Aquinas and the Scholastic Method

Terms

Parts of speech that represent something, but are neither true nor false. E.g. “man” or “mortal”

Scholasticism

• Scholasticism is a system of reasoning

  • Has as its object the whole of scientific learning

  • Most closely identified with knowledge about God

• Began with Augustine in early 400s, as he applied traditional logic and methods to Christian doctrine

• Scholasticism stems from the assumption that faith is not only to be believed but also understood

• I.e., If God is truth, then he can be known not only through revelation, but through reason as well

  • Through revelation, God speaks to the world about his nature and mission

    • Through reason, the world uses its own devices to learn about God

Proposition

• Proposition - consists of two terms

  • First term is the subject

  • Second term is the predicate

    • Predicate is capable of truth or falsity

Categorical Syllogism

• A Categorical Syllogism - an inference in which …

  • The conclusion (one proposition) follows of necessity from …

  • The premises (two or more other propositions)

Types of propositions

• Propositions may be universal or particular (quantity), affirmative [affirmo] or negative [nego] (quality).

• Examples:

  • Every student is brilliant - A (universal and positive)

  • No student is brilliant - E (universal and negative)

  • Some students are brilliant - I (particular and positive)

  • Some students are not brilliant - O (particular and negative)

Validity and soundness

• A deductive argument (the type of argument we’re doing here) is valid if it takes a form where it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false

• A deductive argument is sound if and only if it is valid and all of its premises are actually true

Scholastics

• Duns Scotus

  • Insisted Christians have a duty to reflect on Scripture

• Anselm

  • Ontological argument for the existence of God

• Abelard

  • Perfected scholastic technique

• Peter Lombard

  • Author of the Sentences

St Thomas Aquinas

• Greatest scholastic theologian

• Dominican friar from Italy

• Known as the “dumb ox” by classmates

• Not dumb

• Author of Summa Theologica

• Suddenly stopped writing

• Died at the Cistercian monastery of Fossanova on March 7, 1274

Scholastic Method: An Article in the Summa

• Five parts to an Article

  • Question - Article begins with a question about a particular issue

  • Objections - Before giving his own answer to the question, Aquinas begins with answers others have provided

  • “On the contrary” (Sed contra) - Aquinas presents an answer that someone has given (or that might be given) to the question that is in opposition to the Objections

  • “I respond that” (Respondeo) - Aquinas offers his own answer to the question

  • Replies to the Objections - The method concludes each question by revisiting each objection and resolving them in light of the answer put forth