Throughout history, certain individuals have shaped the trajectory of ideas and culture—sometimes for better, often for worse. The architects of much modern progressive thinking today continue to influence us, even as their names fade from memory. Among them is Will Durant.
The Story of Philosophy was completed in 1926, by Durant, a famous American historian, philosopher, and writer. It became a bestselling introduction to Western thought. It reflected his deep admiration for ancient and Enlightenment-era philosophers, his skepticism toward organized religion, and his hostility toward what he viewed as Catholic Church interference throughout history.
Ironically, one of Durant’s college professors was John Dewey. Durant also leaned heavily on Spinoza, Voltaire, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche to support his critique of Christianity. According to Durant, philosophy was needed to correct the perceived errors of Christian theology, rather than theology perfecting philosophy. Though he occasionally acknowledged the Church’s moral framework, he did so only insofar as it aligned with his own subjective ethical preferences.
Durant’s assessment lacked both context and balance. Far from suppressing reason and inquiry, the Church has always taught that faith and reason are complementary. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between them.” For a deeper treatment, also read the papal encyclical Fides et Ratio.
Durant suggested that Catholicism substitutes dogma for inquiry, yet history tells a very different story. The Church gave birth to cathedral schools and medieval universities, where scholastic thinkers such as Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, Robert Bellarmine, and many others employed rigorous logic to explore profound questions concerning God, morality, and human nature. Works like Augustine’s City of God and Aquinas’s Summa Theologica remain enduring monuments of disciplined thought.
Durant’s portrayal of the Church as an obstacle to intellectual progress also implied hostility toward science. But again, history sets the record straight. The Catholic Church has long supported scientific inquiry, and numerous advances were made by Catholic scholars and clergy. While the Church rejects speculative theories that contradict divine revelation or violate human dignity, this reflects moral and philosophical safeguards—not opposition to science itself.
Durant championed secular philosophy while minimizing the contributions of Christian thinkers. He praised Spinoza’s pantheism but ignored Aquinas’s arguments for a transcendent God. He amplified Voltaire’s accusations of superstition while overlooking John Henry Newman’s careful defense of faith as a rational act. He sympathized with Schopenhauer’s despair but dismissed the Church’s theological explanation of suffering. He admired Nietzsche’s rejection of Christian humility without acknowledging its long history of liberating enslaved souls.
Durant also dropped the same old rhetorical bombs regarding the Crusades, the Inquisitions, Galileo, and religious wars without much nuance, while giving comparatively softer treatment to secular ideologies that helped spawn the Reign of Terror, Marxism, and Communism. For a more balanced and accessible history of philosophy, one would do well to set Durant aside and consult Peter Kreeft’s four-volume series Socrates’ Children.
Finally, we should always be cautious about placing any human being on a pedestal—including intellectual giants like Will Durant. Everyone wrestles with bias, pride, and presuppositions. Humility and openness to truth—especially divine truth—remain the only reliable path toward true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
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