It is surprising to me that the last book by Pope John Paul II published before his death has not received more attention. Not that it has been ignored, by any means, but it has not been quite as widely discussed, or received with the acclaim I would have expected, particularly after his death, given that it was published so shortly before his death. Perhaps that is partially because of the nature of this book, which is so different in style and to a degree perhaps in some of its topics from his other works. There is a casual, free-flowing, perhaps one could even say disorganized feel to this book, because it is based on a real life discussion, in which the Pope conversationally answered a series of questions. Among other things, John Paul discusses questions of history, philosophy, culture, and national identity, particularly his own Polish identity. Memory and Identity is a thoughtful work with fascinating insights, and unquestionably a book that should be read by anyone who wishes to have a fuller understanding of the world view of John Paul II.

The book begins with a consideration of the mystery of evil, particularly the origins of the great evils of the twentieth century. It is interesting, though certainly not unexpected, that in looking for the origins of these evils John Paul II quickly looks to the history of philosophy. Throughout this book the reader will find him explaining historical developments by referring to philosophical changes. This is a healthy reminder for moderns, who are often so accustomed to material utilitarian ways of thinking that they dismiss philosophers and others who seemingly only think and never do anything. Unfortunately, too many moderns do not realize that while they are waiting for the thinkers to do something, the thinkers are already shaping the thoughts and actions of generations to come, for better or worse.

At this point in the book John Paul II is specifically concerned with Descartes' shift away from Thomistic realism. After Descartes, "Philosophy now concerned itself with being qua content of consciousness and not qua existing independently of it." John Paul traces the development of this Cartesian line of thought, showing how it rejected the philosophical approach to God, disconnected philosophy from the God of Divine Revelation, and ultimately undermined an objective philosophy of evil. This leaves man to judge independently and subjectively what is good and evil, and the Pope points out that this leaves open the path to any action, even attempts to annihilate huge groups of people. Such evils can be avoided only by restoring the acceptance of objective good and evil. As John Paul II writes here, "If we wish to speak rationally about good and evil, we have to return to Saint Thomas Aquinas, that is, to the philosophy of being."

In this section John Paul II also points out that today we continue to see grave evils in the world that flow from these philosophical errors. In some places I have seen controversy over his remarks here, with complaints that the Pope compared abortion and the legalization of homosexual marriage to the atrocities committed under Hitler. First of all, John Paul does not compare the gravity of the different evils he is discussing at all. He simply does not attempt to weigh them against one another. He groups together abortion and homosexual marriage with the atrocities committed in the name of nazism only in the sense that all these evils arose in some way from the development of the philosophical line of thought which he is criticizing here. It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Catholic Church teaches homosexual actions are objectively wrong. Furthermore, those who would profess to be shocked that the Pope would mention abortion even in the same paragraph with nazism clearly have not been paying attention to what the Catholic Church has said about abortion. From a Catholic viewpoint, given that every abortion is a direct attack on human life, tens of millions of legal abortions over the past few decades constitute one of the greatest atrocities and tragedies in history. Surely, even those who are not pro-life should hardly be shocked when a Pope articulates the logical consequence of Catholic teaching and thought.

After considering these evils, John Paul II goes on to discuss our redemption by Jesus Christ, specifically meditating on redemption as the limit placed by God on evil. A little later in the book he will examine this aspect of redemption in light of the mystery of God's infinite mercy, writing that "the limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both the perpetrator and the victim, is ultimately Divine Mercy." If I pass quickly over these sections of the book, it is only because they do not require and probably would not be enhanced by much comment. As one would expect, John Paul II's reflections on redemption and mercy are profoundly inspiring. One point I will mention briefly is that in a section on redemption one finds a discussion in passing of the three traditionally identified stages or ways of the spiritual life: purgative, illuminative, and unitive. To be honest, I have sometimes had some problems with some of the spiritual writings I have read concerning the three stages, but not in this case. John Paul II begins by emphasizing that they are "three aspects of the same way, along which Christ calls everyone." His explanation of the three ways that follows deserves to be read for itself, and while quite brief and simple, was clearer and more helpful to me than anything else I have read on the topic.

The next section of the book concerns freedom and the goods to which it can be directed. This allows John Paul II to return to reflect on what was always one of his favorite themes: that freedom is only true freedom if it is directed to the true good. Here again he begins to reflect on philosophical errors and their consequences, in this case specifically the abandonment of the Aristotelian-Thomistic ethical tradition in favor of modern utilitarianism. Utilitarianism ignores the bonum honestum [just good]," which John Paul II see the Thomistic tradition rightly identifying as "the first and fundamental dimension of good." John Paul discusses the problems of utilitarianism, and examines the efforts of Immanuel Kant to solve those problems. While acknowledging the positive contributions of Kant in emphasizing the importance of persons and restoring real moral obligations, the Pope points out the ultimate failure of Kant in failing to return to the primary and objective moral criterion, the just good.

