Philosophy - Scholasticism

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The Scholastics

Scholasticism sought to justify rationally what the church had already accepted.

Platonic period of medieval philosophy (529-1200); and the Aristotelian period (1200-1453)

Two fundamental problems (1) the problem of universals as objective realities  (2) the problem of logical proofs for the existence of God.

John Scotus Erigna (810-877) - the universal is the essence of reality; the more universal an object is, the more real it is; essence precedes existence

universalia ante rem - the universal is prior to the particular thing

The assumption that universals exist as objective realities is the principal thesis of Scholastic Realism

St Anselm (1033-1109) - his ontological argument: since we possess an idea of a perfect Being, such a Being must necessarily exist because perfection implies existence.

- inasmuch as some things possess more goodness than others do, there must be an absolute good (Summum Bonum), a standard which can be used to evaluate their comparative goodness.

Anselm formulated his Christological theory of satisfaction in an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency between the ideals of divine justice and divine goodness.

Credo ut intelligam - I believe in order that I may understand

Universalia post rem - the universal exists after the particular thing; existence precedes essence

Nominalists (1100), Roscellinus - reality is found in the sensory world, not in the ideal world.

Tritheism - the three persons of the Godhead are actually three separate Gods.

- the universal of something is nothing more than a flatus vocis (oral word).

Peter Abelard (1079-1142) - advocated an appeal to reason (not faith or authority) as a proper means of arriving at the truth.

Intelligo ut credam - I understand in order that I may believe

- there is no sin in doubting, because the person who doubts is led to enquire about the truth.

- morality is not simply a matter of act also the intent that motivates an act.

Conceptualism attempted to synthesize the opposing views of the Nominalists and the Realists by means of rational comparative enquiry.

Arabian philosophers had preserved Aristotle’s work until it was translated from Greek to Latin in the 12th Century, whereby it was acclaimed as a criteria of truth.

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1275) - founder of Dominican order; he organised a philosophical system designed to establish the fundamental rationality of the world as God’s revelation.

- revealed teachings cannot contradict the laws of logic, since would negate the attributes of God.

- since all truth comes from God, the nature of its transmission (reason or revelation) doesn’t matter.

Thomas synthesized both Anselm and Abelard by accepting both propositions.

Thomas posited that God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing).

God is not only the first cause, but also the final cause (the purpose of existence).

Arguments for God’s existence (1) motion or first cause   (2) efficient causality  (3) possibility and necessity   (4) degree of perfection  (5) design or purposiveness

God’s grace can function only if the freewill of man assents.

Thomistic ethics - God created everything for a definite purpose.

- evil is not a substance with its own essence, but rather is a lack of good.

- everything seeks its own good as its own aim

- no one desires evil, they only misconstrue it as good for themself.

virtues function to direct man toward his own good, namely God

theological virtues - faith, hope and love

ethical virtues - temperance, courage, prudence and justice

intellectual virtues - wisdom, science and understanding

- the contemplative life is the highest and best, brings us closest to God where the soul unhampered by the senses can enjoy God in deep mystical contemplation

The goal of the State is to achieve the common good, to establish peace and security, and to protect against enemies.

Democracy is not to be practiced because it goes against nature, some are born superior and others inferior.  Monarchy is the preferred form of government.

- societies/communitie are established by God for Man’s own good, therefore one should obey the law’s because they ultimately have originated from God.

The church is the superior of the two divinely established social institutions (the other is government).

John Duns Scotus - denied the primacy of the intellect over the will, attributed to the will decisive control over the intellect; monk of the Franciscan order.

- philosophy must be subordinated to theology because natural reason is incomplete unless aided by revelation.  Logic can neither prove or disprove questions of faith.

accidental creation - it was not necessary for God to create the world the way it happens to be or to create any world at all.

- whatever God wills becomes good automatically by virtue of his willing.

William of Occam (1280-1347) - a Franciscan student of Scotus, constructed his philosophy on the premise that only particulars exist, the universal is a mere abstraction

scientific agnosticism - science cannot gain truth or knowledge; if scientific laws are not universal principles but only works identifying a number of individual things, then universal laws of science do not exist.

God must be accepted on the basis of faith not proof, because theological beliefs are not subject to demonstration.

Occam’s Razor - hypothetical realities must be kept to a minimum, the simplest explanation is the best.

real science - pertains directly to individual real things.

rational science - deals with abstract concepts without direct sense data.