Freedom of conscience in John H. Newman and Miquel De Unamuno

Deals with the issue of freedom of conscience in two of its principal advocates in the modem English and Spanish-speaking worlds, John Henry Newman and Miguel de Unamuno. Seemingly strange bedfellows, in their respective linguistic communities Newman is considered an intellectual defender of institutional Christianity, while Unamuno is oft characterized as its greatest heretic.

This dissertation is a comparative study of both writers fi^om a historical-critical perspective. Our aim is to suggest that the heroic defenses of conscience by both NewTnan and Unamuno towards the end of their lives are a logical corollary to a succession of actions and writings from their youth onwards in the affirmation of the principles of fi-ee examination and personal choice against censorship, control and coercion.