Selected Philosophical Writings

by Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) saw religion as part of the natural human propensity to worship. His ability to recognize the naturalness of this phenomenon and simultaneously to go beyond it - to explore, for example, spiritual revelation - makes his work as fresh and readable today as it was seven centuries ago.

This accessible new translation offers thirty-eight substantial passages not only from the indispensable Summa Theologicae, but from many other works, fully illustrating the breadth and progression of Aquinas's philosophy. It is an ideal introduction to this key figure in the philosophy of religion.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Classics, Medieval, Academic

490 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a decade since I’ve read Aquinas. I had read the Penguin edition of Thomas Aquinas’ Selected Writings. At the time, I did think it had some interesting portions, but I wouldn’t claim it was an absorbing read. I doubt I would have the patience for the entire Summa. Even the Selected Writings was a bit too long for me. This Oxford collection is superior to the Penguin collection in being more concise and was well organized thematically. Although, I think the Penguin edition gave a little more space to Aquinas’ thoughts on freewill.

There are two theologians that have always puzzled me as to their influence on their respective traditions: Calvin on Protestantism and Aquinas on Catholicism. While I would certainly call church fathers like Origen and Augustine prolific, I don’t think I would use the same word to describe Aquinas and Calvin. I might use a term like profuse though. Prolific has become in common English use not only an indicator of quantity but of quality as well. Calvin and Aquinas wrote a lot. That I don’t deny. That must’ve convinced people that they knew what they were talking about. I don’t want to come down too hard on Aquinas, but I don’t get the impression in my readings of him that he should be considered a notable theologian; more an interpreter of Aristotle, which makes him more of a philosopher. A competent Aristotelian. I accept him as such. Calvin was a poor theologian even though he is fittingly called one. Ironically, Calvin brought back philosophical concepts like fatalism and gave them new theological word dressing, like predestination. My antipathy for fatalism in general and Calvin in particular I can hardly hide or deny. Even though you don’t get as clear a picture in this edition as you do in the Penguin edition of his writings, Aquinas believed in absolute freewill. I wouldn’t contrast Aquinas’s stance on freewill with Calvin’s, I would more contrast it with Luther’s (which is strongly Augustinian). I find myself somewhere in between Aquinas’ absolute freewill and Luther’s absolute bondage of the will. Calvin’s take is tightly wound with his fatalism and can’t be divorced from it. Aquinas is at least a thorough investigator, unlike Calvin. This is of course something he shared with a lot of the scholastics though. During this time, theological and philosophical concepts were fiercely debated in the universities. Pros and cons were weighed, and probable conclusions were provided. You find that in Aquinas’ works. They really make for some pedantic noodling, but they show how seriously these ideas were taken. It is fascinating to investigate the scholastics. Anyone who thinks that the scholastics are theologians more than philosophers hasn’t engaged with them very much. I’ve read a number of scholastics, including Ockham. I am not that into Aristotle, and that is the philosopher that influenced the scholastics the most. His influence is ubiquitous and pervasive in medieval thought. Just like Aristotle’s writings themselves, scholasticism does get pedantic and dull at times.

This is an interesting collection of Aquinas and probably enough for the casual philosophy student. As I related above, the only thing that I see missing is a more substantial investigation of freewill. Most of the other philosophical/theological topics of the time are given sufficient space. There isn’t much I want to call attention to in this review. I do find Aquinas’ allegiance to Aristotle and the Pseudo-Dionysius to be more than a little ironic. When Aquinas thinks a particular philosophical position is associated with Plato, he will always reject it in favor of Aristotle when their positions are opposed to each other. The Pseudo-Dionysius is Neo-Platonist thoroughly, but Aquinas believed he was legitimately the Dionysius of the Areopagus in the New Testament. As such, he basically quotes him as a church father, even though the disparate positions between him and Aristotle couldn’t be more evident in their writings. Apparently, Aquinas supported one with his philosophical zeal and the other with his theological zeal.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Aquinas is like listening to your Aunt Bev lecture you on post WWII politics...utterly boring but you know you are obligated to listen and simply nod your head and say "mmhmm" every minute or so.

Nevertheless, I did absorb a good amount of this material. And despite all the repetition, there were a few gems in this book, as it is organized quite nicely with an index in the back which I am sure I will consult anytime I need Aquinas' philosophical opinion on the matter.

Necessary reading.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The law section was revolutionary and fascinating. Still prefer to watch paint dry, not because it's more interesting but because it's less theologically problematic.

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always forget that Thomas is surprisingly funny.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice compilation of some of the Dumb Ox's writings. It's fairly standard Aquinas. If you don't want to spend the money on Aquinas' actual volumes, I would recommend this text and the one called "Selected Writings" published by Penguin. I would start with this one, and then move on to the Penguin one. It's a good way to understand Aquinas' main conclusions and arguments (albeit this is just brushing the snow off, not even scratching the surface. Aquinas runs deep...) and figuring out if Aquinas is the kind of thinker you resonate with.

[Nox Prognatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of earlier Philosophers work, such as Aristotle, Pseudo-Dionysus, Boethius etc.. it does have Aquinas own take on matters. The book skips back and forth and is very repetitive for the few gems within. one thing is clear, that Aquinas was borrowed out of context by Catholicism and the fact he draws heavily on Earlier Greek philosophy proves it. Some really good sections on life after death, energy and soul. Overall I found the reading repetitive and tedious in places.

[Waltenegus Dargie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. It covers almost the entire spectrum of St. Thomas's works, making the prevailing ideas accessible to the motivated reader. The advantage of having this book on the shelf is to use it as a quick and accessible reference. The book is translated and compiled with a great sense of duty on the par of Timothy McDermontt. Well done. Beautiful.

[Rosemary Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, I didn't read all of it. How could I. But I did read some of it for a class I took on Aquinas's Philosophy of Religion last semester when I was studying in Dublin. And I feel like that effort counts for something.

[Michael Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boring at parts, but some good propositional logic, with one of my favourite quotes; “A rule of the universe to the scientist is both a means to acquire more knowledge and an ends of knowledge in itself”

[Daniel2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely glad I read this. Some arguments are unstable(very few), but for the most part very sold.

[нєνєℓ ¢ανα · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and so insightful!

[Cliodhna Ni Ghadhra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so heartbroken to be away from England that I am giving all its related books mediocre reviews.

[Rahul Chak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aquinas is a methodical thinker with some useful insights, but based on this translation I would never read him again. The writing is unbearably dull. I had to really slog through this one.

[Christopher Byram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first heard about St. Thomas Aquinas when I read somewhere that he reputedly chased away with a burning torch some female sex workers that his friends had hired for him, so devout he was. I discovered the "Selected Philosophical Writings" when it featured in a list of "Oxford World's Classics" on the final couple of pages of James George Frazer's "The Golden Bough".

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuck this dude

[Spencer Sheahan]

Stopped on page 193 (end of part 3).

[John Coates]

A very difficult book to read. It does, however, seem to get easier as one gets used to the way the arguments are put forward. It is an interesting insight into the mind of a man, a religous man, who lived in the thirteenth century, and the way in which he viewed the world, and particularly his steadfast belief in God. A thought provoking book that is well worth the effort needed to read it.