Philosophers
Thomas Aquinas
uh-KWY-nuhs
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Thomas Aquinas (circa 1225 to 1274) is the central figure of Scholasticism, the medieval method that reconciled Aristotelian logic with the intellectual life of the new universities. His Five Ways offer cosmological arguments for a first cause, arguing that an endless chain of causes is impossible. His natural law theory grounds moral reasoning in the self-evident principle that the good should be done and pursued and the bad avoided, discovered by reason reflecting on human inclinations toward flourishing.
Facts
Birth YearThe source gives this as circa 1225. BirthplaceNear Aquino, halfway between Rome and Naples 1 Death PlaceCistercian abbey of Fossanova 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAquinas entry, IntroductionQuote, Aquinas entry, Introduction
he epitomizes the scholastic method of the newly founded universities
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAquinas entry, Section 2 GodQuote, Aquinas entry, Section 2 God
the first three ways are cosmological arguments, based on the impossibility of an infinite series of causes
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAquinas entry, Section 8.2 Natural LawQuote, Aquinas entry, Section 8.2 Natural Law
The good should be done and pursued, and the bad should be avoided.
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAquinas entry, biographical summaryQuote, Aquinas entry, biographical summary
A few months after that he died, in the Cistercian abbey of Fossanova, on March 7, 1274.
Aquinas, Saint Thomas (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
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