Thomas Aquinas Use Of Scholasticism

Katherine Hormaza Scholasticism is a method that was heavily used for teachings in Europe from about 1100 to 1700. This method includes the use of logical inquiry and exposition. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the author of Summa Theologiae, was a university professor who strongly believed that human reason was necessary in order to examine important issues, whether they were natural or divine issues. The way that Summa Theologia is organized and structured, reveals how Aquinas tried to convey theological fundamentals and to demonstrate how someone can think about intricate issues in a logical and orderly way. This excerpt was broken down into major topics and subtopics that consisted of questions and then evidence to answer those

Throughout the excerpt, Aquinas uses objectives and proof to answer the question of whether God existence or not. Aquinas’s use of dialectical method is similar to the characteristics of scholasticism because they both include the use of questions that could either be answered affirmatively or negatively in order to reach the correct conclusion. Aquinas objective with this excerpt was to answer the question of whether or not God exist. He used a series of questions and yes and no responses as a way to direct the reader to his conclusion or in other words the truth. The scholastic method uses concepts, propositions, and arguments in order to prove his or her thesis and Aquinas would prove his thesis in a very similar manner. He would go back and forth with positive presupposition and counterarguments until he came to a conclusion. In article two, Aquinas’s first presupposition is that the existence of God is not demonstrable. He goes on to explain why God is not demonstrable but then towards the end of article one he

He broke down each of these ideas and explained why each supported the idea of God’s existence. Aquinas used logic and rational thinking as his main technique to defend his ideas. When Aquinas concluded that God is the original mover and that God is the first efficient cause, he came about this by using logic. Aquinas states that “if the cause is removed, the effect is removed. Hence if there is not a first cause, there will not be a last, nor a middle (source book, 238). This is an example of how Aquinas would break down what he was saying. He would state something, explain why the statement had to be wrong, and then would state what he believed was the truth. Rational thinking and logic is what he also used to explain his other three main ideas. For example, when he is explaining why things happen the way that they due or more so the order that do happen, his fifth ides, he states that things “do not tend toward a result unless directed by some knowing and intelligent; just as an arrow is sent by an archer. Therefore there is something intelligent by which all things are arranged in accordance with a plan- and this we call God (source book, 239).These ideas are used to prove why the three objectives stated in the beginning are wrong, and he uses thorough explanations and