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Here’s a very short introduction to Thomas Aquinas:
📜 Who He Was
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Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, theologian, and philosopher. Calling him “Angelic Doctor,” scholars recognize him as one of the greatest figures in the medieval Western tradition (thephilosophers.no, Philosophy A Level).
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Born in Roccasecca, Italy, he defied his noble family by joining the Dominicans and studied under Albertus Magnus in Paris and Cologne (Philosophy A Level).
His Major Work: Summa Theologiae
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His magnum opus, the Summa Theologica (1265–1274), is a systematic theological and philosophical compendium divided into:
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Prima Pars: God, creation, angels, human nature
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Prima Secundae and Secunda Secundae: Ethics, virtues, vices, human acts
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Tertia Pars: Christ, sacraments, redemption (unfinished at his death) (thephilosophers.no)
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Core Ideas
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Faith and Reason: Aquinas argued that reason and divine revelation are complementary—truths accessible through reason support the truths revealed by faith (Number Analytics).
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The Five Ways: Five rational arguments for God's existence in the Summa, including:
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The unmoved mover
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First cause
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Contingency
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Degrees of perfection
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Design in nature (Wikipedia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Philosophy A Level)
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Ethics & Natural Law
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He developed a teleological ethics: human life has an ultimate goal — beatitude (flourishing through union with God) (worldofhistorycheatsheet.com).
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His natural law theory holds that universal moral principles—such as preserving life and seeking truth—are rooted in human nature and discoverable through reason (Philosophy A Level).
Metaphysics
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Influenced by Aristotle, Aquinas distinguished essence (what a thing is) from existence (that it is). Only in God do they coincide — God’s essence is His very act of being (actus essendi) (worldofhistorycheatsheet.com).
Legacy in a Nutshell
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Doctor of the Church (canonized 1323, named Doctor Universalis in 1567).
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Founder of Thomism, his intellectual tradition deeply shaped Catholic theology, Western philosophy, ethics, law, and education (thephilosophers.no).
✅ Quick Summary
| Theme | Key Insight |
|---|---|
| Faith & Reason | Complementary paths to truth |
| Five Ways | Five logical proofs of God’s existence |
| Natural Law Ethics | Morality grounded in human nature |
| Teleology | Human happiness is union with God |
| Metaphysics | Essence ≠ existence; God is pure being |
If you want to explore more, consider Fergus Kerr’s Thomas Aquinas: A Very Short Introduction—a concise and reader-friendly guide to his life, works, and key themes (Philosophy A Level, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia, The Great Thinkers).
Would you like a slightly longer overview, one of his specific arguments, or suggestions for where to begin in the Summa?
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