the neo-Scholastics, in attacking the views of the nouvels théologiens on historical conditioning by offering a reasoned philosophical case against them, were following in the footsteps of St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas.(37) The nouvels théologiens,for their part, did not attempt any substantive reasoned reply to this criticism. It is doubtful whether they could have managed to offer one; they did not think philosophically. This is shown by their enthusiasm for Blondel, and by their taking Pierre Teilhard de Chardin seriously. Blondel was a confused thinker(38) and Teilhard was an intellectual charlatan; but both were gifted rhetoricians, and their rhetoric made the nouvels théologiens accept them as philosophers. Indeed, rhetoric was what the nouvels théologiens understood philosophy to be. In this they were children of the Counter-Reformation. Rhetoric, unlike philosophy, uses appeals to desires and emotions to affect belief-- that is, it uses factors connected with the will.
https://tradicat.blogspot.com/2014/11/determining-content-and-degree-of.html#more JMJ That the Church is in the midst of a crisis is, for those not blinded by enthusiasm, obvious. Understanding the different levels of authority for the documents of the Church is one of the underpinnings of keeping sane and not falling off the knife's edge. In this academic article Dr. Lamont has, I believe, provided the key to unlocking one of the locks of this Crisis. The documents of the Second Vatican Council. P^3 DETERMINING THE CONTENT AND DEGREE OF AUTHORITY OF CHURCH TEACHINGS Dr. John R. T. Lamont Catholic Institute of Sydney Strathfield, NSW, Australia Source: Thomist Introduction THE TEACHING OF THE Second Vatican Council on religious liberty in its declaration Dignitatis humanae has been a subject of bitter disagreement ever since the promulgation of that declaration. Presented by some as one of the council's main achievements, it has been condemned by others as a departure from t...