Book notes on Aquinas

(Originally written November 29, 2006 in Book 7)

Louis Pojman
Classics of Philosophy 2nd Edition

Thomas Aquinas

-Roman Catholic Dominican Monk
-1225 - 1274 A.D.
-He is considered to be the greatest theologian in Western religion
-He was born in Roccasecca to the Count Aquino.
-He studied at the University of Naples and joined the Dominicans, despite his parents' strong objection
-He was determined to live the celibate life of the Dominicans. He avoided the company of women.
-He went to the Dominican school at Cologne and studied under Albert the Great
-He earned the nickname "dumb ox" from his fellow classmates
-In 1252 he went to the University of Paris and began to develop an Aristotelian version of Catholic theology
-He wrote voluminously and encyclopedically
-Then on December 6, 1273 he had a deep religious experience, stating, 'All that I have written seems to me like straw composed to what has now been revealed to me' and stopped writing. He died four months later

Summa Theologica

Question 2 - The Existence of God

First article: whether the existence of God is self-evident?

Objection 1 - The knowledge of God is naturally implanted in all, thus the existence of God is self-evident.

Objection 2 - Once the name God is understood, his existence is seen to be actual, therefore God's existence is self-evident

Objection 3 - The existence of truth is self evident. God is truth. Therefore, the existence of God is self-evident.

A thing can be self-evident in two ways:
1) Self-evident in itself
2) Self-evident in itself and to us.

Aquinas claims that God's existence is self-evident in itself.

Reply to objection 1 - This natural knowledge of God is general and confused. We know something is out there, but we know not what.

Reply to objection 2 - Once the term God is understood, a mental existence, not an actual existence of God is known.

Reply to objection 3 - The existence of truth in general is self-evident, but the existence of a primal truth is not self-evident to us

Second Article - Whether it can be demonstrated that God exists?

Objection 1 - It is an artifice of faith that God exists. Faith is not demonstrable.

Objection 2 - Essence is the middle term of demonstration, but we cannot know in what God's essence consists.

Objection 3 - If the existence of God were demonstrable, it could be only from his effects. God is infinite, but his effects are finite.

Reply to objection 1- Faith presupposes natural knowledge, faith or reason can lead to knowledge of the existence of God.

Reply to objection 2: the means of the name God is the middle term, not God's essence.

Reply to objection 3: we cannot have a perfect knowledge of God, but we can know some from his effects.

Third Article - Whether God Exists?

Objection 1 - There is evil in the world and if there were an infinitely good being this would not be so.

Objection 2 - There is no need to assume God exists, everything can be explained naturalistically.

Reply to objection 1 - Augustinian response: His omnipotence and goodness were such as to bring good out of evil

Reply to objection 2 - Whatever is done by nature must be traced back to God.