Bernard Lonergan's Philosophy of Knowing

The paper gives a general presentation of the profile and philosophical achievements of Canadian Catholic theologian and philosopher Bernard Lonergan, especially his cognitional theory and epistemology. It confines itself to expounding his views from his main philosophical book: Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (London 1957, the critical edition: Toronto 1992). To present Lonergan's philosophy of knowing it addresses the following issues: 1. Life; 2. Influence; 3. Works; 4. A general account of Lonergan's philosophy; 5. Knowing as a subject of philosophy; 6. Self-appropriation as the aim and method of philosophy; 7. Basic philosophical questions and a hierarchy of the areas of philosophy; 8. Cognitional theory and the cognitional question: a. The generalized empirical method; b. The dynamic structure of knowing (experiencing, understanding, judging); 9. Epistemology and the epistemological question: a. The aim of knowing; b. The notion of objectivity; 10. The metaphysics of the knowing subject and the metaphysical question: a. The notion of being (reality); b. The infinite desire to know and being an authentic knower.