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Thomism

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Thomism

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Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274)

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Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of


the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher,
theologian, and Doctor of the Church.
In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions and commentaries on Aristotle are
perhaps his best-known works. In theology, his Summa Theologica is amongst the
most influential documents in medieval theology and continues to be the central
point of reference for the philosophy and theology of the Catholic Church. In the
1914 motu proprio Doctoris Angelici, Pope Pius X cautioned that the teachings of the
Church cannot be understood without the basic philosophical underpinnings of
Aquinas' major theses:[1]
The capital theses in the philosophy of St. Thomas are not to be placed in the
category of opinions capable of being debated one way or another, but are to be
considered as the foundations upon which the whole science of natural and divine
things is based; if such principles are once removed or in any way impaired, it must
necessarily follow that students of the sacred sciences will ultimately fail to perceive
so much as the meaning of the words in which the dogmas of divine revelation are
proposed by the magistracy of the Church.

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Overview[edit]
Thomas Aquinas held and practiced the principle that truth is to be accepted no
matter where it is found. His doctrines drew
from Greek, Roman, Islamic and Jewish philosophers. Specifically, he was
a realist (i.e. unlike skeptics, he believed that the world can be known as it is). [2] He
often affirmed Aristotle's views with independent arguments, and largely
followed Aristotelian terminology and metaphysics. He wrote
comprehensive commentaries on Aristotle, and respectfully referred to him simply as
"the Philosopher".[3]
He also adhered to some neoplatonic principles, for example that "it is absolutely
true that there is first something which is essentially being and essentially good,
which we call God, [...] [and that] everything can be called good and a being,
inasmuch as it participates in it by way of a certain assimilation".[4]

Metaphysics[edit]
Aquinas says that the fundamental axioms of ontology are the principle of non-
contradiction and the principle of causality. Therefore, any being that does not
contradict these two laws could theoretically exist,[5] even if said being
were incorporeal.[6]
Predication[edit]
Further information: Univocity of being
Aquinas noted three forms of descriptive language when predicating:
univocal, analogical, and equivocal.[7]

• Univocality is the use of a descriptor in the same sense when applied to


two objects or groups of objects. For instance, when the word "milk" is
applied both to milk produced by cows and by any other female mammal.
• Analogy occurs when a descriptor changes some but not all of its
meaning. For example, the word "healthy" is analogical in that it applies
both to a person or animal which enjoys good health and to some food or
drink which promotes health.
• Equivocation is the complete change in meaning of the descriptor and is
an informal fallacy, for example when the word "bank" is applied to river
banks and financial banks. Modern philosophers call it ambiguity.
Further, the usage of "definition" that Aquinas gives is the genus of the being, plus a
difference that sets it apart from the genus itself. For instance,
the Aristotelian definition of "man" is "rational animal"; its genus being animal, and
what sets apart man from other animals is his rationality.[8]
Being[edit]
See also: Being § Thomistic analogical predication of being
[E]xistence is twofold: one is essential existence or the substantial existence of a
thing, for example man exists, and this is existence simpliciter. The other
is accidental existence, for example man is white, and this is existence secundum
quid.

— De Principiis Naturæ, 1.
In Thomist philosophy, the definition of a being is "that which is," a principle with two
parts: "that which" refers to its quiddity (literally "whatness"), and "is" refers to
its esse (Latin "to be").[9] Quiddity means an essence, form, or nature which may or
may not exist; whereas esse refers to existence or reality. That is, a being is "an
essence that exists."[10]
Being is divided in two ways: that which is in itself (substances), and that which is in
another (accidents). Substances are things which exist per se or in their own right.
Accidents are qualities that apply to other things, such as shape or color:
"[A]ccidents must include in their definition a subject which is outside their
genus."[11] Because they only exist in other things, Aquinas holds that metaphysics is
primarily the study of substances, as they are the primary mode of being. [12]
The Catholic Encyclopedia pinpoints Aquinas' definition of quiddity as "that which is
expressed by its definition."[13] The quiddity or form of a thing is what makes the
object what it is: "[T]hrough the form, which is the actuality of matter, matter
becomes something actual and something individual,"[14] and also, "the form causes
matter to be."[15] Thus, it consists of two parts: "prime matter" (matter without
form),[16] and substantial form, which is what causes a substance to have its
characteristics. For instance, an animal can be said to be a being whose matter is its
body, and whose soul[17] is its substantial form.[18][19] Together, these constitute
its quiddity/essence.
All real things have the transcendental properties of being: oneness, truth, goodness
(that is, all things have a final cause and therefore a purpose), etc.[20]

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