Aquinas- Faith and Reason Handout

Read on page 36 Reply beginning with the words "The gifts of grace are added......" and also read on page 38 Reply to 5. Reply to the following questions in the Comments section of this posting. 

- What do you think Aquinas means by "The gifts of grace are added to nature in such a way that they do not destroy it, but rather perfect it. So too the light of faith, which is imparted to us as a gift, does not do away with the light of natural reason given to us by God."

- What do you think Aquinas means by "So those who use the works of philosophers is sacred doctrine, by bringing them into the service of faith, do not mix water with wine, but rather change water into wine." What is symbolized by the wine and the water?

St. Thomas Aquinas

"Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) 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 had obtained for centuries. This crisis flared up just as universities were being founded. Thomas, after early studies at Montecassino, moved on to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican Order. It was at Naples too that Thomas had his first extended contact with the new learning. When he joined the Dominican Order he went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristoteliancorpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, which had been formed out of 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 Averroistic interpretations of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result was a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy which survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church has over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of Thomas's work, both theological and philosophical, for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource which is now receiving increased recognition. The following account concentrates on Thomas the philosopher" (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/). 


ASSIGNMENT
READ THE FOLLOWING: 

1. WHETHER, BESIDES PHILOSOPHY, ANY FURTHER DOCTRINE IS REQUIRED?
2. WHETHER SACRED DOCTRINE IS A SCIENCE?
3. WHETHER THE EXISTENCE OF GOD IS SELF-EVIDENT?
4. WHETHER IT CAN BE DEMONSTRATED THAT GOD EXISTS?

1. For each text (four total), Summarize 1 Objection and the related Reply.
2. For each text (four total), Summarize the "I answer that" section. 

Please identify each objection and reply by number- for example, "Objection #2/Reply". 

Thanksgiving Paper

1. Re-read the two page paper on flesh in The City of God (last 2 pages of packet given in class.)
2. Read the ten page paper on De Genesi contra Manichaeos. 
3. Assignment: Write a 4 page paper following these guidelines:

• First 2 pages should be a summary of the ten page paper on  De Genesi contra Manichaeos. Focus in on major themes and be sure to cite quotes directly from the paper. 
• Last 2 pages should be a comparison between the themes in the The City of God paper versus those in the  De Genesi contra Manichaeos paper. These are just places to start or even things to think about- you DO NOT HAVE TO USE THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR ANALYSIS. 

                                              - Are Augustine's themes and concepts consistent?

                                              - How is flesh playing a role in the internal/external theme?

                                              - How does flesh impact unity?

                                             - Is flesh part of the natural order of things?

                    

PAPERS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO mrjcbecker@gmail.com BY CLASS ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 1ST. 

Flesh in the City of God

1. Read the 2 page analysis of flesh in The City of God. 
2. Write a 1 page summary of the analysis. Times New Roman 12 font, double spaced, no header except Name.
3. Papers should be emailed to mrjcbecker@gmail.com by class time on November 25th. 

Some Background on The City of God- 
"The work of Augustine's most likely to be known to modern students of political thought is The City of God. Although this work was often copied in the middle ages (382 manuscripts have survived), a reading of the whole work was never part of the university curriculum. Extracts from it were included in influential anthologies, such as Gratian's Decretum and Peter Lombard's Sentences. 

Although the members of the two cities have different ultimate values, they may have intermediate ends in common—for example, they all desire peace on earth. Insofar as any particular state serves such common ends it will have the cooperation of members of the city of God. See City of God,XIX.17 (pp. 945–7). As a Platonist Augustine thought in terms of a hierarchy of levels of reality, in which lower levels imitate or reflect the higher levels. 

Augustine's is not a philosophy of “black and white”, of stark opposition between the forces of light and the forces of darkness—this was the Manichean philosophy, to which Augustine at one time subscribed, until the reading of certain works of the Platonists had led him to reject it. According to Augustine there is no absolute evil. Anything evil must be to some extent good, or it could not exist at all. Its evil consists in disorder or misdirection, in its failing to attain all the goodness appropriate to it. “The peace of all things lies in the tranquillity of order, and order is the disposition of equal and unequal things in such a way as to give to each its proper place” (City of God, XIX.13, p. 938). There are many orderings and sub-orderings, and there are therefore different kinds or levels of peace, and (for beings capable of moral choice) different kinds or levels of virtue, justice and happiness." (from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medieval-political/#CitGod). 

Augustine on Mind/Body, Memory, Hierarchy of beings, Inward Turn....

Read the passages from the Confessions given to you in class.

Identify 5 major themes found in the passages. Post your 5 themes in the comments section of this posting. Explain why you think each theme is a MAJOR theme; use quotes to back-up your claim. If working in pairs, only one posting is necessary but please include your partner's name at the top of the posting.

Philosophy Resources on the Web

Interesting Website (includes a list of philosophy twitter accounts)-
https://lucretius21c.wordpress.com/philosophers-on-twitter/

Philosophy Without Gaps- Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, "without any gaps." The series looks at the ideas, lives and historical context of the major philosophers as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy-  http://plato.stanford.edu/

On-Line Philosophy Magazine- http://aeon.co/magazine/philosophy/

Augustine's Confessions

Choose a passage in Augustine's Confessions (click here) and analyze it by using the theme of faith and reason as your central focal point. What role does faith (theology/religion) play in the passage? What role does reason(philosophy/logic) play? Are faith and reason both being used? Be sure to cite what passage you are analyzing and your analysis should be minimum of 7-8 sentences. Complete analysis in comments section of this post.

