Peter Kreeft-The philosophy of Thomas Aquinas-Recorded Books

105 Pages·2009·1.02 MB·English

T P
HE HILOSOPHY OF
T A
HOMAS QUINAS
COURSE GUIDE
Professor Peter Kreeft
BOSTONCOLLEGE
The Philosophy of
Thomas Aquinas
Professor Peter Kreeft
BostonCollege
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CourseSyllabus
ThePhilosophyofThomasAquinas
AboutYourProfessor ....................................................4
Introduction............................................................5
Lecture1 Aquinas’sImportanceandaShortBiography......................6
Lecture2 PhilosophyandTheology,ReasonandFaith.....................10
Lecture3 CanYouProveGod’sExistence?..............................15
Lecture4 TheCaseAgainstAquinas’sGodandProofs.....................22
Lecture5 OurKnowledgeofandLanguageAboutGod.....................29
Lecture6 “WhatIsGod?”:TheDivineAttributes ..........................36
Lecture7 Aquinas’sCosmology:Creation,Providence,andFreeWill..........41
Lecture8 Aquinas’sMetaphysics......................................49
Lecture9 Aquinas’sPhilosophicalAnthropology ..........................56
Lecture10 Aquinas’sEpistemology .....................................63
Lecture11 Aquinas’sEthics:WhatIstheGreatestGood?....................71
Lecture12 Aquinas’sEthics:RightandWrong.............................79
Lecture13 AquinasonLaw............................................89
Lecture14 AquinasandModernPhilosophy ..............................97
CourseMaterials......................................................104
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Kreeft
Peter About Your Professor
of
courtesy Peter Kreeft
Photo
PeterKreeftisaprofessorofphilosophyatBostonCollege.Hehaswrittenover
fiftybooks,includingFundamentalsoftheFaith,TheBestThingsinLife,Back
toVirtue,andTheUnabortedSocrates.Hereceivedhisbachelor’sdegreefrom
Calvin College and his Ph.D. from Fordham University. Before
teaching at Boston College, he taught at Villanova University
forthreeyears.KreefthasbeenatBostonUniversityforforty-
fouryears.
You’ll get the most from this course if you read Summa of
theSummaeditedandannotatedbyPeterKreeft(Ignatius
Press,1990). Press
©Ignatius
RecordedBooksalsoofferstheseothercoursesbyProfessorKreeft.
Theyareavailableonlineatwww.modernscholar.comorbycalling
RecordedBooksat1-800-636-3399.
Ethics:TheHistoryofMoralThought
Thiscourseaddressessomeoftheeternalquestionsthatmanhasgrappledwith
sincethebeginningoftime.Whatisgood?Whatisbad?Whyisjusticeimportant?
Mosthumanbeingshavethefacultytodiscernbetweenrightandwrong,goodand
badbehavior,andtomakejudgmentsoverwhatisjustandwhatisunjust.This
courselooksatourhistoryasethicalbeingsbytravelingintotheveryheartof
mankind’sgreatestphilosophicaldilemmasandconsideringtheongoingprocessof
establishingethicalframeworksforsociety.
FaithandReason:ThePhilosophyofReligion
Throughtheages,mankindhaspursuedquestionsoffaithinsomethingbeyond
theworldofordinaryexperience.IsthereaGod?Howcanweexplainthepresence
ofevil?Isthereahell?
Theseemingconflictsbetweenreligionandscience,andthedifferenttruth-claims
oftheworld’smostpopularreligions,areexamined.Bydelvingintothemajorchar-
acteristicsofworldreligions,includingJudaism,Christianity,Islam,Hinduism,and
Buddhism,mankind’sassociationwiththemanydifferentvarietiesofreligiousprac-
ticeisbroughttolight.
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Introduction
WhystudyThomasAquinas?WhyamImakingtheserecordings?Whyare
youlisteningtothem?
