Lonergan's Argumentative Essay

Based on transcendental method, Lonergan posits what he calls the “transcendental precepts,” merely that one must “be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, [and] be responsible.” To the extent that one does these things, the self-transcending subject is “authentic,” that is to say, he makes objective judgements of value, goodness. As one more and more consistently follows the transcendental precepts, he more consistently come to know and choose the good; he moves from inauthenticity toward greater authenticity. The development of knowledge and of moral feeling leads to an “existential discovery” that one is a moral being and that through moral choices, one makes oneself authentic or inauthentic. Therefore, conversion is a process in which one becomes more and …show more content…
Fundamentally, self-actualization is focused on the self without concern for anything else. Once the deficit-needs have been met, growth is dependent only in satisfaction of the person’s own plans or wishes – being-needs. This is exactly the type of thinking that critics like Vitz for fostering a culture of narcissism; it appears very attractive, so its popularity is easy to understand. On the other hand, for Lonergan, the process of conversion is oriented outward; it is motivated by a desire to consciously seek out the true, the good, and the beautiful – ultimately, for God. Lonergan was a Catholic steeped in the thought of Aquinas and primarily concerned with reconciling medieval objectivism with modern subjectivism. With this background and approach, he was able to explain the process of self-actualization by showing how the self grows through relating to the larger reality around him. This is why the two thinkers express growth in different terms; for Maslow, it is simply an internal movement from deficiency motivation to growth motivation, while Lonergan the shift is from inauthenticity, which implies an external