Overview
Assignment—Thomas Aquinas
Go to the following link: http://praxeology.net/summa.htm (you only need to read the first page).
OK, a brief introduction to this document. The DB this week demonstrates how “unscientific” Europe became during the Middle Ages. However, it’s important to note that a few people—especially monks and nuns—held onto some of those old Greek ideas. Even hundreds of years after the events in our weekly module/textbook chapter, philosophers like Aquinas were still seeing the world in a very Greek and Roman way, and even their Christianity was shaped by the Greek ideas that Rome had cemented into Western consciousness.
After all, Christianity and the world it created grew as part of the Roman Empire, and as Rome collapsed the Christianized world adopted many of the Roman ways of doing things (which were Greek ways of doing things). Think about where the pope (the “emperor” of the church) lives…Rome, right? That’s not a coincidence! Christianity was born in Israel and the Greek east, but by the 200s it was becoming entrenched in the largest and most important city in the Western world.
But that relationship goes so much deeper than just capital cities. Christian thinkers couldn’t help but be pretty “Greek” in their approach to knowledge and learning, just like the Romans were. So it’s no surprise that when philosophers wanted to think really, really deeply about the meaning of Jesus and his message, they turned to the greatest thinkers any of them knew about…Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the gang—the Greeks! It’s almost as if the Christian world sees the Greek way of exploring the world as a tool with which they can explore their own faith instead of science and math. Of course, the great Greek thinkers lived long before Jesus, so you can’t learn anything directly from them about his life or teachings. But Christian philosophers turned to the Greeks for method and approach—not what to know, but how to learn! Jeez….OK back to the assignment!
The link will take you to a bunch of excerpts from St. Thomas Aquinas, arguably the most important philosopher of the Christianized medieval period. He wrote on a ton of issues and questioned all kinds of things about the society in which he lived. As with almost every other intellectual of his time, Thomas Aquinas was a church official whose intellectual pursuits centered most often on Christianity and the nature of the Christian religion. Living during a time when literacy rates were super low and access to learning materials was almost impossible to attain, Aquinas was among the “smartest” and best informed people in the Western world.
Will you understand everything he’s saying? Nope! That’s ok…just roll with it. Think about how this document “feels” as much as what it’s saying.
What I want to focus on here is how Thomas Aquinas is the perfect mix of Christian and Greek ideas. You’ll notice from these short excerpts that even when he gets “scientific” about things—when he’s thinking logically and reasonably like a Greek--it’s almost always in connection to religion in some way or another. What’s fascinating is that he sees science and math as things in the service of Christianity—whereas the Greeks did science and math for their own sake (they were genuinely interested in the fact that two plus two equals four) Aquinas saw all knowledge as a means to an end in heaven (two plus two equals four, and that helps him understand and appreciate the beauty of God’s universe and makes him a better Christian).
These particular excerpts deal with a huge topic…namely, the nature of the Christian god. As you read, think about how Thomas Aquinas uses logical (Greek) thought processes to think about his religious (Christian) beliefs and how he justifies and backs up his arguments. He’s part scientist, part lawyer, part philosopher, but always in the service of the Christian church. Look for the quotes that best marry these two traditions—the Greek tradition of logic and the Christian tradition of faith.
For your post, answer the following question: Which of the questions on the first page does Thomas Aquinas answer most logically? In other words, which questions does he discuss with the most “scientific” or “reasonable” approach? Bring in three quotes to support your answer, providing as much detailed analysis and explanation of the quote as possible. Explain how the quote proves your point and provide as much additional analysis as possible!
Three quotes; lots of analysis!
Really, as long as you are digging into the way Aquinas reflects both Christian and Greek ideas and ways of thinking, you’ll score well on this assignment! Look for something interesting and dive in with some analysis!