Jomar Paulo M.

Ortega Philosophy 291

MA Philosophy Readings in Metaphysics

The Intellectual Life

The intellectual life by A.G. Sertillanges, is one of the good read books that will help us

to discipline of intellectualism. Intellect refers to man’s ability to think and know. It is in the

human mind’s capability to reach what is true and what is false. This book helps us to reach the

truth thru the use of intellect with the help of catholic teachings and reflections. This paper will

dwell on the first chapter of the book entitled the Intellectual Vocation. The first chapter points

out that, Intellectual vocation has a sacred call because we are serving the Truth. Every human

being has the duty to know the truth. Our desire to know the truth is equivocal to the Intellectual

Vocation.

"We must give ourselves from the heart, if the truth is to give itself to us. Truth serves

only its slaves.”1 We have the desire to know the truth; desire came from the heart which enables

us to do everything for the sake of what we love. As philosophers, we have the desire to know

what is truth, in this regard; the book will lead us to know the truth. Knowing gives us the

knowledge. While desire will leads us to truth. We are the slaves of truth in such a way that we

will do everything for the sake of the desire to know what is true. Desire can slave us, because if

we have the desire no one could stop us to lead ourselves to truth.

“Love truth and its fruits of life, for yourself and for others.” 2 Truth will free us from

slavery. Truth does not just slave us, but it also save us from being slave at first. We will be able

to know the truth, when we are able to know ourselves. As Socrates says “Know thyself.”

Knowing yourself first will unlock maturity in handling different situations such weighing things

1
A.G Sertillanges, The Intellectual life,The Newman Press, West Minster, Maryland, 1960. P. 4
2
Ibid. P 5.
on your own. Man will be able to know the reality of things. Reality is synonymous to truth.

Metaphysics would define reality as something which is transcendental. The essences of

existence will enable us to know what is real and true.

“The athletes of the mind, like those of the playing field, must be prepared for privations,

long training, a sometimes superhuman tenacity. We must give ourselves from the heart, if the

truth is to give itself to us. Truth serves only its slaves.” 3 We are athletes of the mind and devote

ourselves to serving the Truth. Athletes aim for gold, and in order to have it they must devote

themselves to practice and strengthening their body. In our context we acquire knowledge, our

tool towards gold which is truth, thru repetitive practice of knowing knowledge. Knowing is a

good tool towards truth. “There is a God who does not lie.” God is the fountain of truth, that’s

why we seek for his help. Intellectual life will be nothing without the help of the fount of all truth

and wisdom. The fount of all wisdom is a being that does not lie. He does not lie because he is

the absolute source of what is true.

“A vocation is not fulfilled by vague reading in a few scattered writings. It requires

penetration and continuity and methodical effort, so as to attain the fullness of development

which will correspond to the call of the Spirit, and to the resources that it has pleased to bestow

on us.”4 Connecting the dots will be possible thru the help of the things in the past or in other

words memory. The key to gain knowledge is thru connecting the dots. Truth as certainty, there

is a causal relation on everything. There is contiguity. A is the cause of B. There is a relation for

everything. Things are place into its proper position yet there is connectedness. The spirit of the

fount of all knowledge and wisdom will guide us. Man does not have the capability to know the

truth all by himself, he needs to seek the help of a Supreme Being.

3
Ibid. p 4
4
Ibid p. 3
 “To get something without paying for it is the universal desire; but it is the desire of

cowardly hearts and weak brains… the light of God does not shine under your study lamp unless

your soul asks for it with persistent effort.” 5 As a said a while ago, knowing the truth entails

God’s help or guidance. Seeking of truth without the presence of God will be useless. Without

his presence, we are blinded by the darkness. Yet thru Him we can see all things. Man is afraid

of the darkness, because he see nothingness. But with God nothing is hidden.

St. Augustine of Hippo inherited the Manichean co-eternal principles of light and

darkness. This is similar as well with the division of the sensible/physical and the

intelligible/spiritual that came from Neo-platonic thought. Likewise, the division of the world

places God’s goodness by means of the light conquering darkness. It in believing in Jesus Christ

that the light would be able to vanquish evil, thus faith and reason in the intelligible realm would

help man towards being with God.

Virtue is right or perfect reason. But even if the eyes are healthy, the gaze itself cannot

turn toward the light unless three things are present: faith, by which it believes that what it gazes

on will, when seen, make it happy; hope, by which it expects that it will see, if it has looked well;

love, by which it desires to see and enjoy. And then the vision of God follows from this gaze…

which results in a blessed life.”6He complemented what St. Anselm’s proposed that reason

supplemented the faith. He will not be able to convince a person whose focus is pure reasoning

in the absence of faith. Faith will be deepened because of reason. Light serves us reason, light

serves us God who is fount of all wisdom. Intellect enables us to see the truth, it enables us to see

God clearly.

5
Ibid. p 6,
6
Saint Augustine, The Soliloquies of St. Augustine, translated into English by Rose Elizabeth Cleveland. With Notes
and Introduction by the Translator (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1910). 5/1/2020.
https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/augustine-the-soliloquies