An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent

John Henry Newman’s A Grammar of Assent is one of the great Christian reflections on faith, reason, certainty, and belief. Written with Newman’s characteristic precision and depth, this work asks how the human mind comes to give real assent to truth, especially in matters of religion. Newman distinguishes between merely notional assent, which treats ideas abstractly, and real assent, which grips the whole person. He examines inference, certitude, probability, conscience, and the “illative sense,” showing that religious belief is not irrational simply because it cannot always be reduced to formal demonstration. Faith, for Newman, is not a leap into darkness, but a deeply human and reasonable act of the mind responding to truth. This Catechized edition presents Newman’s classic work in a clean, readable format for modern readers while preserving the substance and force of the original text. In this volume: Dedication Part I: Assent and Apprehension Notional and Real Assent Apprehension and Assent in Religion Part II: Assent and Inference Certitude Inference The Illative Sense Inference and Assent in Religion For readers interested in Catholic theology, apologetics, philosophy of religion, faith and reason, or the thought of St. John Henry Newman, A Grammar of Assent remains a profound and rewarding guide to the nature of belief.

• Faith and Reason
• John Henry Newman
• Epistemology