I speak for the integrity of the soul and the greatness William Carlos Williams

Cornelio Fabro’s, a 20th Century Italian Thomist, interpretation of Søren Kierkegaard (Selected Works of Cornelio Fabro: Selected Articles on Soren Kierkegaard, IVE Press, 2020) marks a transformative moment in the evolution of Existential Thomism, offering a robust framework for reimagining Thomistic philosophy in the 21st century. By identifying a profound convergence between Kierkegaard’s existentialism and Thomas Aquinas’s metaphysics, Fabro lays the groundwork for a renewed Existential Thomism that departs from the traditional scholastic mold, embracing a more dramatic, personal style in its direction, themes, and expression. This approach integrates the subjective intensity of Kierkegaard’s existential concerns with the objective depth of Aquinas’s ontology, addressing the intellectual and spiritual demands of modernity. The contributions of Frederick D. Wilhelmsen, particularly his Metaphysics of Love, serve as a lyrical precursor to this development, while Randolph Severson’s Redemptive Existential Counseling exemplifies its contemporary application. Together, these figures illustrate how Fabro’s synthesis enables a Thomism that is both philosophically rigorous and existentially resonant, poised to engage the crises of meaning and authenticity in the present age.  

Fabro, a 20th-century Italian Thomist, reinterprets Kierkegaard not as an irrationalist foil to systematic philosophy but as a thinker whose existential insights align with the Christian metaphysical tradition. He locates a shared emphasis on existence over essence in both Kierkegaard and Aquinas, albeit expressed through distinct modalities. For Aquinas, existence (esse) is the act of being, the dynamic gift through which essence is actualized, distinguishing finite beings from God, who is ipsum esse subsistens—subsistent being itself. This metaphysical priority of esse grounds Aquinas’s ontology in the contingency and relationality of created reality. Kierkegaard, by contrast, explores existence through the subjective lens of the individual, emphasizing the lived experience of freedom, anxiety, and the leap of faith in the face of the absurd. His pseudonymous works, such as Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death dramatize the individual’s encounter with the infinite, particularly in the paradoxical relationship with God.

Fabro argues that these perspectives are complementary rather than oppositional. Kierkegaard’s focus on the singular—the individual’s passionate engagement with existence—enriches Aquinas’s universal ontology by foregrounding the personal dimension of being. Conversely, Aquinas’s metaphysical framework provides a systematic grounding for Kierkegaard’s existentialism, situating the individual’s subjective journey within an objective order of creation and grace. This synthesis suggests that a 21st-century Existential Thomism could fuse the dramatic interiority of Kierkegaard with the intellectual clarity of Aquinas, yielding a philosophy that speaks to both the mind and the heart. Such an approach challenges the arid formalism of neo-scholasticism, as exemplified by figures like Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, and instead invites a Thomism that is dynamic, relational, and attuned to lived experience.

In the context of modernity—marked by secularism, alienation, and the fragmentation of traditional narratives—a renewed Existential Thomism offers a compelling response by adopting a more dramatic and personal style. This shift in direction moves away from the detached, dialectical method of traditional Thomism, as seen in the works of Étienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain, toward a philosophy that engages the individual’s existential situation. Drawing on Kierkegaard’s narrative strategies—irony, parable, and pseudonymous voices—this Thomism prioritizes the subjective appropriation of truth, inviting individuals to confront their own contingency and freedom within the horizon of divine transcendence.

The themes of this renewed Thomism reflect the drama of existence: the interplay of freedom and grace, the tension between finitude and the infinite, and the personal encounter with God as the source of being. These themes resonate with contemporary concerns—disenchantment, the loss of meaning, and the quest for authenticity—recasting Aquinas’s metaphysical insights in a way that illuminates the human condition. For instance, the Thomistic notion of esse as a participated gift can be rearticulated as an existential call to recognize one’s dependence on God, echoing Kierkegaard’s emphasis on faith as a relational act. This thematic focus bridges the abstract and the concrete, making philosophy a participatory endeavor rather than a speculative exercise.

Recalling that Aquinas was also a poet and one of the most renowned Preachers of his day, interms of expression  this 21st-century Thomism embraces a lyrical, impassioned style that departs from the dry prose of scholastic manuals. Inspired by Kierkegaard’s literary artistry, it employs narrative, metaphor, and emotional resonance to convey metaphysical truths. This expressive shift aligns with the sensibilities of modern audiences, who are often more receptive to storytelling and personal testimony than to syllogistic arguments. By integrating the poetic and the philosophical, this Thomism becomes a living discourse, capable of addressing the spiritual and intellectual crises of the present age with both depth and accessibility.

Frederick D. Wilhelmsen, a prominent 20th-century Existential Thomist, anticipates this renewed Thomism through his distinctive prose poetry style and existential inflection of Aquinas’s metaphysics. Unlike Gilson and Maritain, whose works remain firmly analytical, Wilhelmsen writes with a lyrical intensity that blends intellectual rigor with emotional power. His Metaphysics of Love(1962) exemplifies this approach, exploring love as the ecstatic structure of existence—a metaphysical reality that binds beings in a communal act of giving and receiving. Drawing on Aquinas’s ontology, Wilhelmsen portrays love as the dynamic expression of esse, extending beyond the individual to the interpersonal and cosmic orders.

Wilhelmsen’s prose, often described as “pure prose poetry,” weaves metaphysical analysis into evocative imagery and narrative, making philosophy a visceral encounter. For example, he describes love as “the fire that leaps from being to being,” a phrase that captures both the Thomistic notion of participation and the existential urgency of human relationality. This style prefigures the dramatic and personal expression of a 21st-century Existential Thomism, demonstrating how Aquinas’s insights can be rendered accessible and moving. Wilhelmsen’s emphasis on love as a unifying force also aligns with Fabro’s vision of existence as a relational gift, bridging the objective depth of Thomism with the subjective passion of existentialism. As a precursor, Wilhelmsen shows that Thomism need not be confined to the academy but can speak to the broader human experience with poetic force.