Overview

George Santayana (1862-1952) of Spanish descent, and generally claimed to be in the canon of American philosophers, was substantially influenced by his Roman Catholic origins in his philosophical disposition toward the value of tradition, religious symbols and dogma. His philosophical project sustained a respectful attitude toward the spiritual value of orthodox religion while the thrust of his philosophy was naturalistic and materialistic throughout. There is a perception by some scholars that Santayana’s philosophy evolved from a humanistic perspective to a more spiritual one in his later years. It is the position of this thesis that his philosophy, at the “core” depicting a harmonious striving toward individual happiness, remained essentially consistent from his earliest publication of Interpretations of Poetry and Religion and The Life of Reason through his later works of Scepticism and Animal Faith, Realms of Being, Dominations and Powers and The Idea of Christ in the Gospels. Santayana’s philosophical approach is both phenomenological and social constructionist in its methodology, significantly preempting the methodology of social constructionist theology and a post-modern interpretation of religion. His idiosyncratic phenomenological approach is compared with a “benchmark” methodology of Edmund Husserl, the generally accepted founder of the phenomenological method. There are also important similarities between Santayana’s phenomenological approach and those of Charles Sanders Peirce and Alfred North Whitehead. The basis for the comparison of the phenomenological methodology of Santayana and Husserl is their mutually similar fundamental theory of intuited essence. Santayana’s contribution to religious studies is not only philosophical but also theological where he has utilized Christian theological language in transposing and interpolating his philosophy of religion to the Christian drama of the salvational Christ. Santayana’s essay “Ultimate Religion” reflects his perspective of a disillusioned but still spiritual vision incorporating the piety, discipline, and spirituality; of a life of reason. Within the framework of this “model” Santayana’s philosophy of religion is developed and explored. Finally, the relevance of Santayana’s philosophy of religion to contemporary religious studies and selected religious issues is addressed with a delineation and discussion of some important aspects of his philosophical vision.

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It is striking that despite Santayana's extensive consideration of religious themes scholars have generally abstained from attributing to him a philosophy of religion. Edward W. Lovely's new book boldly bucks this trend. The author makes a compelling case that Santayana's thinking delivers an un-proclaimed but evident phenomenological method, and further suggests that Santayana's uniquely naturalistic account of spirituality speaks more than ever to today's religiously inclined. This book ought to invite vigorous debate about how a self-proclaimed materialist can have so much to offer, across aisles of devotion, to religious debate. -- Matthew Caleb Flamm, Rockford College One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the great value of Edward Lovely's approach to Santayana through his philosophy of religion is the way Lovely's work ties together the main areas of Santayana's thought and addresses key interpretative disputes. In demonstrating the significance of Catholicism for Santayana's philosophy, Lovely relates in mutually enlightening ways Santayana's ontology, moral philosophy, and cultural critique...Lovely's inquiry confronts head-on the seeming contradiction between Santayana's materialism and his embrace of conservative Catholic ideals while also showing Santayana innovative reconceptions of prayer, immortality, and salvation in ways relevant to the European cultural bequest in the twenty-first century. The book is profitable for both student and scholar, and it signals the continuing fertility of Santayana's philosophy. -- Martin A. Coleman, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis The past twenty years have seen a remarkable renaissance of interest in Santayana's philosophy. This book is a thoughtful and detailed study of Santayana's views on religion. Lovely is sensitive to the full complexity of Santayana's ideas and explores their connections to the tradition of phenomenology. The research is comprehensive and Lovely makes significant contributions to the existing literature. -- John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University

It is striking that despite Santayana's extensive consideration of religious themes scholars have generally abstained from attributing to him a philosophy of religion. Edward W. Lovely's new book boldly bucks this trend. The author makes a compelling case that Santayana's thinking delivers an un-proclaimed but evident 'phenomenological method,' and further suggests that Santayana's uniquely naturalistic account of spirituality speaks more than ever to today's religiously inclined. This book ought to invite vigorous debate about how a self-proclaimed 'materialist' can have so much to offer, across aisles of devotion, to religious debate. -- Matthew Caleb Flamm, Rockford College One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the great value of Edward Lovely's approach to Santayana through his philosophy of religion is the way Lovely's work ties together the main areas of Santayana's thought and addresses key interpretative disputes. In demonstrating the significance of Catholicism for Santayana's philosophy, Lovely relates in mutually enlightening ways Santayana's ontology, moral philosophy, and cultural critique...Lovely's inquiry confronts head-on the seeming contradiction between Santayana's materialism and his embrace of conservative Catholic ideals while also showing Santayana innovative reconceptions of prayer, immortality, and salvation in ways relevant to the European cultural bequest in the twenty-first century. The book is profitable for both student and scholar, and it signals the continuing fertility of Santayana's philosophy. -- Martin A. Coleman, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis The past twenty years have seen a remarkable renaissance of interest in Santayana's philosophy. This book is a thoughtful and detailed study of Santayana's views on religion. Lovely is sensitive to the full complexity of Santayana's ideas and explores their connections to the tradition of phenomenology. The research is comprehensive and Lovely makes significant contributions to the existing literature. -- John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University

Author Information

After a career in science and business, Edward Lovely received a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion at Drew University with a dissertation on George Santayana. He teaches philosophy at William Paterson University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, both in New Jersey and his research interests are in American Philosophy and religion.

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