Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Italian Dominican friar and theologian. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest philosophers and theologians in the history of the Catholic Church. Aquinas is known for his contributions to the development of the natural law tradition and for his synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine.

Aquinas' work had a profound influence on the development of Western thought and continues to be widely studied and debated by philosophers, theologians, and scholars of religion today. He is revered as a saint by the Catholic Church and is often referred to as the "Angelic Doctor."

What he produced

Aquinas is perhaps most famous for his "Summa Theologica," a comprehensive work that covers a wide range of topics in theology, philosophy, and Catholic doctrine. In this work, he sought to provide a systematic and logical explanation of the Christian faith, drawing on the teachings of the Bible, the writings of the Church fathers, and the works of philosophers such as Aristotle (384-322 BC).

As a student at the University of Naples, he was introduced to the writings and teachings of Ancient Greeks and Romans. This experience lead him to a lifelong devotion to knowledge and to tackle the question of how non-Christians could have knowledge and wisdom without the guidance of the divine. Combining the knowledge of the ancient Greeks with Christian theology, he embarked on a project he referred to as the "Christianization of Aristotle." In his most famous work, "Summa Theologica", Aquinas uses Aristotelian categories and concepts to defend and explain Christian teachings on a wide range of topics, including God, creation, virtue, and the nature of the human condition.

He is considered one of the greatest Aristotelian philosophers and is known for his development of the concept of "Natural Law", which holds that certain principles of justice and morality are inherent in human nature and that apply to all people. This view is also coupled with what he described as "Eternal Law", which is divinely inspired and is God's divine plan for the universe. A prime example of this is the golden rule, "do unto others as others do unto you", which is a universal concept found in almost every culture.

Aquinas studied Aristotle's works in great depth, and his writings demonstrate a deep understanding and appreciation of Aristotle's philosophy. In particular, Aquinas was influenced by Aristotle's metaphysics and ethics, as well as his views on logic and science.

Aquinas's engagement with Aristotle's philosophy was not always uncritical and in some cases, he sought to modify or qualify Aristotle's views in light of Christian teachings. However, he was also a fierce defender of Aristotle from other philosophers because of his belief that knowledge could from many sources or cultures. Aquinas's debt to Aristotle was significant, and his use of Aristotle's ideas helped to shape the direction of medieval, renaissance, and modern philosophical thought.

2022 why do we care?

In his great dissertation, Aquinas wrote "In the works of the philosophers, we can find many things that are true and are in harmony with our faith. For the light of natural reason, which is disseminated among all people, is nothing other than a participation in the light of the divine wisdom, which orders all things." (Summa Theologica, I, 1, 8)

This highlights what might be Aquinas's most significant contribution to mankind, a concept that is as relevant today as it was in the 13th century. Faith and reason or science and religion not only can coexist but are complementary in a quest for knowledge.

Pope John Paul II wrote his encyclical (to be addressed to all Catholic bishops) in which he spoke about faith and reason (Fides et Ratio)"Faith and Reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth."

A Merry Christmas to all......................

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.