Aquinas: A Guide for the Perplexed
Overview
Aquinas is famous for his impressive and coherent synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. His magisterial Summa Theologica is a hugely important text in the history of philosophy. Nevertheless, he is also a very difficult thinker, and his ideas present a number of challenges to readers.
Aquinas: A Guide for the Perplexed is a clear and thorough account of Aquinas’ thought, his major works, and ideas, providing an ideal guide to the complex writings of this key thinker. The book introduces the key concepts and themes in Aquinas’ thought, and examines the ways in which they have influenced philosophical and theological thought. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of Aquinas’ ideas, the book serves as a clear and concise introduction to his philosophy and natural theology.
Get more introductions and studies on Thomas Aquinas, at a bigger discount, with Bloomsbury Studies on Thomas Aquinas (12 vols.).
- Introduces Thomas Aquinas and his influence on Western philosophy
- Presents Aquinas with concision and brevity for a quick, but complete, overview
- Accessible to all Christians and philosophers
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Metaphysics
- Chapter 3: Psychology
- Chapter 4: Epistemology
- Chapter 5: Ethics
- Chapter 6: Politics
- Bibliography
- Index
Top Highlights
“In the present volume we will illustrate Aquinas’s depth with respect to five topics prominent in his thought: being, soul, knowledge, happiness and the common good.” (Page 2)
“Of all the sciences, however, metaphysics is unique. Why? Because its subject matter cuts across all of the other disciplines, as it were, in order to study being in abstraction from embodiment, motion and so on, so as to capture its most fundamental properties. It also deals with the nature and existence of the highest being in existence—God—who is both the first cause and very ground of being.” (Page 11)
“The problem is not one of style but of substance: Aquinas strikes many readers as hard to understand because of the sheer depth of his thinking. Aquinas probes deeply into whatever issue he confronts, and in so doing he produces new insights.” (Page 2)
“Perhaps no theme is more persistent in medieval thought than the challenge of reconciling human reason with religious faith. Aquinas stands out among medieval thinkers for his synthesis of faith and reason.” (Page 5)
“The root of the Latin term scientia is the verb scire, which means ‘to know’ or ‘to understand’, but in its earliest sense meant ‘to get to the bottom of the matter’ or to uncover its roots.1 Hence, science for the medievals had to do in the first instance with discovering the causes of things.” (Pages 11–12)
Peter S. Eardley is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph. He has published widely on medieval philosophy, and in particular Thomas Aquinas.
Carl N. Still is associate professor of philosophy at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan. He has co-edited two volumes of essays on Aquinas, Being and Thought in Aquinas and Mind and Intellect in Aquinas.
Reviews
2 ratings
Richard
8/21/2021
Glenn Crouch
3/26/2018
This is quite a good short book looking at the Philosophical aspects of Thomas Aquinas - and whilst his Theological outlooks are also included (as you can't separate them from the philosophical), it is the former where the emphasis of this book lies. Though some elementary background in Philosophy is assumed, the Authors do introduce each topic (Metaphysics, Psychology, Epistemology, Ethics and Politics) well, and I appreciated that the historical understanding of the term is clearly explained. Short books on big topics always do leave you wanting more. I would've appreciated a deeper coverage on Just War Theory, and perhaps a little less on some of the other sections. And I think a proper conclusion would've been good. However there is a good Bibliography - which I often criticise smaller books for - but not in this instance. So not a bad introduction to the Philosophy of Aquinas - and thus not a bad into to the Philosophy of the European Middle Ages.