I've taught my son that masculinity is best expressed in protecting those weaker and more vulnerable than yourself. The feminine and masculine aren't that different from one another - it just looks different. The woman looks inward to nurture, the man looks outward to protect.
Thanks for this insight. I've always been curious about what it means to be a man. Growing up, I always thought that I "wasn't man enough" because I didn't have big muscles or drive a cool car. Now I see that masculinity is much more than that. It's about self-gift.
My wife and I have a long-standing inquiry on what the fundamental nature of men and women are regardless of time and space, what the fundamental ”role” of each is no matter the culture.
This is a great addition to that inquiry. Thanks for the reference to Savage. Will have to investigate!
In Dr. Hartman's Formal Axiology, the Systemic Dimension comprises Ideas and Ideals.
In this realm of ideas, there exist mental constructs such as expectations, rules, ideals, strategies, social norms, goals, and men and women. Life is full of systemic things. Whenever we imagine, judge, or decide, we're engaging in systemic thinking.
Systemic thinking is binary: we perceive things as right or wrong, black or white, perfect or nonexistent. Consider a geometric circle—if it doesn't meet the precise definition of a circle, it's not "a bad circle." It simply isn't a circle.
I think that it is in this realm of systemic thinking or in the arena of essences or a priori ideas, that man differs from woman, perhaps as Dr. Savage explains, mainly in purpose and definition. A distinction exists so that we can know that a man is not a woman and a woman is not a man, though both are persons.
The Extrinsic Dimension is the world of things we can measure, compare, and use. It's the dimension of function and form—of usefulness, action, and productivity. It includes anything with definable characteristics or observable traits: a car, a cup of coffee, a spreadsheet, even a handshake. It is here that we can more easily delineate a man from a woman.
We experience this dimension every day through our five senses. We perceive colors, hear sounds, touch textures, and form judgments about appearance, size, speed, cost, and quality. Whether tangible or intangible, if something can be described, compared, or counted, it belongs in the extrinsic dimension.
We tend to judge and value things—including ourselves and other people—based on the extrinsic attributes our senses perceive: tall, short, attractive, plain, fast, delicious, green, fragrant.
According to Dr. Hartman, a thing is good to the degree that it has all the attributes required to fulfill its definition and its purpose. It is in the Extrinsic Dimension where we can say "he is a good man or a bad man, a good woman or a bad woman".
And it is here, in the purpose and definition of man and woman, where they differ essentially/systemically, and where the community of persons is experienced both intrinsically and extrinsically. It is here where 'we' are made in the image and likeness of the Triune God of 3 Persons/1 God.
Thank you for introducing us to Dr. Deborah Savage. I see she has addressed the genius of man and other relevant topics in her work:
“The Genius of Man,” What We Need Now, June 2023
”The Genius of Woman,” What We Need Now, October 2023
“Woman and Man: Identity, Genius, Mission” found in The Complementarity of Women and Men, ed. Dr. Paul Vitz, CUA Press 2021.
DOI
“Redeeming Woman: A Response to the ‘Second Sex’ Issue from within the Tradition of Catholic Scriptural Exegesis,” Religions, 11(9), 474, 2020.
I've taught my son that masculinity is best expressed in protecting those weaker and more vulnerable than yourself. The feminine and masculine aren't that different from one another - it just looks different. The woman looks inward to nurture, the man looks outward to protect.
In her piece, Man-Woman Complementarity: The Catholic Inspiration, Sr. Prudence Allen positions JPII's 1989 exhortation on St. Joseph, Redemtoris Custos, as the companion to the 1988 letter Mulieris Dignitatem. I just came across this in the last few weeks and found her recounting of JPII's thinking and writing over time to be very helpful. https://www.laici.va/content/dam/laici/documenti/donna/filosofia/english/man-woman-complementary-the-catholic-inspiration.pdf
Thanks for this insight. I've always been curious about what it means to be a man. Growing up, I always thought that I "wasn't man enough" because I didn't have big muscles or drive a cool car. Now I see that masculinity is much more than that. It's about self-gift.
My wife and I have a long-standing inquiry on what the fundamental nature of men and women are regardless of time and space, what the fundamental ”role” of each is no matter the culture.
This is a great addition to that inquiry. Thanks for the reference to Savage. Will have to investigate!
In Dr. Hartman's Formal Axiology, the Systemic Dimension comprises Ideas and Ideals.
In this realm of ideas, there exist mental constructs such as expectations, rules, ideals, strategies, social norms, goals, and men and women. Life is full of systemic things. Whenever we imagine, judge, or decide, we're engaging in systemic thinking.
Systemic thinking is binary: we perceive things as right or wrong, black or white, perfect or nonexistent. Consider a geometric circle—if it doesn't meet the precise definition of a circle, it's not "a bad circle." It simply isn't a circle.
I think that it is in this realm of systemic thinking or in the arena of essences or a priori ideas, that man differs from woman, perhaps as Dr. Savage explains, mainly in purpose and definition. A distinction exists so that we can know that a man is not a woman and a woman is not a man, though both are persons.
The Extrinsic Dimension is the world of things we can measure, compare, and use. It's the dimension of function and form—of usefulness, action, and productivity. It includes anything with definable characteristics or observable traits: a car, a cup of coffee, a spreadsheet, even a handshake. It is here that we can more easily delineate a man from a woman.
We experience this dimension every day through our five senses. We perceive colors, hear sounds, touch textures, and form judgments about appearance, size, speed, cost, and quality. Whether tangible or intangible, if something can be described, compared, or counted, it belongs in the extrinsic dimension.
We tend to judge and value things—including ourselves and other people—based on the extrinsic attributes our senses perceive: tall, short, attractive, plain, fast, delicious, green, fragrant.
According to Dr. Hartman, a thing is good to the degree that it has all the attributes required to fulfill its definition and its purpose. It is in the Extrinsic Dimension where we can say "he is a good man or a bad man, a good woman or a bad woman".
And it is here, in the purpose and definition of man and woman, where they differ essentially/systemically, and where the community of persons is experienced both intrinsically and extrinsically. It is here where 'we' are made in the image and likeness of the Triune God of 3 Persons/1 God.
Thank you for introducing us to Dr. Deborah Savage. I see she has addressed the genius of man and other relevant topics in her work:
“The Genius of Man,” What We Need Now, June 2023
”The Genius of Woman,” What We Need Now, October 2023
“Woman and Man: Identity, Genius, Mission” found in The Complementarity of Women and Men, ed. Dr. Paul Vitz, CUA Press 2021.
DOI
“Redeeming Woman: A Response to the ‘Second Sex’ Issue from within the Tradition of Catholic Scriptural Exegesis,” Religions, 11(9), 474, 2020.
DOI
More can be found here: https://drdeborahsavage.com/