it seems at first weird that we might learn from Thomas aquinus he was a medieval Saint who was reputed to have levitated and had visions of the Virgin Mary he was much concerned with explaining how Angels speak and move and yet he continues to matter because he helps us with a problem which continues to bedevil us how we can reconcile religion with science and Faith with reason aquinus was both a philosopher and a saint refusing either to lose his faith or mindlessly believe he developed a new understanding of the place of Reason in human life
aquinus is Monumental contribution was to teach Western European civilization that any human being not just a Christian could have access to Great truths whenever they made use of God's greatest gift to human beings reason aquinus broke a log Jam in Christian thinking the question of how non-christians could have both wisdom and at the same time no interest in or even knowledge of Jesus aquinus universalized intelligence he opened the Christian mind to the insights of all of humanity from across the ages and the continents the modern world in so far as it insists that good ideas
can come from any quarter regardless of creed or background remains hugely in aquinas's debt Thomas aquinus was born to a noble family in Italy in 1225 as a young man he went to study at the University of Naples and there came into contact with a source of knowledge which was just then being rediscovered the texts of ancient Greek and Roman authors aquinus then became an academic at the University of Paris and an exceptional Ally prolific writer producing nearly 200 pieces about Christian theology in less than three decades his books bear beautiful and strange titles like
the Suma theologica and Suma Contra Gentiles such was his Devotion to knowledge even at the moment of his death at the age of 49 aquinus is reputed to have been in the middle of writing an extended commentary on the song of songs after he died he was canonized in the Catholic church and is now the patron saint of teachers aquinus is starting point was that some of the world's greatest thinkers have not been Christian but this didn't bar them from having huge insights because as aquinus proposed the world can be usefully explored through reason and
not just through faith to explain how this could work aquinus brilliantly proposed that the Universe and all its Dynamics operate according to two kinds of law secular natural law law and religious Eternal law for aquinus a lot of the world follows natural laws we can find out for ourselves how to smelt iron build an aqueduct or organize an economy and none of this relies on believing in God aquinus discussed Jesus's injunction to do unto others as you would have them do unto you Jesus may have given this idea a particularly memorable formulation conceded aquinus but
it's in fact been a Cornerstone of moral principles in most societies at most times how could this be possible well the reason aquinus argued is that it's an idea that belongs to natural and not Eternal law aquinus conceded that in a few situations God does work simply through Eternal law outside of human reason and he cited prophetic Revelations and the visits of angels as examples however he reassured us that most useful knowledge can be found by atheists and secular-minded people within the realm of natural law aquinas' ideas unfolded at a time when Islamic culture was
going through very similar dilemmas as Christianity in terms of how one can reconcile reason and Faith for a long time the Islamic caliphates in Spain Morocco and Egypt had flourished by being open to knowledge from all over the world generating a wealth of new scientific ideas and philosophy however due to the increasing ing influence of fanatical religious leaders Islam had become more dogmatic and oppressive by the time aquinus was born it had for example reacted violently against the Muslim philosopher avar Rose like aquinus avar Rose had been deeply influenced by Aristotle and had argued that
reason and religion could be compatible however the caliphates anxious never to depart from the literal words of God made sure that aaro's ideas would be banned and his books burn learned aquinus knew that the Muslim world's increasingly radical rejection of reason was harming what had once been its thriving intellectual culture and it was overwhelmingly thanks to aquinus ideas that Christianity did not suffer the same process of stultification though aquinus was a man of deep Faith he provided a philosophical framework for open scientific inquiry he reminds us that knowledge can and should come from multiple sources
from intuition but also from rationality from science but also from Revelation from pagans but also from monks that sounds obvious until we notice just how often civilization has been and is still being harmed by people's refusal to Take This brilliant idea on board for
