Ferdinand Ebner and the Role of Dialogical Thinking in the Catholic Context of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

It seems unusual even in some Catholic circles to speak of the philosophy of dialogue in the Catholic context. Nevertheless, the purpose of this article is to show that the dialogical way of thought not only has a Catholic originator – Ferdinand Ebner – but also a fixed place in the heart of Catholic thinking. We identify dialogical thinking here neither as an affiliation to a specific group of thinkers, nor as directly discussing the subject of dialogue/communication, but rather whether such thought conforms to the dialogical principle. We present this principle on the basis of the „fundamental thought” found in Ebner’s, The Word and the Spiritual Realities and we explain it further on the basis of his „word” concept. However, the rudiments of dialogical thinking can be found even before the „dialogical turn”. Plato and Augustine are the earliest, classical examples, and we present as its later forerunners Hamann, Baader, Humboldt, Feuerbach and Kierkegaard. As an illustration of the mysterious impact of the dialogical principle on Catholic thought we mention a few such authors who make direct reference to Ebner: Romano Guardini, Gabriel Marcel (together with Emmanuel Mounier), and the theologians Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. The main concern is not to look for Ebner’s impact on these thinkers, but to see the presence of the dialogical principle in their writings. Furthermore, we try to show the influence of the dialogical principle on the documents of Vatican II (especially Dei Verbum). This will demonstrate that indeed there is a significant correspondence between „Catholic” thinking and „dialogical” thinking.