• Home Page
  • Comparing Thomas Aquinas Thoughts On Faith, Free Will And Evil

Comparing Thomas Aquinas Thoughts On Faith, Free Will And Evil

Improved Essays
Show More
Religion is such a difficult conversation topic, everyone has their thoughts on it. In a time when explanation and rational thinking was held back or kept in Thomas Aquinas attempted to bring some answers to the questions brought on about faith, free will and evil. Thomas Aquinas believed that the Bible was all true and 'believed Christians needed to make sense of it by means of reasoning of basic beliefs and faith" (Resnick, T, pg. 32). Because of this analogy of reason to believe by the 'first mover' of thought(Aquinas) was coined (and his believers) as " Thomists." Who guided Aquinas in his thoughts? Influential guidance "thinkers" included Greek philosopher Plato and father Augustine to help him develop his train of thought on God's existence and reasoning for evil and free will.
The chapter is a somewhat comical (in my opinion) and simple or not so simple approach on Aquinas 'Thomist' thoughts on evil and free will by means of reasoning, through" necessarily (wills things to happen) and other things to happen (contingency). “ …show more content…
Aquinas thought s" God created goodness Satan enters and corrupts it. First of all, Aquinas thought God did not make evil and it does not exist. Evil is defined by Aquinas as a "privation of the good "or removal of some of the good in it. He uses an example of the daisy being good at first but after a week has faded and also of the "fallen angel "Satan who was given power and great ability by God but he used it to challenge God ( reason) and tempt creation with evil .The author also uses examples of Hitler who started out as 'good with great ability and power and used it to create war and kill people in order to have power , much like Satan don't you

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Thomas Aquinas Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 131 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Thomas Aquinas Argument For The Existence Of God

    Thomas Aquinas is a Catholic saint that that is an immensely influential philosopher and theologian one of his argument is that God created an ordered natural world and God also created man's ability to use reason. For me yes it’s still logcal to believe in this account of Aquinas, as a person that came on a Catholic school in my high school days but on the society today many of the people didn’t use this God’s gift they will just think themselves on being in a higher ground because if you are higher than others you have the power, money and authority on what you want to do. They didn’t use it to have logical reason on the natural word basis that we should have a balance standing in our society.…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Freud's Last Session Rhetorical Analysis
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Freud's Last Session Rhetorical Analysis

    Introduction Grabber: Benjamin Franklin was one of the most successful yet audacious men to live in all of American history. Neutral Bridge: Although Franklin used a kite to observe electricity, there was a period during his life where he felt pleasure in arguing with people due to the fact that he prioritized contradicting people in conversations. Specific Bridge: Freud’s Last Session written by Mark St. Germain revolves around the conversation between a Christian named C.S. Lewis and an atheist named Sigmund Freud. Both individuals attempt to understand each other by asking critical questions and delving into each other’s mindset.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Augustine On Free Will
    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On Augustine On Free Will

    In Augustine’s “On Free Choice of the Will”, Augustine states, “…Through whom God made all the things that were made from nothing” (4) meaning that God is the creator of all things. This makes evil an issue since if evil is a thing, and God has created all things, then it is safe to assume that God has created evil. This creates problems for those who believe that God is all loving and all powerful because if God is truly all loving, then why would he create malice for his beloved children. If God is truly good however, how could he possibly be capable to make evil exist? Augustine concludes that if God is truly perfect, then it is possible to believe that evil is not a thing at all, but simply just the absence of God’s good.…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Antigone, Saint Augustine: Of Choice And Free Will
    • 1669 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Antigone, Saint Augustine: Of Choice And Free Will

    As humans, we make choices every single day from the moment we wake up each morning. Some of these choices do not seem to affect our lives with much significance, such as what we choose to eat for breakfast. On the other hand, some may change our lives forever, like deciding where to attend college. The choices we make lead to the experiences we have. The texts of Antigone, Saint Augustine: Of Choice and Free Will and Into the Wild contain instances of decisions that led to experiences, which result in the realization of what is deemed right and good in life.…

    • 1669 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    St. Thomas Aquinas: The Existence Of God
    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    St. Thomas Aquinas: The Existence Of God

    Aquinas is building of his understanding that God is self-subsistent existence and supplying being to all of His created things. Aquinas begins his argument by explaining that God is in everything, but not as a segment of their essence or even as an accident. He refers back to when he explains the existence of God and says God as an “efficient cause” of the being of the thing . To understand this, we should remember the five ways from ST I.2.3 that prove God’s existence, but specifically the second…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Good And Evil: St. Augustine And Boethius
    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Good And Evil: St. Augustine And Boethius

    Evil is a complex issue within the Catholic faith. It is difficult to put a definition to what evilness is because it is not something that can physically be touched or seen. Philosophers such as, St. Augustine and Boethius, have proposed ideas that transform the way Catholics view evil, and help to give a better understanding of faith and God. These two philosophers have expressed their opinions on this very controversial topic in depth in Augustine’s Confessions and again in the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. The philosophers shared certain ideas, but have come to them each in different ways.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Thomas Hobbes As An Atheist
    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thomas Hobbes As An Atheist

