Download pdf - Thomas Aquinas Syllabus

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Chapter 1

Life

� Influence of St. Albert on Aquinas (302-‐303)

Works

� The primary work that you should be familiar with is the Summa Theologica.

Mode of exposing St. Thomas’s philosophy

� How does St. Thomas’s theology relate to his philosophy? (306-‐307)

The spirit of St. Thomas’s philosophy

� What did Aquinas attempt to explain? (308)

� Does Aquinas pursue objectivity of subjectivity? (309-‐311)

� What is the whole of philosophy directed towards? (309-‐311)

� Did Aquinas believe philosophical knowledge was final or sufficient? (309-‐311)

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Chapter 2

Philosophy and theology

� What is the principal difference between theology and philosophy? (312-‐313)

Moral necessity of revelation

� Why is revelation morally necessary? (314)

� What are the flaws of natural theology? (314)

Incompatibility of faith and science in the same concerning the same object

� Can there be both faith and knowledge concerning the same object? (314-‐315)

Natural end and supernatural end

� Did Aquinas believe natural and supernatural ends were mutually exclusive? (316)

� How does this affect the question of the relation between theology and philosophy? (317)

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St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure

� What is the principle of all truth according to Aquinas? (318)

� Did Aquinas believe philosophy alone could play a role in discovering truth? (319)

� How did Aquinas view the Aristotelian system? (322)

St. Thomas as an innovator

� How was Aquinas an innovator? (322)

Chapter 3

Reasons for starting with corporeal being

� What is the first philosophical problem Aquinas addresses? (324)

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Hylomorphism

� Extremely abstract and not very relevant. Optional reading? (325-‐328)

Rejection of rationes seminales

� According to Aquinas what is prime matter? (328)

Rejection of plurality of substantial forms

� How did Aquinas view substantial form? (328)

Restriction of hylomorphic composition to corporeal substances

� What are the principles of the soul of man? (329)

� What are the principles of God? (329)

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Potentiality and act

� What is the nature of change? (331)

� Where does the distinction between potentially and act apply? (331)

� Where does the distinction between form and matter apply? (331)

Essence and existence

� What is the essence of a corporeal being? (332)

� What is the essence of immaterial finite being? (332)

� What is the relationship between essence existence? (332-‐334)

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Chapter 4

Need of proof

� Why is proof of God’s existence required? (336-‐337)

St. Anselm’s argument

� This is optional reading

Possibility of proof

� What kind of knowledge can man obtain through the observation of effects? (338-‐339)

� What is the object of human intellect? (339-‐340)

� What kind of natural knowledge can the intellect attain? (340)

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The first three proofs

� Explain the first proof (340-‐341)

� Explain the second proof (341)

� Explain the third proof (341)

The fourth proof

� Explain the fourth proof (343-‐344)

The proof from finality

� Explain the fifth proof (344)

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The third way fundamental

� What is the fundamental proof? (345-‐346)

� What is the argument from contingency based upon?

Chapter 5

The negative way

� How can we attain a notion of God’s nature? (347-‐348)

� What are the limits of our natural knowledge? (348-‐349)

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� What attributes does Aquinas attribute to God? (349)

� What attributes does he not attribute to God? (349-‐350)

The affirmative way

� Provide examples of affirmative predicates of God (350-‐351)

� What are the limits of positive ideas concerning God? (351-‐352)

Analogy

� How can we know the divine essence in this life? (352)

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� How are concepts derived from our experience used? (352-‐353)

Types of analogy

� What are the two types of resemblance listed by Aquinas? (354)

� Describe the relation between God and creatures (354-‐355)

� What is the foundation of all analogy? (355)

A difficulty

� What is the essential problem with human concepts and language? (357)

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The divine ideas

� How did Aquinas view the doctrine of divine ideas? (358-‐359)

� Was Aquinas merely an Aristotelian? (360)

No real distinction between the divine attributes?

� Why are the attributes of God not truly distinct? (360)

� Is human knowledge of God false? Why or why not? (361)

God as existence itself

� What is the essence of God? (361-‐362)

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St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter 6: Creation

Creation out of nothing

� Explain the nature of creation (363)

� Describe the relation of God to His creation (363-‐364)

God alone can create

� Does God require intermediary beings to create? Why or why not? (364-‐365)

God created freely

� How does God create? (365)

The motive of creation

� What was the motive for which God acted in creation? (365-‐366)

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� What is represented in all creatures? (365-‐366)

Impossibility of creation from eternity has not been demonstrated

� How did Aquinas believe one could know whether creation took place in eternity or in time? (366-‐367)

Could God create an actually infinite multitude?

