The Cosmic Hierarchy of Richard J. Pendergast, SJ
A Thomistic Evaluation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18094841 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joseph R Laracy (0000-0001-6535-7770, Seton Hall University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1334 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-22 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16111334 |
| OpenAlex | W4415452388 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
This article offers a Thomistic evaluation of Richard J. Pendergast, SJ’s The Cosmic Hierarchy: The Universe and Its Many Irreducible Levels, situating his integrative cosmology within the ongoing dialog between Christian theology and the natural sciences. Pendergast’s attempt to synthesize Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics, process philosophy, and modern physics exemplifies both the promise and the perils of constructing a unified worldview that embraces the theology of creation, teleology, and metaphysical realism. This analysis commends his defense of the intelligibility of nature and the legitimacy of final causality. It also identifies areas where his speculative adoption of process categories departs from Thomistic principles and raises theological difficulties. Engaging questions of creation theology, metaphysics, and epistemology, the paper demonstrates how a Thomistic framework provides critical criteria for assessing integrative cosmologies informed by contemporary science
COSMIC cancer database · Dialog box · Hierarchy · Legitimacy · Metaphysics · Karl Barth and Christian Theology · Medieval Philosophy and Theology · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |