Compare And Contrast Thomas Aquinas And John Locke

The three most popular and, arguably, most influential philosophers we learn about today would have to be Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. Even though these philosophers have all left an enormous mark on the world and shaped many of the ideas and thoughts today, there have been countless other philosophers who have impacted the way people think. Of the hundreds of thousands of philosophers who have come and gone during the course of the world, the two that sparked my interest were Saint Thomas Aquinas and John Locke. These two philosophers contributed so much to the study when they were alive, and even continue to enrich the study of philosophy today. They are two very distinct, different people with varying thoughts and views on matters, yet have similarities, as well, that unite them and their ideas. I will describe in detail both of …show more content…
His family was somewhat wealthy and he actually was born in his family's castle, his family was also quite large consisting of twelve people. Thomas began his education at Monte Cassino where his family had lofty expectations for him. This is where he first learned about Aristotle and started studying some of his works. During his studies, he decided to join a group called the Dominicans, which focused on the preaching and sharing of Christianity. His parents were not thrilled. In fact, the story has it that his family captured him and tried to tempt him with a prostitute so that he would give in and have sex and go against his beliefs. However, that did not work out and he chased her away with a fire poker. During his life he spent many years as a teacher of theology and philosophy in various places such as Paris, Rome, and Naples. He died somewhat young, but was considered to be a master of theology, and according to an article all about him, Thomas was “The supreme model of the Christian philosopher” (Internet Encyclopedia of