ANTI-NATURALISM IN EXTREMIS
31
endangered. Already under totalitarian regimes and to a lesser
extent in the democracies, these activities are being undermined."*
It is probable that the signers of this statement belong to both
the supernatural and the rationalistic varieties of anti-naturalism.
Reference to our classic
and
religious heritage, to Greek
and
Hebraic-Christian sources, indicates that such is the case. They
agree for purposes of attack. But cross-examination would disclose
a fundamental incompatibility. For example, philosophical anti·
naturalists are obliged to confine themselves to dire prediction of
terrible things to happen because of naturalism. Their com·
panions of the supernatural variety are aware, however, of active
and forcible means that were once employed to stay the spread of
heresies like naturalism so as to prevent the frightful consequences
from happening.
If
they are literate in their faith, they know
that such methods are still required, but are prevented from now
being put into execution by the spread of naturalistic liberalism
in civilized countries. When members of this group think of the
pains that were taken when the Church had the power to protect
the faithful from "science falsely socalled," and from dangerous
thoughts in scholarship, they might well smile at the innocence
of their colleagues who imply that inquiry, scholarship, and teach·
ing are completely unhampered where naturalism has not obtained
a foothold. And they might certainly say of their merely philo–
sophical confreres, that
they
are living off a capital derived from
a supernatural heritage. A mere naturalist will content himself
with wondering whether ignorance of history, or complacency or
provincialism with respect to the non-christian part of the world, or
sheer rhetorical dogmatism is the outstanding trait of the pro·
nounciamento. A historian of ideas would be able to contribute
some interesting information as to the beliefs of the persons who
have done the most to make democracy and freedom of mind a
reality in the modern world, and as to the beliefs of the persons
who withstood their efforts at every turn until the march of events
forced them to desist from that particular line of obscurantic
obstructionism.
*From a statement signed by a group of Princeton professors, published in Vol. II
of the
Proceedings of the Conference on Science, Philosophy. and Religion.
Although
"science" appears in the title, the meetings and discussions of this Conference have
been chiefly devoted to asserting some aspect of anti-naturalism; literary writers, being
innocent of the philosophical issues involved, serving as cement of the amalgam.
