Chapter 5: Thomas Aquinas: Angelic Doctor
Summary of Chapter 5:
The Life of Thomas Aquinas:
• The angelic doctor stands as a master in the intellectual world, and his work continues to be studied in many universities today. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 AD near Naples, Italy. His father was a count of Aquino of the aristocracy. When he was five, Thomas arrived at the Abbey of Monte Cassino, where he studied until he enrolled at the University of Naples at fourteen. During his time there, he entered into the Dominican Order, a group of friars dedicated to instruction. From Naples, Thomas attended the University of Paris at age eighteen. At that time, the most heralded theologian in the world was Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus). Albert was widely known as “the universal teacher”. Just as Socrates influenced Plato and Plato influenced Aristotle so Thomas had Albert to gain information from. While studying …show more content…
He begins by offering evidence of motion in the world. Borrowing from Aristotle, he argues that whatever is moved is moved by another. Motion is defined by Thomas as the reduction of some from potentiality to actuality. For example, an object may have the potential to move, but it doesn’t move until or unless this potential is actualized. However, whatever is moved must be moved by some prior actuality. Therefore, there must be a first mover and this is God.
• The second proof is the proof from efficient cause. The law of causality asserts that every effect must have an antecedent cause. This is not saying that everything must have a cause because if everything were to have a cause then that would mean that God himself would need a cause. However, God is a cause and does not require a cause. And a cause cannot be a cause unless it causes or produces something. So, an uncaused (self-existent) being violates no rule of reason however an uncaused effect is completely
Summary of Chapter 5:
The Life of Thomas Aquinas:
• The angelic doctor stands as a master in the intellectual world, and his work continues to be studied in many universities today. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 AD near Naples, Italy. His father was a count of Aquino of the aristocracy. When he was five, Thomas arrived at the Abbey of Monte Cassino, where he studied until he enrolled at the University of Naples at fourteen. During his time there, he entered into the Dominican Order, a group of friars dedicated to instruction. From Naples, Thomas attended the University of Paris at age eighteen. At that time, the most heralded theologian in the world was Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus). Albert was widely known as “the universal teacher”. Just as Socrates influenced Plato and Plato influenced Aristotle so Thomas had Albert to gain information from. While studying …show more content…
He begins by offering evidence of motion in the world. Borrowing from Aristotle, he argues that whatever is moved is moved by another. Motion is defined by Thomas as the reduction of some from potentiality to actuality. For example, an object may have the potential to move, but it doesn’t move until or unless this potential is actualized. However, whatever is moved must be moved by some prior actuality. Therefore, there must be a first mover and this is God.
• The second proof is the proof from efficient cause. The law of causality asserts that every effect must have an antecedent cause. This is not saying that everything must have a cause because if everything were to have a cause then that would mean that God himself would need a cause. However, God is a cause and does not require a cause. And a cause cannot be a cause unless it causes or produces something. So, an uncaused (self-existent) being violates no rule of reason however an uncaused effect is completely