October 18, 2013

Beauty will save the world?

by Tom Gourlay

The Dawson Society was recently honoured to host Professor Tracey Rowland, Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne. Professor Rowland flew across the country to give a public lecture titled “What did Dostoyevsky mean when he said that ‘Beauty will save the world’?”

Professor Tracey Rowland, Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne

Professor Tracey Rowland, Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne

The presentation gave some insights on the role of beauty in evangelisation – as a means for reaching out to the individual person. Her lecture also tied in the consideration of the relationship between the transcendentals of truth goodness and beauty with the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Professor Rowland also gives an interesting commentary on the Suarezian account of Revelation and Ratzinger’s critique thereof.This lecture gives a wonderful summary of the intellectual movements of the Enlightenment and Romanticism as well as an overview of the Nouvelle Theologie’s attempt to reintegrate the Good, the True and the Beautiful.You can listen to a recording of the lecture here.