The Unavoidability of Nature - the Struggle of Erich Przywara and Chantal Delsol to Reintroduce the Concept

The history of modern philosophy has been marked by a retreat from traditional metaphysical concepts, including the notion of nature, which is central to theological considerations. It allows us to recognize a direct connection between the ordered world of nature and the existence of God. Still, some theologians paradoxically welcomed the downfall of metaphysics. Acknowledging the irreversibility of changes in the intellectual landscape of contemporary culture, and following Heidegger’s critique of the so-called ontotheology, they stated that one can and should “do” theology without resorting to metaphysical concepts, like the concept of nature. In this paper I am revisiting the work of two thinkers that defended the concept of nature. They represent two generations of 20th and 21st century Christian theologians (Erich Przywara) and philosophers (Chantal Delsol) who assiduously sought to reintroduce the concept of nature to the mainstream of intellectual discourse. Tracing their footsteps, we shall see that intellectual systems inspired by Christianity actually need the concept of nature, or its equivalent. What is common to both scholars is that they try to achieve this goal indirectly, by substituting the concepts of classical metaphysics. As mentioned, modern critique left metaphysical notions with a bad reputation (undeservedly, in our opinion), but Przywara and Delsol replace them with related concepts that latter-day thinkers find easier to accept.