ποΈ Week 09 - Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas is often referred to as βAristotle baptisedβ. Much of his inspiration comes from the Greek philosopher. Each time that you read βthe philosopherβ in the Summa, substitute it with Aristotle. For instance, in objection 3 or Article five of Question 5, Aquinas says:
Further, happiness is a βperfect operationβ according to the philosopher.
Just like βthe philosopherβ refers to the person, luckily for us, the work written by the philosopher is cited for us. This reference cites Aristotleβs Nicomachean Ethics, bk vii, chapter 13. In this chapter, Aristotle defends his view that happiness is the Supreme Good. The supreme good means the end of every human activity, the aim of all action is to pursue happiness.
In question 5, Aquinas confront the question about whether happiness can be achieved by us. As you probably know by now, whatever Aquinasβ position on a subject is, is first preceded by three opposing views, and then these are disputed, with an explanation following this dispute followed up by 3 responses to the three opposing views. While this form appears simple, there is a lot of nuance that occurs. Additionally, it would help to know more intimately, the material Aquinas is working against, for instance the Nicomachean Ethics.
Weβve seen other treatises on happiness, for instance it was covered by Augustine.
π¨βπ« Lecture Slides
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π₯ Looking for lecture recordings? In the future, you can find them on Canvas.
βοΈ Coursework
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π Recommended Reading
- Check the end of slides for the list of references cited in the lecture.
π Communication
- If you feel like it, introduce your βselvesβ in the
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