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.
