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Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. Who was Bernard Lonergan?
  2. Where was Lonergan born?
  3. What did the secular press say about Lonergan's work
  4. Where can I get other information about Lonergan?
  5. Are Lonergan's books still in print?
  6. Where can I go to study Lonergan?
  7. Where can I go to do research on Lonergan?
  8. Is there a Lonergan discussion group on the Internet?
  9. What is Lonergan's cognitional theory?

1. Who was Bernard Lonergan?

Bernard Lonergan was a Jesuit philosopher and theologian. His writings include two master pieces, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding and Method in Theology.
In 1970, Lonergan received the Order of Canada.
Read the piece on Lonergan at the Dictionary of Modern Western Theology
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2. Where was Lonergan born?

Bernard Lonergan was a Canadian. He was born in Buckingham Quebec in 1904 and died November 26, 1984. For a chronological listing of important dates in Bernard Lonergan's life visit The Lonergan Research Institute. For some pictures of Lonergan visit The Los Angeles Lonergan Center.
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3. What did the press have to say about Lonergan's work?

The book jacket of Collection edited by Fredrick E. Crowe and Robert M. Doran, Univeristy of Toronto Press:Toronto, 1988, has the following two quotes:
Lonergan is considered by many intellectuals to be the finest philosophic thinker of the twentieth century-Time

Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan has set out to do for the twentieth century what even Aquinas could not do for the thirteenth...It may take another generation for his thought to be fully felt within the church that nourished him, but Lonergan's reach is already far wider- Newsweek

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4. Where can I get other information about Lonergan?

There is more and more material related to Lonergan coming on-line. You can find most if not all that's available on our page Sites On or About Lonergan.

The best source for the latest in Lonergan studies is the Lonergan Studies Newsletter. And on-line at LSN Online
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5. Are Lonergan's books still in print?

The University of Toronto Press is currently working with the Lonergan Research Institute to publish The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan. Titles presently in print include:

  • Method in Theology
  • Insight:A Study of Human Understanding
  • Collection
  • Topics in Education
  • Second Collection
  • Understanding and Being
  • Philosophical and Theological Papers
  • Verbum: Word and Idea in Aquinas
  • Macroeconomic Dynamics: An Essay in Circulation Analysis
  • For a New Political Economy

The Univeristy of Toronto Press also publishes the Lonergan Studies series of books. Available titles include:

  • Lonergan and Feminism Edited by Cynthia S. W. Crysdale.
  • Lonergan and Kant: Five Essays on Human Knowledge By Giovanni B. Sala.
  • Theology and the Dialectics of History By Robert M. Doran
  • An Introduction to the Philosophy of Bernard Lonergan By Hugo Meynell
  • The Divine Initiative: Grace, World-Order, and Human Freedom in the Early Writings of Bernard Lonergan By J. Michael Stebbins The Lonergan Reader Edited by Mark Morelli and Elizabeth Morelli

If you know of any other Lonergan-related publications presently in print, let us know. For reviews of new books see our Book Reviews page.
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6. Where can I go to study Lonergan?

University courses involving Lonergan's work and ideas are offered in a number of universities around the world such as Boston College, Saint Paul University, University of Toronto, Saint Mary's University, Texas and Loyola Marymount University.
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7. Where can I go to do research on Lonergan?

There are a number of research centers around the world dedicated to promoting research in Lonergan studies. Here are a few:
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8. Is there a Lonergan discussion group on the Internet?

There is now a Lonergan Internet discussion group called Lonergan-L.
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9. What is Lonergan's Cognitional Theory?

Often described as his foundational insight, Lonergan's cognitional theory explains knowing as a dynamic process. Briefly, for Lonergan, knowing involves more than just seeing or hearing; knowing is a process of four interrelated activities. For Lonergan, the knowing process involves the interaction of experience, understanding, judging and decision. Here's were you can find more detailed information concerning Lonergan's cogntional theory.

Lonergan's writings see especially:

Insight: A Study of Human Understanding Collected Works Volume 3, University of Toronto Press, Fredrick Crowe and Robert Doran, editors, 1992 (1957).

Method in Theology The Seabury Press, 1979 (1972).

"The Subject" (pp. 69-86) in Second Collection Westminister Press:Philadelphia, William Ryan and Bernard Tyrrell, editors, 1974, {To be reprinted by University of Toronto Press, December 1996}.

"Cognitional Structure" (pp. 205-221) in Collection Collected Works Volume 4, University of Toronto Press, Fredrick Crowe and Robert Doran, editors, 1988 (1967).

Internet sites:

For an explanation see the essay by Jeffrey Grace.

For a diagram see the fractagram by Peter McGuire.

For a variety of applications see Lonergan Sites.

For more research related information see our Dialectics.
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This represents an on-going collection of Frequently Asked Questions about the life and thoughts of Bernard Lonergan, as well as related questions in Lonergan studies.

We'd like this page to represent questions of the Lonergan community. So, if you have any questions about Lonergan, no matter how basic or complex, write to us. We'll include each question in our list and attempt to find the best answer.

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