Saint Dominic challenges the Albigensian Cathars in a manner reminiscent of Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Baal. Painting by Pedro Berruguete ~ 1490.
Quoting Pope John Paul II: "'All human beings desire to know', and truth is the proper object of this desire. Everyday life shows how concerned each of us is to discover for ourselves, beyond mere opinions, how things really are. Within visible creation, man is the only creature who not only is capable of knowing but who knows that he knows, and is therefore interested in the real truth of what he perceives. People cannot be genuinely indifferent to the question of whether what they know is true or not... It is essential, therefore, that the values chosen and pursued in one's life be true, because only true values can lead people to realize themselves fully, allowing them to be true to their nature. The truth of these values is to be found not by turning in on oneself but by opening oneself to apprehend that truth even at levels which transcend the person. This is an essential condition for us to become ourselves and to grow as mature, adult persons." [25] Faith & Reason
In the above words, one discovers an accurate description of how I personally approach both academic and spiritual inquiries. It is good to honor the Faith of our forefathers while giving Reason the freedom to challenge the comfortable boundary lines of the familiar. Working hand in hand, Faith and Reason can take us much further than either could on their own. Paradoxes and enigmas are the spice of life, dare to simultaneously embrace the extreme polarities; for in so doing, you will transcend the Tree of Duality.