Myprofessionalanswer,asaphilosopher,issimplythatbyalmost
everyone’sadmissionAquinaswasthemostimportantphilosopherforthe
almosttwothousandyearsbetweenAristotleandDescartes.Butmypersonal
answeristhatIbelieveAquinaswassimplythewisestandmostintelligent
philosopherinhistory.AndIwanttoshowyouwhy.
Imakenoapologiesformyenthusiasm.Ifyouwanttounderstandany
thinker,you’dbetterfindateacherwholovesandadmireshim,notacritic.
I’vetakendozensofphilosophycoursesinfouruniversities,andI’venever
takenasinglecourseonanyphilosopherthatwastaughtbyanenthusiastic
disciplethatdidn’tdeeplyimpressme,eveniftheteacherwasunknownor
youngoranamateur;andI’venevertakenasinglecourseonanyphilosopher
thatwastaughtbyanunsympatheticcriticofthatphilosopherthatimpressed
measbeingprofoundorfairorevenuseful,eveniftheteacherwasbrilliant
andworld-famous.
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Lecture1:
Aquinas’sImportanceanda
ShortBiography
TheSuggestedReadingforthislectureisG.K.Chesterton’sSaint
ThomasAquinas:TheDumbOx.
EveryoneknowsthatThomasAquinaswasaCatholictheologianaswellasa
philosopher.SomepeoplemayalsoknowthatheistheCatholicChurch’s
favoritetheologian.ButreligiousauthorityisnotthemainreasonIthinkAquinas
isgreat.IwasaThomistinphilosophyforyearsbeforeIbecameaCatholicin
religion.ManyofthegreatestmodernadmirersofAquinasareProtestants,
Anglicans,orevenagnostics.
Aquinasdidn’tthinkofhimselfprimarilyasaphilosopherbutasatheologian,
anexploreranddefenderofwhathebelievedtobethetruedivinelyrevealed
religion.Butwewillnotbefocusingonpurelyreligioustopicsinthesetalks.I’ll
betreatingAquinaspurelyasaphilosopher,judginghimbyreason,notbyfaith.
Ofcourse,thatincludesexploringthethingshesaidaboutGodthatheclaims
canbeknownbynaturalreason,asdistinctfromsupernaturalfaith,by
philosophyasdistinctfromreligion.
AGreatPhilosopher
TheprimaryquestionforstudentsofphilosophyisnotwhatmakesAquinasa
greatman,butwhatmakeshimagreatphilosopher.
Firstofall,thereishisinclusivehabitofmind.Aquinaswasasynthesizer.
Hisinstinctwastocombineeverythingtrue,good,orbeautifulintoagreat“big
picture.”Inmodernphilosophyyouhavetobeeitherarationalistoran
empiricist,eitheranidealistorarealist,eitherideologicallyRightorLeft,but
tobeaThomistyouhavetobeabitofeverything:aPlatonistandan
AristotelianandanAugustinianandalotofotherthingstoo.
Hecombinedfaithandreason,withoutconfusingthem—whichwasthe
essentialphilosophicalprojectofmedievalthought,themarriageofJerusalem
andAthens,JewsandGreeks,religionandphilosophy,thebiblicalandthe
classicaltraditions,whicharethetwosourcesofnearlyeverythingthathas
lastedinWesterncivilization.
Aquinasalsocombinedthetwoidealsofprofundityandclarity,whichno
philosophereventriestocombineanymore.Ourphilosopherswriteeither
profound,Germanicobscuritiesorcareful,logicallyaccurateEnglishtrivialities.
Aquinasalsocombinedcommonsensewithtechnical,abstractphilosophi-
calsophistication.
Andhecombinedtheoryandpractice.Someofhismosttheoretical,most
E
N abstractpointshavelife-changingpracticalapplications.
O
E Hecombinedanintuitivewisdom,whatmanycalla“thirdeye,”with
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U demanding,accuratelogicandakeen,detailedobservationofnature.
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Andhecombinedtheoneandthemany,the“bigpicture”andmanycareful
distinctionsanddefinitions.
