On Evil

by Thomas Aquinas

The De Malo represents some of Aquinas' most mature thinking on goodness, badness, and human agency. In it he examines the full range of questions associated with its origin, its nature, its relation to good, and its compatibility with the existence of an omnipotent, benevolent God. This edition offers Richard Regan's new, clear readable English translation, based on the Leonine Commission's authoritative edition of the Latin text. Brian Davies has provided an extensive introduction and notes. (Please this edition does not include the Latin text).

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Medieval, Catholic, Christian

560 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2003

About the author

Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican friar and theologian of Italy and the most influential thinker of the medieval period, combined doctrine of Aristotle and elements of Neoplatonism, a system that Plotinus and his successors developed and based on that of Plato, within a context of Christian thought; his works include the Summa contra gentiles (1259-1264) and the Summa theologiae or theologica (1266-1273).

Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.

People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church."

Aquinas lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question the modus vivendi that obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out the monastic schools on the left bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame. In two stints as a regent master, Thomas defended the mendicant orders and of greater historical importance countered both the interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While he is a genius and a saint, some of the sins (such as lust) are based off of assumptions, such that women are not capable of educating children, and hold this back from its true potential.

[Quratulain · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Reason is a power that governs all the internal emotions. When the rule of reason does not temper an emotion, we speak of a weakness of the soul. Human beings do out of weakness what they do pit of some emotion."

[нєνєℓ ¢ανα · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, insightful, lucid...

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of questions in the beginning with expected answers.
Felt more pointed towards a certain view with the selected quotes rather than counter part quotes

[Platypus Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 stars)