� What did Aquinas maintain concerning God’s power to create an infinite multitude? (367-‐368)

Divine omnipotence

� How does Aquinas define the divine attribute of omnipotence? (368-‐369)

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� Does this definition limit the power of God? (369)

� Explain the relationship between the principle of contradiction and God (369)

� Is it possible for God to create a better world? (370-‐371)

� Why did God create this particular world? (370-‐371)

The problem of evil

� Did God will evil? Why or why not? (371-‐372)

� Explain the nature of evil according to Aquinas. (371-‐372)

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� How Aquinas view God and physical evil? (372-‐373)

� How did Aquinas view God and moral evil? (373-‐374)

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter 7: Psychology

One substantial form in man

� How did Aquinas view man, the body, and the soul? (375-‐376)

The powers of the soul

� How did Aquinas view the soul and its different faculties? (376-‐377)

� Explain the hierarchy of faculties. (377)

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The interior senses

� What are the four interior senses? (379)

� How are animals and men different? (379)

Free will

� Describe the nature of the will. (380)

� Why does man desire other objects besides God? (380-‐381)

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The noblest faculty

� Why did Aquinas view the intellect as the nobler faculty? (382-‐383)

� Why did Aquinas believe the will was nobler in some respects? (382-‐383)

Immortality

� How did Aquinas deal with the immortality of the soul? (383-‐384)

� Did Aquinas believe the soul was material or immaterial? (384)

� What did Aquinas mean by “persistence of being”? (384-‐385)

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The active and passive intellects are not numerically the same in all men

� Optional reading

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter 8: Knowledge

“Theory of knowledge” in St. Thomas

� What was the problem Aquinas addressed with his theory of knowledge? (388)

The process of knowledge: knowledge of the universal and of the particular

� What do the senses apprehend? (388-‐389)

� What does human intellectual cognition apprehend? (389)

� How is the transition from sensory knowledge to intellectual cognition effected? (389-‐391)

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� What is the role of the abstract concept? (390-‐391)

The soul’s knowledge of itself

� What is the source of the mind’s knowledge? (392)

� What is the natural object of knowledge? (392)

� How does the rational soul know itself? (392)

The possibility of metaphysics

� How can the human intellect attain any knowledge of God? (392-‐394)

� Explain the role of the active intellect? (394)

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� How can there be any positive content to our idea of God? (394-‐395)

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter 9: Moral Theory

Eudaemonism

� Describe the Aristotelian view of ethics and happiness. (398)

� What is the difference between the views of Aquinas and Aristotle? (398-‐400)

� What is the universal good in the concrete? (399)

The vision of God

� What is the “ultimate beatitude”? (401)

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� What can satisfy the intellect? (401-‐402)

� Is the moral theory of Aquinas theological or philosophical? (402)

� What is man’s final end according to Aquinas? (404)

Good and bad

� What makes human acts good or bad? (405)

� Can a human act be neither good nor bad? (405)

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The virtues

� How does Aquinas define the virtues? (405)

� What is the object of moral virtue? (406)

The natural law

� What is the rule and measure of human acts? (406)

� What is the basis of moral and natural law? (407)

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The eternal law and the foundation of morality in God

� How does Aquinas define obligation? (408)

� What is the eternal law and how does it relate to natural law? (409)

� What is the ultimate basis of moral law? (410)

Natural virtues recognized by St. Thomas which were not recognized by Aristotle; the virtue of religion

� Describe the virtue of religion. (410-‐411)

� According to Aquinas who is the virtuous man? (411)

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St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter 10: Political Theory

St. Thomas and Aristotle

� Compare and contrast the ethical and political theories of Aquinas and Aristotle. (412-‐413)

The natural origin of human society and government

� How does Aquinas view the State and society? (413)

� What is the purpose of government? (413-‐414)

Human society and political authority willed by God

� How does Aquinas justify the State? (414)

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Church and State

� How did Aquinas view the independence of the State? (415)

� What are the conditions necessary for the attainment of the common good? (415)

� Describe the relationship between the Church and the State. (415-‐416)

� What is the responsibility of the monarch? (416)

Individual and State

� What is the concern of the law? (417)

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� What is the relationship between the State and the individual? (417-‐418)

Law

� What are the four kinds of law? (418)

� What is the primary function of the legislator? (418)

� How do the laws relate to each other? (418-‐419)

Sovereignty

� How did Aquinas view sovereignty and authority? (419-‐420)

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� How did Aquinas view rebellion? (420)

Constitutions

� What are the good and bad types of government? (420)

� Which method of government does Aquinas favor and why? (420-‐421)

St. Thomas’s political theory an integral part of his total system

� Why is the political theory of Aquinas an integral part of his system? (421-‐422)

� When is disobedience to the State allowed? (421-‐422)

� What is the ultimate role of the state? (422)