In his own reflections on the true nature of freedom, John Paul II turns to Aristotle:

What is human freedom? The answer can be traced back Aristotle. Freedom, for Aristotle, is a property of the will which is realized through truth. It is given to man as a task to be accomplished. There is no freedom without truth. Freedom is an ethical category. Aristotle teaches this principally in the Nicomachean Ethics, constructed on the basis of rational truth. This natural ethic was adopted in its entirety by Saint Thomas in his Summa Theologiae. So it was that the Nicomachean Ethics remained a significant influence in the history of morals, having now taken on the characteristics of a Christian Thomistic ethic.

John Paul II goes on to discuss the importance of the virtues in this ethic, concluding that "the Nicomachean Ethics are clearly based upon a genuine anthropology." In addition, the Pope acknowledges the debt Catholic social teaching owes to Aristotle's social ethics. John Paul also reflects on how the ethics of Aristotle were Christianized by Saint Thomas, so that freedom is intended for Christ-like self-sacrificial love.

In the second half of Memory and Identity John Paul II writes more specifically about history, culture, and patriotism. I admit that for me the first half was somewhat more interesting (as the reader might guess from the fact that I have spent my entire review so far discussing it). There are probably a few reasons for this. First, the topics covered specifically in the first half are generally topics of more primary interest for me. Second, someone with more knowledge than I have of Polish history and culture would probably get far more out of some parts of the second half of the book. While some explanations are given when Poland is discussed, it is clear that someone with a greater knowledge of Poland would be able to understand John Paul II's points more clearly and fully. Third, there are some points of historical judgment where I would probably differ with John Paul II to some degree. I question some of his analysis of the West and its relationship with the East in Europe and in the Church. More fundamentally, I would give less credit than he does to the Enlightenment for what positive developments we have seen over the last two centuries. Although John Paul II is clearly opposed to the philosophies of the Enlightenment, I am even less sympathetic than he to the Enlightenment, and I think I am slightly more sympathetic than he is to the social systems and governments that preceded it. Probably not coincidentally, I am less sanguine than he that the problems of modern democracies are not intrinsic to democracy, and therefore can be solved. However, none of these things take away from the valuable and insightful in John Paul II's considerations here on history and national identity.

From John Paul's extensive and valuable discussion of patriotism and national identity I will mention just a few points that I considered particularly important. First, John Paul II makes clear that the concept of patria, or native land, "refers to the land, the territory, but more importantly, the concept of patria includes the values and spiritual content that make up the culture of a given nation." He points out later that the nation cannot be entirely identified with the State or government. These points make clear that patriotism cannot be merely an unconditional attachment to a particular geographic area or to the State. Also, the Pope carefully distinguishes patriotism from unhealthy nationalism: "Whereas nationalism involves recognizing and pursuing the good of one's own nation alone, without regard to the rights of others, patriotism ... is a love for one's own native land that accords rights to all other nations equal to those claimed for one's own."

The Pope also points out that we can speak of our place with God in eternity as a "native land." In a related sense the Church is our native land, and the Deposit of Faith is the patrimony which we receive from Mother Church. Looking at the matter from John Paul's perspective, then, it seems right for us to have a "Catholic patriotism," so to speak. Applying the general definition of patriotism given by John Paul II here, this would be "a love for everything to do with" the Church, her history, tradition, language, and natural features. "It is a love which extends also to the works of our compatriots and the fruits of their genius." It seems to me that some aspects of this "Catholic patriotism" are sometimes falsely identified and criticized today as triumphalism. In fact, however, it is natural and good for Catholics to rejoice in their identity as Catholics, and to take pleasure in the things, small and large, that relate to that Catholic identity.

There are a variety of insights to be had in this book into the thought and personality of Pope John Paul II. Different people will be struck by different aspects of this particular window into his mind. As one might gather from my review, one of the most interesting points for me was the fact that John Paul II in a number of places so explicitly identifies the failings of modern philosophy as departures from tradition Aristotelian Thomism. He also draws heavily from the Aristotelian Thomistic tradition in his explanations of good and evil, freedom, and ethics. Sometimes I think John Paul II's embrace of phenomenology has been seen too much as a movement away from Thomism. In fact, while certainly John Paul II could not be called a traditional Thomist in all aspects, in some ways he is a very Thomistic thinker indeed. In reading his writings in the past it has consistently struck me that almost all of his insights, even those he gains from a phenomenological approach, can be integrated into a Thomistic approach to philosophy. Of course, this is not surprising, because John Paul II remains absolutely committed to theocentric realism in philosophy, and that alone guarantees a certain level of compatibility with Thomism in his thought. Even beyond that, though, it is clear that he is well-grounded in Thomistic thought, and far from seeing himself as having moved entirely beyond Thomism, in Memory and Identity he often bases his own thinking in that of Aristotle and Thomas. In any case, in reading Memory and Identity, we are reminded once again of the depth and value of this man's thought. That alone would make Pope John Paul II an ever-present influence and blessing in the Church and the world for a long time to come.