequence of this oppositional dialectic, the French philosopher is compelled to constrict the notion of freedom to a libertas minor. Secondly, it is established a continuity between the personalist conception of Lequier and Juan Manuel Burgos. Finally, it is discussed Del Noce’s criticism to Personalism and the reasons that led the Italian philosopher to uphold that Christian Ontologism in capable of solving the oppositional dialectic ‘truthfreedom.’