by Cl. Albert Kumar sdb
DIVYADAAN-NASHIK, MARCH 6, 2014: Excellence was at its best as the second year MPH(Master of Philosophy) students defended their final dissertation thesis on March 4, 2014 at Divyadaan, 
Anto Belevendran, belonging to the Salesian Province of Tiruchy, defended his paper on the topic: ‘The Christian Philosophical Anthropology of John Paul II.’ The theme that runs through is that, the human being is a person and is the image and likeness of God and in all circumstances the dignity of the person should be respected. This dissertation summarized the essential characteristics of the person as explained by John Paul II in his writings. It presents the person as a relational being who is in constant relationship with God and society.
The second candidate Jaojian Daniel Gangmei, from the Salesian Province of Dimapur, defended his thesis on the topic: ‘Kierkegaardian Choice and Authentic Existence.’ The dissertation explores Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of Choice and Authentic Existence of an individual.
The next candidate Dilip Gnanaprakash, belonging to the Salesian Province of Bangalore, defended his dissertation on the topic: ‘The Concept of God according to Alfred North Whitehead.’ This thesis was an attempt to venture into the field of Process Philosophy of Whitehead, where God is understood from the perspective of Process and Relationality. It evaluates Whitehead’s God in the light of traditional Christian notion of God and identifies the contribution of Whitehead to an ongoing dialogue between Christian and process theism.
Finally, Albert Kumar belonging to the Salesian Province of Chennai defended his paper on the topic: ‘Conscience as a way to Assent to God: A Study of Newman’s Grammar of Assent.’ This paper presents the most extensive and in-depth analysis of Newman’s philosophy of Assent and Conscience. It concludes with the note that Newman’s understanding of conscience and assent is still relevant and the contributions of Newman to the field of Philosophy and Theology are appreciable.
All the candidates presented their thesis with great clarity, defended them well and enlightened the audience with the intense discussion that followed. Overall, the students were much admired and congratulated for their hard work, commitment, endurance and sacrifice.