AsecondreasonforAquinas’sgreatnessisthatbecauseofhishabitof
inclusivismandsynthesis,hestoodatthecenterofthehistoryofphilosophy
uptohistime,tyingtogetherideasfromHeraclitus,Parmenides,Socrates,
Plato,Aristotle,Plotinus,theStoics,theChurchFathers,Augustine,Boethius,
Abelard,Anselm,Bonaventura,Maimonides,Avicenna—justabouteverybody
excepttheSophists,thosepremodernpostmodernists.Hecombinedthe
insightsofnearlyeveryphilosophicalschoolfortheeighteencenturiesofthe
historyofphilosophybeforehim,andheheldthemtogetherforonebrief,
Camelot-likemomentbeforetheyallcameunraveledagainintoseparate,
warringschoolsofthoughtforthenextsevencenturies.
AthirdthingthatmakesAquinasstandoutamongphilosophersislongevity.
Aquinasnotonlypreservedtheinsightsofgenerationsofhispredecessors;
healsobuiltaphilosophythatlastedforgenerationsofhisfollowersandcan
keepgrowingcreatively.Thomismisstilloneofthefew“living”philosophies.
Andthisispartlybecauseitiscapableofassimilatingnewdevelopments,like
existentialism,personalism,andphenomenology.
AfourthuniquefeatureofAquinasishisAristotelianhabitofcareand
patienceandavoidanceofthetemptationofexcitingoversimplificationsand
extremes.Aquinas’spositiononmostissuesisthe“goldenmean”between
extremes,whichisalargepartofwhatwemeanbycommonsense.Aquinas
alwaysagreeswithcommonsense,andotherphilosophersalwaysdepart
fromitinonedirectionortheother.That’sthemainpointofG.K.Chesterton’s
St.ThomasAquinas:TheDumbOx,thesinglebestbookeverwrittenabout
AquinasaccordingtofourofthegreatestThomistphilosophersofthe
twentiethcentury(EtienneGilson,JacquesMaritain,ThomasOwens,and
GerardPhelan).
Animportantpartofwhatwemeanbycommonsenseispracticalwisdom,
andthisisafifthreasonAquinasstandsoutamongphilosophers:theclose
unionbetweenthetheoreticalandthepracticalsidesofhismind.Aquinas
waspersonallyabsentminded,asmostgeniusesare,buthewasnotoutof
touch,orremovedfromreallife,asmostgeniusesare.Hewrotehundredsof
wonderfullypracticalanswerstoquestionsrangingfromhowprincesshould
governjustlytohowtocuredepression.(Hisanswertothatquestionwas
threethings:ahotbath,alargeglassofwine,andagoodnight’ssleep.But
don’ttellthattoyourpsychiatrist.)
Here’sanotherexampleofAquinas’spracticalwisdomfollowingfromabstract
theory.Hegaveusawonderfulwaytosimplifyourlives.Hesaid,following
Aristotle,thatthereareonlythreemeaningstotheterm“good,”onlythreekinds
ofthingsthatarereallygood,andthusworthyofourdesireandattention:the
moralgood,theusefulgood,andthedelightfulgood.Soifitdoesn’tmakeyou
amorevirtuouspersonandifitisn’tapracticalnecessitythatyoureallycan’tdo
without,andifitdoesn’tgiveyoupleasure,fagettaboutit!Yousee,hepreserved
thewisdomofachild,andmostofushavelostthat,andIthinkweneedtobe
remindedofthatkindofwisdommorethanweneedtoaddanotheritemtoour
busylistofthingstoremember.
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Asixthpoint,asixthexcellenceinAquinas,istheclarityandsimplicityand
directnessofhisstyle,hisargumentation,andhislogic.Syllogismsarethe
simplestandmostnaturalformofreasoning—anyonecanfollowthem—and
Aquinashabituallyputseverythingintosyllogisms.Hecomesrighttothe
point.Youalwaysknowthe“bottomline.”