St. Augustine- Answer Question in Comments Section of this Post

"Augustine is not only one of the major sources whereby classical philosophy in general and Neoplatonism in particular enter into the mainstream of early and subsequent medieval philosophy, but there are significant contributions of his own that emerge from his modification of that Greco-Roman inheritance, e.g., his subtle accounts of belief and authority, his account of knowledge and illumination, his emphasis upon the importance and centrality of the will, and his focus upon a new way of conceptualizing the phenomena of human history, just to cite a few of the more conspicuous examples." (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/)

Read Ch. 11 & 12 (Book Ten)- Click HERE. 
1. How is Plato/Plotinus influencing Augustine's epistemology? What is the focus for Augustine in these passages when it comes to knowing?

Read Ch. 9 & 10 (Book 7)- Click HERE 
2. Describe and explain the relationship between God and the soul? What role does God play in humans acquiring knowledge?
3. Why is Augustine using the theme of light/darkness in describing the soul's relationship with God? What does light have to do with epistemology?

Read Ch. 1 & 2 (Book 2)- Click HERE
4. How does Augustine's description of his younger years match up with Plato/Plotinus type language? What causes his soul to be disordered and in disarray? How can Augustine restore order to his soul?
                                                 

Aristotle- Potential/Actuality

Video on Aristotle

Read the passages- give a summary of De Anima Book 3 Passage (1 paragraph).

Give 2-3 Paragraph summary of Part 5.

Be sure to focus on the concepts of potentiality and actuality.

Aristotle

Graduating from Plato and moving onto Aristotle...


Assignment:

Read Aristotle's Metaphysics, Book 1.
In Comments Section-
1 Paragraph on Summary
1 Paragraph on differences between Plato and Aristotle

St. Francis/Pacifism

Answers to questions can be posted to comments section.

Plato's Forms

1. Watch this video.
2. Read both handouts concerning the soul and the Forms.
3. Write up (in the sections comment of this post) a 2-3 paragraph summary on the soul and the Forms. What role does the soul play with the Forms? What role does the body play? What is the main point of the Plato's Symposium as it related to the soul and the Forms?

Plato Quotes

Provide a quote from Plato in comments section. Then, put quote in your own words.

Plato- Allegory of the Cave

Full text and accompanying video found here. 

HOMEWORK: IN COMMENTS SECTION, GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU THINK PLATO IS SAYING ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION AND HOW HUMANS PERCEIVE THE WORLD.

Bio/Background Plato (429–347 B.C.E.) is, by any reckoning, one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy. An Athenian citizen of high status, he displays in his works his absorption in the political events and intellectual movements of his time, but the questions he raises are so profound and the strategies he uses for tackling them so richly suggestive and provocative that educated readers of nearly every period have in some way been influenced by him, and in practically every age there have been philosophers who count themselves Platonists in some important respects. He was not the first thinker or writer to whom the word “philosopher” should be applied. But he was so self-conscious about how philosophy should be conceived, and what its scope and ambitions properly are, and he so transformed the intellectual currents with which he grappled, that the subject of philosophy, as it is often conceived—a rigorous and systematic examination of ethical, political, metaphysical, and epistemological issues, armed with a distinctive method—can be called his invention. Few other authors in the history of Western philosophy approximate him in depth and range: perhaps only Aristotle (who studied with him), Aquinas, and Kant would be generally agreed to be of the same rank. (from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/). 

Charges Against Socrates, His Refusal for a Plea Deal, and his Sons.

These are the three major topics/themes we will read about in class today concerning The Apology of Socrates. Please put the designated passages into your own words in the Comments Section of this posting.

The Apology in a different format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Pl2HcmpVk

The Apology of Socrates

For a full-text of the Apology, click here. After reading, please be sure to answer the following questions in the "Comments" section of THIS posting. Do not email them to me, do not post them to another date.

For an in depth analysis of the real life trial of Socrates, click here. 

Read the first 5 pages of the text from the above link.

Questions

1.Describe Socrates' over-all tone in the first 4 pages of the reading. 

2. What does Socrates believe he is being accused of?

3. What role does Socrates' reputation play? What does he think is his reputation?

4. Give me your thoughts thus far on the text- what stands out the most? What does not make sense? What are some emerging themes?

Some Additional Help: Socrates in Modern Day English- Click here

Parmenides

PARMENIDES


Parmenides was a Greek philosopher and poet, born of an illustrious family about B.C.E. 510, at Elea in Lower Italy, and is is the chief representative of the Eleatic philosophy. He was held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens for his excellent legislation, to which they ascribed the prosperity and wealth of the town. He was also admired for his exemplary life. A “Parmenidean life” was proverbial among the Greeks. He is commonly represented as a disciple of Xenophanes. Parmenides wrote after Heraclitus, and in conscious opposition to him, given the evident allusion to Hericlitus: “for whom it is and is not, the same and not the same, and all things travel in opposite directions” (fr. 6, 8). Little more is known of his biography than that he stopped at Athens on a journey in his sixty-fifth year, and there became acquainted with the youthful Socrates. That must have been in the middle of the fifth century BCE., or shortly after it. (Information taken from http://www.iep.utm.edu/parmenid/)

For a detailed introduction and philosophical analysis of Paremenides' work- click here. 

Assignment: In the Comments section, compare and contrast Thales and Parmenides. How are their approaches different? What questions are at the heat of their texts? Do either offer any answers to these questions?

Socrates Cafe- A Question and Your Response

"THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING" - Socrates

To read reviews of the book, click here.

Reminders: Quality over Quantity; dedicate the necessary time and find the appropriate environment to conduct your reading/writing; Be Careful with Words.

Complete the assignment in the Comments Section to this posting.