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CHAPTER 8
THE SCHOLAR: THOMAS AQUINAS
Chapter 8 Key Concepts
Scholastic philosophy was a product of a hierarchical
society based on a God-centered view of the universe.
Scholastic philosophy developed out of efforts to reconcile
The reconciliation of faith and reason was based, in part,
on the Law of Contradiction: No statement can be both true
and false at the same time and under the same conditions.
Scholastic philosophy rested on a strong interest in logical
Christian beliefs.
Augustine s efforts to synthesize early Christian theology
with his own understanding of Greek philosophy and
Augustine rejected Epicureanism and Stoicism for
placing too much value on human reason and will. Augustine
Thomas Aquinas introduced new levels of thoroughness,
scholarship, and methodical rigor to philosophy in the form
of his massive summaries known as summas.
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Thomas Aquinas s efforts to prove the existence of God
using the Five Ways are among the most widely studied
examples of scholastic thinking. The Five Ways are the
Argument from Motion, the Cosmological Argument, the
Argument from Necessity, the Argument from Degree, and
the Argument from Design.
In spite of their limits, the Five Ways recognize a common
desire to account for the whole of existence. Though science
The problem of evil derives from the apparently
inescapable conclusion that either God cannot prevent evil
and is therefore not all-powerful, or God will not prevent evil
and is therefore not all-good.
Thomas Aquinas answered the problem of evil from two
directions: First, he argued that evil is not a positive thing but
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Chapter 8 Teaching Tips
1. Introduce the problem of reconciling faith with reason by
referring to the current dispute regarding teaching intelligent
design and evolution in public schools. Intelligent design is a
2. Point out that almost no one is indifferent to the law of
4. Invite an astronomy instructor to class to present a
description of the size and nature of the universe after
5. Consider referring to Hume s critique of theology The
6. Show any one of a number of documentaries detailing
Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust as part of a discussion of
the problem of evil. (The documentary Night and Fog is
7. Use the photos on pages 235 and 405 (Chapter 14) to
8. Use the controversy surrounding global warming or
9. Invite a psychology instructor to class to explain the
10. Use the For Deeper Consideration on page 238 as a
prompt for a discussion of what we mean when we describe
someone as playing God say by trying to prevent others
from misbehaving, overeating, using too much salt, polluting
the environment. Is trying to protect us from ourselves an
indictment of God for granting us the free will to do wrong?
Are we better off free and dangerous or unfree and good? Are
those our only choices?