Unlocking Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide to His Enduring Wisdom
"Is Thomas Aquinas relevant today? Explore a new brief history that makes his complex ideas accessible for modern readers."
Thomas Aquinas, a towering figure in philosophy and theology, often seems daunting to modern readers. His works, filled with intricate arguments and technical terms, can be intimidating for those unfamiliar with medieval thought. However, his ideas continue to resonate, offering valuable insights into ethics, metaphysics, and the nature of existence.
Brian Davies' "Thomas Aquinas: A Very Brief History" aims to bridge this gap. The book strives to make Aquinas accessible to newcomers, presenting his key concepts in a clear and concise manner. It seeks to provide a foundation for understanding Aquinas without requiring prior knowledge of medieval philosophy or academic theology.
This article delves into Davies' approach, examining how he tackles the challenges of presenting complex ideas in an accessible format. We'll explore his strategies for simplifying technical language and contextualizing Aquinas's thought for a contemporary audience. The goal is to determine how effectively this brief history unlocks Aquinas's wisdom for the modern reader.
A Scholastic Influence
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy places Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225–1274) between antiquity and modernity and calls him a leading figure in thirteenth-century philosophy and theology. Philopedia likewise dates him to 1225–1274 and describes his influence on medieval metaphysics, ethics, and natural law. These sources offer historical assessments of his impact, not numerical measures of present-day influence.
An Accessible Overview
The cited overview presents Aquinas’s philosophy in simple terms, using clear examples and accessible insights. It covers his life, metaphysics, ethics, natural law, faith and reason, and arguments about the existence of God. Its description does not identify a particular standard method or specify limitations, so it supports a description of the overview’s scope and style rather than an assessment of its method.
Faith, Reason, and Scholasticism
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives Aquinas’s dates as 1224/6–1274 and describes him as a Dominican priest and Scriptural theologian. It says he took seriously the medieval principle that grace perfects and builds on nature rather than setting it aside. Britannica describes him as an Italian Dominican theologian, a foremost medieval Scholastic, and the systematizer of Latin theology; another source characterizes his life in thirteenth-century Italy as a bridge between Christian theology and Aristotle’s philosophy.
Breaking Down Barriers: How Davies Makes Aquinas Accessible
One of the primary hurdles in understanding Aquinas is his use of technical language. Davies addresses this by carefully explaining key terms and concepts in plain English. For instance, when discussing Aquinas's arguments for the existence of God, Davies avoids jargon and focuses on the underlying logic. He uses everyday language to illustrate complex philosophical points.
- Davies quotes Aquinas: "It is often said that those who believe that God exists have no business doing so unless they can prove God's existence. Aquinas, however, does not accept this view. He does not think it always irrational to believe what one cannot prove since he is aware that learning often heavily depends on accepting things on someone's say-so."
- Davies continues by adding: "He also recognizes that, as Aristotle emphasized, in order to avoid an infinite regress, we cannot argue at all unless we take some propositions to stand without demonstration."
Recent Scholarship and the Aquinas Review
The Aquinas Review is described as a semiannual academic journal published by Thomas Aquinas College. Its subject range extends from theology and philosophy to the liberal arts broadly. The journal also states that essays reflect their authors’ positions, not necessarily the College’s, and that the editor and editorial board determine each issue’s contents.
Different Lines of Critique
The sources present distinct criticisms rather than one unified objection to Aquinas. A discussion of Bonaventure’s critique says that people are acquainted with the reality of God as the uninflected “to be,” even when they describe that reality mistakenly. A separate critique of Aquinas’s cosmological arguments contends that the causal chain does not violate the principle that something cannot come from nothing, because each event has a cause. Another article reports controversy around Jeffrey Johnson’s critique of alleged Aristotelian excesses in Aquinas’s natural theology.
Augustine and Aquinas on Faith and Reason
The comparison sources contrast Augustine’s emphasis on faith with Aquinas’s effort to reconcile faith and reason through systematic philosophy. One account identifies Augustine’s *Confessions* and Aquinas’s role as a major Scholastic thinker as markers of their different approaches. Another places Augustine in the early fifth century and says that he formed an inheritance Aquinas later transformed.
A Valuable Starting Point for Exploring Aquinas
Davies' book successfully navigates the challenges of presenting Aquinas in a brief and accessible format. By simplifying technical language and providing historical context, he creates a valuable entry point for readers new to Aquinas's thought.
Interpreting Aquinas’s Moral and Political Thought
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says Aquinas’s moral and political philosophy must be reconstructed from his theological treatises and commentaries, including those on Aristotle’s *Nicomachean Ethics* and the first two and a half books of the *Politics*. It notes that interpretation has been difficult since his death in 1274. A 2025 study described in its abstract evaluates his influence by examining his background, his relationship with Aristotelian thought, and his reflections on the Bible.
Wisdom for Ordinary Life
The article argues that Aquinas invites everyone to the “banquet of wisdom,” making no distinction between a master and the “man in the street.” It says ordinary people recognize that they live in a real world they did not create. According to the article, that recognition helps them appreciate natural law, which it presents as the basis of morality.
While some complex ideas are necessarily condensed, Davies maintains a high level of clarity throughout the book. His ability to express Aquinas's arguments in simple and clear language is a testament to his skill as a teacher and writer.
For those seeking an introduction to one of history's most influential thinkers, "Thomas Aquinas: A Very Brief History" provides a solid foundation for further exploration. It serves as an excellent starting point for anyone interested in delving into the rich and complex world of Aquinas's philosophy and theology.