Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ

You have been Dean of philosophy in Jnanadeepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology Pune for seven years. How is philosophy important in the training of priests?
Learning to philosophies and searching for wisdom are in itself a rewarding experiences. It is very significant ad future priest and Christian leaders.
First of all a sound philosophical training will help us to relate reason to religion and criticism to faith. Secondly philosophy can truly help us to search for truth, even in the ordinary and mundane experiences of life.
Thus, philosophy, “one of the noblest of human tasks” (Fides et Ratio), can lift our heart and mind to the Sublime. It can help the Christian leaders to be seeking Truth, Beauty and Goodness both in the technical search and in the ordinary lives of normal people.
I am fortunate enough to be serving as Dean, Faculty of Philosophy, Jnana Deepa. In fact, I spend 25 years teaching philosophy here. When I count my years as a student also, I have spent 32 long years in this campus, which is half of my life! I feel truly blessed to be part of this glorious institution.

After the Second Vatican Council teaching of philosophy slackened and Biblical studies got prominence. Has biblical studies slowly become Biblicism?
It is true that Vatican II has given emphasis on the pastoral approach to theology and the role and significance of the Bible was rediscovered. It is a very good initiative and part of rediscovering the sources. Unfortunately it has been associated with Biblical literalism or Biblicism, which implies “adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense.” But we know that the Christian Bible, which is “Word of God in the words of men and women,” can never be taken literally. Any introductory course on the Bible will tell of the need for critical and creative interpretation or hermeneutics, which is a solidly based philosophy discipline. Had our students been initiated into the long history of hermeneutics, including the relationship between understanding and explanation, polysemy and conflict of interpretation, this tendency to Biblicism could have been avoided. Genuine Biblical interpretation and experience needs not less but more practical philosophy, which helps us discover the “surplus of meaning” and the evocative nature of Biblical texts.

Philosophy was considered ancilla theolgiae – handmaid of theology, do you still think philosophy is that?
In the classical Christian traditions, philosophy had only a secondary role, helping theologians to better express their experience of the Diving. To some extent, philosophy helps the theologians by providing them with contemporary conceptual framework, perspectives and world-views.
But in a situation like India, where other or no religions play a significant role, theology can only be seen as part of “Christian philosophy.” To make any contribution to the larger intellectual world of India we need to fly gently with the both wings: that of philosophy and theology.

You teach philosophy of science, are empirical sciences aware of its limitations in thinking and interpretations?
Most scientists are too much occupied with their day-to-day research findings that they do not have time to think of the “big questions.” In the ideal world research should lead to understanding and then to genuine wisdom. In other words, physics should necessarily lead to metaphysics. So in our pragmatic world, which reduces everything to the countable, such contemplation is looked down with disdain. That is because many of the scientists are not aware of inherent limitations of scientific methodology and approach to life.
It is here that philosophy can raise the larger perspectives and deeper question that emerge from the empirical researches and findings. We need to base ourselves on the empirical life and then elevate our spirit to the transcendental, so that we can come back to see the sacredness of the empirical. Precisely therein lies the uniqueness of being human.

I personally think that holiness and ethics can be meaningfully spoken in the language of philosophy and literature, how do you think?
It is a sad part of our history that only discursive reason and analysis has been used to purse philosophical and theological issue, which lie close to our hearts. We need to recognize the grandeur or reason. At the same time, we need to use reason to recognize its own limitations. We cannot be irrational or antirational. But we can go beyond reason by appealing to reason. It is here that stories and narratives serve an important function in philosophy and theology.
Stories and narratives, including the parables and metaphors of Jesus, appeal to human beings, much more than the abstract academic analysis and reflection. That explains the significance and popularity of Harry Potter series or the books of the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari.
Coming to the religious or mystical levels, we also need to recognize the limits of language and be receptive to the “preverbal, ineffable, metaphorical, primary process, concrete-experience, intuitive and esthetical types of cognition,” as indicated by the humanistic thinker Abraham Maslow.
Then we can discern the will of God of attain mystical experiences in the ordinary and mundane events of our day-to-day life. Thus our moral life and holiness can spring from our mundane existence.

Some postmodern Catholic thinkers no longer think of God as a being but as an absence which is a presence, what are your views?
Thinking of God as a being is part of the Greek heritage we inherited, that does not fully rhyme with the God of the New Testament. That is why the philosopher-scientist Blaise Pascal referred to the “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob. Not of the philosophers and intellectuals. The God of Jesus Christ.” Given the kenotic and negative theologies found in the Christian spirituality, we need to reaffirm our commitment to a God who may be present in His absence and absent in His presence. We need to learn from postmodern thinkers that God cannot be categorized into our limited vocabularies. He is the one within us, with us and beyond us.

How important are art and literature in Christian practices and rituals? How does training to priesthood cater to literature and art?
The church sees the whole creation as reflecting the majesty, beauty and splendor of God, including the art and literature which human beings have been able to create. Art and literature are truly the manifestations of our divine urge for unity and transcendence. This experience of unity and transcendence is achieved through religious practices, common worship and rituals.
The traces of God can be found in all these great and grand ventures just like in the little traditions or mini narratives. Therefore, during the formation of the young candidates for priesthood, adequate training is imparted to cherish the classical literature (including Latin) and to foster creative artistic talents for the common good of humanity. Further, they are tried in the “art of encounter” with human persons to that they can be “artisans of peace.” As Pope Francis in Fratelli tutii holds, “Life, for all its confrontations, is the art of encounter”

According to you, what is the greatest challenge that philosophy face today?
The greatest challenge that philosophy today faces is helping the ordinary people to become truly wise. True wisdom demands a genuine encounter with reality, as Pope Francis reminds us. We need to seek the truth in dialogue, in relaxed conversation or in passionate debate. This entails “moments of silence and suffering, yet it can patiently embrace the broader experience of individuals and peoples,” the Pope tells us. Our philosophy has not helped us to keep our attention focused, to penetrate to the heart of matters, and to recognize what is essential to give meaning to our lives.
The incidences of meaningless, substance abuse and suicides indicate that in spite of all the resources at our disposal, philosophy has not been able to take its role seriously. We have information, in fact, overabundance of it. As a society we have not learned to transform the data and information into knowledge, understanding and wisdom for the larger society.
Scientific revolutions and technological possibilities have provided us with abundance of knowledge and comfort. But we continue to live with less joy and satisfaction. Science has given us enough food to feed ourselves. Still many people starve! We are on the brink of collective extinction of life, which scientists name “the sixth mass extinction.” Still as a society behave as if things are going on smoothly!
As a society we need to relish life, gather wisdom, recognize the dangers and possibilities life offers to us and respond adequately and wisely. Both individually and collectively. This I believe is the greatest challenge that faces philosophy. By an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach, I believe, human beings can still find joy in themselves and thus save ourselves. Philosophers, together with other thinkers, scientists, artists and artisans, have a challenging responsibility in sustaining and flourishing our precious life! We can be hopeful, for “We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom,” as Pope Francis affirms.
Finally, I must acknowledge my indebtedness to Jnana Deepa and Papal Communities, Pune, for giving me opportunities to search for truth and dwell on wisdom. Thanks to Light of Truth for enriching and enabling me.