    There is a debate among scholars of Hobbes whether Hobbes was an atheist, or even whether his philosophy was atheist. There are fewer critics today of Hobbes that make the claim he is an atheist and that his philosophy is itself atheist. It should not be understood to be so. We have to remember that though his views opposed most of the standard views of his time, Hobbes affirmed his faith in Christianity. Also, the term “atheist” had a different connotation prior to modernity.…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Medieval Will-Based Theory: Relationship Between Freedom And Free Will
    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Medieval Will-Based Theory: Relationship Between Freedom And Free Will

    The medieval will-based theory was a theory developed by medieval philosophers. This theory established a relationship between freedom and free will. Philosophers believed that our freedom to act was determined by our will, our capacity for decision making. In other words, our freedom of actions was based on our ability to decide and choose how to act. Therefore, making us completely free.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Augustine And Evil
    • 1966 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Augustine And Evil

    Epicurus was one of the first philosophers to consider the problem of evil and his question; “if He is both willing and able (to take away all evils), which alone is suitable to God, from what source then are evils? Or why does He not remove them?” , summarises concisely the issue which has been at the forefront of philosophical argument for thousands of years. To explore this question I will first consider what God is. In this essay I will refer to God in the orthodox monotheistic sense of the word as an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent being. Likewise, evil refers to all that is bad in the world.…

    • 1966 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God

    Aquinas is considered one the greatest Christian philosophers to have ever lived. In his Summa Theologiae Aquinas put forward five proofs (or five ways) for the existence of God: First Way ? Argument from Motion Second Way ? Causation of Existence Third Way ? Contingent and Necessary Objects Fourth Way ?…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Theory Of Goodness Thomas Aquinas Summary
    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Theory Of Goodness Thomas Aquinas Summary

    Christopher Hughes gives a deep exploration into Thomas Aquinas’ many-sided theory of goodness, which in general is that goodness can be found in all beings in some way. Despite the chapter being lengthy, Hughes explains that it was still a very partial exploration into the theory due to the fact that it’s too rich to explain in anything shorter than a monograph, but his use of metaphors allows for Aquinas’ very complex theory to be relatable in the modern world, and this essay will look at various key aspects of Hughes’ analysis. Aquinas differentiates the different types of good, and what he defines as evil. He says the most universal type of goodness is the idea that everything is good as everything is a being, which is a type of metaphysical goodness, but that this goodness is only relevant in a certain way, and this is called secundum quid.…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of Aquinas Presupposition Of Free Will
    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis Of Aquinas Presupposition Of Free Will

    Concerning compatibility of free will with Divine Providence, Augustine argues that God has advance knowledge of our potential choices, not of our actions, and react depending on what that choice will be. In this way, God leaves us with our free will and the personal responsibility that comes with it. We can consult God through prayer to help us choose rightly, or choose to do evil. In the latter case, we will be fully responsible for the consequences that may result. Inspired by Augustine’s doctribe of ‘faith seeking understanding’…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Aquinas Theory Of State
    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Aquinas Theory Of State

    The period from 1296 to the early 1500s was an era that saw significant change in the relationship between temporal and ecclesiastical authority. The driving force in relations between these two entities shifted from assessing the role of canon law to the strength of new ideas and political thought. Historians such as Ullmann place emphasis on the translation of Aristotelean ideas for this change whereas others, like Black and Coleman argue the change was as the result of a natural progression of political thought. Regardless, these changes sparked profound crises for ecclesiastical and temporal rulers signified by the disputes between King Philip IV of France and Pope Boniface VIII and the Great Schism of 1378-1418.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    St. Thomas Aquinas's Argument On The Existence Of God
    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages

    St. Thomas Aquinas's Argument On The Existence Of God

    St. Thomas Aquinas’s sees his conclusion as being correct with a reflection back to his premises because God is the reason that the world is intelligent. How else can these things be possible and have purpose behind them if they aren’t being guided by someone who has structure. In quote, he states “There therefore is some intelligence which directs everything in nature towards an end, and this we call God” (PBF 44). Aquinas is basically saying overall that nothing just ends by chance, but by someone that is necessarily able to end it, which is his God. As Aquinas states within his fourth reason, he says “therefore there is something which is the cause of being, of goodness, and of whatever other perfection that there may be in things (PBF 44).…

    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Compare And Contrast Aquinas And Descartes
    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Aquinas And Descartes

    So, within his writing Thomas is seeking ways on how to prove God exists using logic. While as a rationalist, Descartes saw reason as his primary source of knowledge. And, using his Meditations, mathematics, and skepticism sought to prove a higher substance (God) had to exist. Historically, not much is know if Descartes truly believed in God, or for the sake of being published hid his atheism. Aquinas argues that the only way to prove God exists is through reason, and with divine revelation even someone unsaved can come to know the…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings