The Philosophy Of St. Thomas Aquinas - 1367 Words

St. Thomas Aquinas was an influential philosopher who strongly incorporated faith into his philosophy. In his Summa Theologiae, Aquinas uses his own arguments along with those of both Aristotle and Plato to strengthen his claims. First and foremost, Aquinas uses his own philosophy to back the Christian faith and the existence of God. However, Aquinas also extends his argument past the initial claim of God and Christianity, and it is here where he uses these other influential philosophers to help support his claims and arguments. Right away in Basic Works, Aquinas jumps straight to the biggest issue regarding religion– does God exist? Immediately in his philosophical argumentation he focuses on his faith. Regarding this question, Aquinas first explains the notion God being self-evident. Aquinas divides propositions into two categories being propositions that are self-evident in themselves but which are not known to us because we do not know what the terms of the proposition rea lly mean, and propositions which are self-evident in themselves and known to us because we do. Aquinas goes on to explain that the proposition that God exists is â€Å"self-evident in itself because the predicate is identical with the subject† and that â€Å"since we don’t know what God is, the proposition is not self-evident to us but rather must be demonstrated to us though what is more evident to us† (Question 2, Article 1). Aquinas goes on to explain that there are two types of demonstrations with oneShow MoreRelatedThe Lifelong Goal Of Saint Thomas Aquinas1692 Words   |  7 PagesRyan Comolli Study Of St. Thomas Aquinas Research Paper 11/23/2014 The lifelong goal of Saint Thomas Aquinas was to clearly elaborate the independence of philosophy and theology, but at the same time show their symbiotic relationship with each other. Throughout his life Aquinas was known as a theologian but many of his works carry strong philosophical undertones as well. The beauty of theology is it can enlighten us through its leap of faith. Philosophy was required to precede theology. Read MoreAquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals1153 Words   |  5 PagesAquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals While St. Thomas Aquinas established himself as the New Aristotle of the 13th century, Dante Alighieri established himself the new Virgil. The two men made an immense impact in their respective fields (poetry and philosophy). 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St. Thomas Aquinas used the forms that Aristotle and Plato used to prove the same philosophical question, does god really exist? St. Thomas AquinasRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Medieval Philosophy771 Words   |  4 PagesMedieval philosophy is the philosophy which formed during the medieval time period after the fall of the Roman Empire. This time period was the rise of independent philosophy and the linkage between their understandings with the theories of past philosophers. The history of medieval philosophy is divided into two periods; the period of the Christian philosophy, which included St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and Marsilius of Padua. The next period of the medieval philosophy known as the goldenRead MoreThe Natural Law Theory Essay examples1037 Words   |  5 Pageshow the ethics are applied. God, our almighty creator’s, existence is proven by Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, where he explains his proofs. 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