Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic priest and a philosopher, became the catalyst for a new era of medieval philosophical thinking. Aquinas’ philosophical theories revitalized the link between philosophy and theology in Western Christian Europe at a time when Europe looked likely to follow the footsteps of the Muslim world by spurning their own innovative thinker just like the Muslims had done with Averroes. However, Aquinas’ works including the most famous one, Summa Theologica, were widely acclaimed for acknowledging that both reason and religion were compatible and intertwined.
Aquinas was a staunch proponent of inductive reasoning and use of empirical evidence in his arguments. Such arguments are called a posteriori which are based on experience …show more content…
In his first way, which is based on movement and change, Aquinas says “It is certain, and obvious to the senses, that in this world somethings are moved”. This is the base proof he presents as things in this world are in motion, nothing is stagnant. He further adds that “A thing cannot be led from potentiality into actuality except through some being that is in actuality in a relevant respect”. By saying this, he is invoking the classic Aristotelian argument of the ‘Unmoved Mover’. This Unmoved Mover, according to Aquinas, is God who is the cause of the very first movement albeit he doesn’t specify the Unmoved Mover as the final cause like Aristotle does. According to him, if there wouldn’t be a first cause there will be an infinite regress of causes. He uses the analogy of fire and wood to explain how there must be a first cause. As wood has the characteristics to become hot and fire causes it to be hot, and what is hot cannot at the same time be potentially hot and cold. Neither can it be actual and potential at the same time in the same respect so if it cannot itself cause the change then something else that must cause the change. However, for Aquinas this cannot go on forever hence he suggests the impossibility of infinite regress and we must accept that God as the first cause of all
Aquinas was a staunch proponent of inductive reasoning and use of empirical evidence in his arguments. Such arguments are called a posteriori which are based on experience …show more content…
In his first way, which is based on movement and change, Aquinas says “It is certain, and obvious to the senses, that in this world somethings are moved”. This is the base proof he presents as things in this world are in motion, nothing is stagnant. He further adds that “A thing cannot be led from potentiality into actuality except through some being that is in actuality in a relevant respect”. By saying this, he is invoking the classic Aristotelian argument of the ‘Unmoved Mover’. This Unmoved Mover, according to Aquinas, is God who is the cause of the very first movement albeit he doesn’t specify the Unmoved Mover as the final cause like Aristotle does. According to him, if there wouldn’t be a first cause there will be an infinite regress of causes. He uses the analogy of fire and wood to explain how there must be a first cause. As wood has the characteristics to become hot and fire causes it to be hot, and what is hot cannot at the same time be potentially hot and cold. Neither can it be actual and potential at the same time in the same respect so if it cannot itself cause the change then something else that must cause the change. However, for Aquinas this cannot go on forever hence he suggests the impossibility of infinite regress and we must accept that God as the first cause of all