Episode #2: Whether One Should Study Philosophy (Continued)

In this episode of The Thomistic Mind, Dr. Jason Reed continues the discussion on whether Christians should study philosophy. The first portion of the episode offers a substantial review of Episode 1, revisiting the biblical foundations for reason, intellectual maturity, and the harmony of faith and reason. New material begins around the 19:30 mark.

This lecture argues that philosophy is unavoidable: everyone thinks philosophically, whether consciously or not. The real question is whether one’s philosophy is true and well-formed or uncritical and culturally absorbed. Many objections to Christianity—such as claims that miracles or the Resurrection are “unreasonable”—are shown to rest on hidden philosophical assumptions about reality, knowledge, and what counts as possible.

Drawing on St. Paul’s encounter with the philosophers at Athens (Acts 17), the episode explores how Christians should engage a culture shaped by secularism, popular atheism, and competing worldviews. Following Paul’s example, believers are called to meet these ideas with clarity, charity, and intellectual rigor. Philosophy, rightly ordered, serves the faith by helping Christians love God with the mind, defend doctrine, and engage the modern world confidently.

In the next episode, Dr. Reed will examine which philosophy Christians should study, and why St. Thomas Aquinas remains the Church’s greatest guide for integrating faith and reason.