Aseventhfeatureistheprofundityofhiscontent.ThenatureofGod,man,
life,death,soul,body,mind,will,passions,good,evil,virtue,vice,truth,
beauty,time,eternity,beingitself—that’sprettyprofoundcontenttoputin
simple,straightforwardsyllogisticform.
Andfinally,mostimportantofallforanyphilosopher,hetoldthetruth.(Why
doweforgetthat?It’sthewholepointofphilosophy,isn’tit?)Ofcoursehe
didn’ttellthewholetruthornothingbutthetruth.Nophilosopherevertellsthe
wholetruth(totalityisadivineprerogative)andnophilosopherevertells
nothingbutthetruth,withouterror(infallibilityisalsoadivineprerogative).
AShortBiography
ThomaswasbornthesonofapowerfulItaliancountin1225anddiedforty-
nineyearslater,in1274.HewasthepupilofSt.AlberttheGreat,thegreatest
scientistofhisage.HewasthemostreveredteacherattheUniversityof
Paris,themostprestigiousuniversityinthemedievalworld.Hewasthefirstto
assimilateandusealloftherecentlyrediscoveredworksofAristotle,andby
doingthishecameintoconflictwiththeultra-conservativelocalauthorities,
whopreferredAugustine.Actually,sodidAquinas;hequotesAugustinemore
oftenthanAristotle.ButwhereAristotlewasright,heusedhim.Hewasnot
afraidofpaganthinkers,ornewscientificdiscoveries.Hewasopentotruth
whereveritcouldbefound,andhehabituallysynthesizedoppositeinsights
thathefoundinotherthinkers.Hewasnotapartyideologue;hewasn’tinto
“isms.”Hewouldhatetheterm“Thomism.”Hewrote,“theobjectofthestudy
ofphilosophyisnotwhatphilosophershavesaidbutwhatisthetruth.”
HetaughttheologyatthenewUniversityofParis,andheauthoredliterally
thousandsofshorttreatisesandtwolongSummas,notablythesummaryof
theologyentitledSummaTheologiae(whichisalmostalwaysmisspelled
SummaTheologica).Andsincephilosophywascalled“thehandmaidof
theology,”thistheologianusedphilosophymuchasaquantumphysicistuses
mathematics.Theformula“philosophythehandmaidoftheology”isnolonger
popular,butit’sstilltruetodaythatyoucan’tbeagoodtheologianwithout
beingagoodphilosopher.
Toconcludethisshortbiography,thefollowingstoryaboutAquinasis
incrediblytelling,BrotherReginald,hisconfessor,sworethatinthemiddleof
thenighthesawThomasalone,lyingflatonhisstomachonthefloorofthe
chapel,conversingwithChrist.Avoicecamefromthecrucifixoverthealtar.It
askedThomasthegreatestquestionintheworld,andThomasgavethe
greatestanswer.Itsaid,“Thomas,myson,youhavewrittenwellofme.What
wouldyouhaveasyourreward?”AndThomasanswered,withcharacteristic
E
N brevity,“OnlyYourself,Lord.”Thosearethethreemosteloquentwords
O
E Aquinaseverwrote.(Hewroteabouttenmillionwords.)Nobodyeverputthe
UR meaningoflifeinfewerwordsthanthat.Thosewerethemostperfect
CT summaryoftheologythatheeverspoke.Ithinkevenanatheistcanadmire
E theperfectstyleofhisanswer.
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FORGREATERUNDERSTANDING
(cid:1)
Questions
1.WhatweresomeofthequalitiesthatmadeAquinasagreatphilosopher?
2.Howdidthe“goldenmean”informAquinas’sphilosophy?
SuggestedReading
Chesterton,G.K.SaintThomasAquinas:TheDumbOx.NewYork:Image
Books,1974.
OtherBooksofInterest
Panofsky,Erwin.GothicArchitectureandScholasticism.Latrobe,PA:
ArchabbeyPublications,2005.
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