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160). Furthermore, Aquinas considers all people as being creations of God and parts of a whole that God represents. God's perfection has been passed on to its creations and thus all humans are perfect in their nature.
Aquinas is obsessed with demonstrating the existence of God and this can be seen in most of his writings. F.C. Copleston elucidates the reason for this through the fact that "in arguing for the truth of theism he places special emphasis on one argument, which I shall call 'The Existence Argument'." (Copleston, F.C. pp. 31)
Apparently, Aquinas considered that if he managed to demonstrate that God exists, everyone will have faith. In general, one has five methods through which he or she can prove the existence of God. All methods need to relate to something logical in order for people to comprehend. Aquinas' first way of proving the existence of a divine character is the statement "what is moved, is moved by another'. This refers to the fact that every effect has a cause and everything has been created by someone. The second statement is "it is impossible for something to be the efficient cause of itself." Clearly, there can be no effect without a cause, and a certain something cannot create itself. The third statement that Aquinas has to prove that God exists is "What is not, cannot begin to be, unless by force of something which is." A certain thing cannot commence to exist if it is not powered by something. The fourth statement is "What is said to be the greatest in any order of perfection is also the cause of all that exists in that order." Every value is given based on a comparison with something that reaches perfection. That certain something that represents perfection is God. "Where there is a tendency of many to the same end, there...
Aquinas's teachings have lived on and are still offering solutions to many of the existential problems encountered today. "And it is also generally regarded, of course, as representing in the modern world the prolongation of an ancient, some would say 'antiquated', philosophical tradition." (Copleston pp. 235)
Works Cited
Aquinas, Thomas & Gilby, Thomas. St. Thomas Aquinas: Philosophical Texts. Oxford University Press, 1951.
Copleston, F.C. Aquinas. Penguin Books, 1955.
Davies, Brian. The Thought of Thomas Aquinas. Clarendon Press, 1993.
Davies, Brian. Thomas Aquinas: Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Kemerking, Garth. Thomas Aquinas. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Philosophy pages Web site: http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aqui.htm
McGrath, E. Alistar. Christian Theology: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Stump, Eleonore. Aquinas. Routledge, 2003.
1999). "Saint Thomas Aquinas." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/#A4
2005). "Aquinas' Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas-moral-political/
The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from the Classic Philosophers Web site: http://www.radicalacademy.com/aquinas1.htm#intro
Works Cited
Aquinas, Thomas & Gilby, Thomas. St. Thomas Aquinas: Philosophical Texts. Oxford University Press, 1951.
Copleston, F.C. Aquinas. Penguin Books, 1955.
Davies, Brian. The Thought of Thomas Aquinas. Clarendon Press, 1993.
Davies, Brian. Thomas Aquinas: Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Kemerking, Garth. Thomas Aquinas. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Philosophy pages Web site: http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aqui.htm
1999). "Saint Thomas Aquinas." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/#A4
2005). "Aquinas' Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas-moral-political/
The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas." Retrieved February 20, 2009, from the Classic Philosophers Web site: http://www.radicalacademy.com/aquinas1.htm#intro
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