Talk:Thomism
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[edit] Philosophical realism
As a neo-Thomist, I find the vast majority of this article quite accurate and informative. The only point that really sticks out to me is the explanation of "Philosophical Realism." I don't have any texts handy, so I can't provide support yet. I believe that St. Thomas holds all men to be of one species, while every individual angel is a species unto itself, with no two angels of the same species. Summa Theologica I, Q. 75, a. 7 touches on this. Article 4 of the same question touches on the matter of man's body, as does article 4 of question 76. It would be far less controversial to state that man is made of body and soul, the body being the matter and the soul being the form, without arguing that the body must be prime matter. "Philosophical realism" might better be described as "Hylomorphism", which is the understanding of material things as being composed of matter (hylo) and form (morph). "Philosophical realism" seems to have more to do with the existence of universals in the things that actually exist, and with the things we sense actually existing in themselves, and not simply in our minds. St. Thomas is, quite clearly, a philosophical or metaphysical realist.
-Dane Weber
[edit] Proofs of God's existence?
I removed the following from the introduction to the 5 Ways discussion: "Though termed "proofs" of God's existence, they are better understood as "reasonings." These reasonings observe certain effects, and move towards inferring the cause. Aquinas would argue that God's existence cannot be "proven" per se because thinking of an object does not prove its existence, but that God's existence can be inferred based on these effects."
This is factually incorrect. Aquinas not only believed they were proofs, he Called them proofs, and is quoted above (in the section under Theodicy) of explaining that God's existence could be proven a-posteriori, which the 5 Ways are. Bozimmerman 22:35, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Natural Law and Ethics in General
Could we have a section on the Thomist ethical beliefs, especially a summary of Aquinas' understanding of Natural Law? I would like to know all the things he had to say on the matter, and all the alterations he made to the pagan philosophy in claiming it for Christianity.Fledgeaaron (talk) 10:22, 19 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Changed heading from "Theodicy" to "God"
Items 22 to 24 do not appear to be about Theodicy at all. According to Wikipedia, "Theodicy is a specific branch of theology and philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the belief in an omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent God, i.e., the problem of evil." There is no reference to the problem of evil here. It is about Aquinas' concept of God.
