Aquinas on Being, Goodness, and God

Description

Thomas Aquinas is one of the most important figures in the history of philosophy and philosophical theology. Relying on a deep understanding of Aristotle, Aquinas developed a metaphysical framework that is comprehensive, detailed, and flexible. Within that framework, he formulated a range of strikingly original and carefully explicated views in areas including natural theology, philosophy of mind, philosophical psychology, and ethics. In this book, Christopher Hughes focuses on Aquinas’s thought from an analytic philosophical perspective. After an overview of Aquinas’s life and works, Hughes discusses Aquinas’s metaphysics, including his conception of substance, matter, and form, and his account of essence and existence; and his theory of the nature of human beings, including his critique of a substance dualism that Aquinas attributes to Plato, but is usually associated with Descartes. In the final chapters, Hughes discusses Aquinas’s account of the existence and nature of God, and his treatment of the problem of evil, as well as his ideas about the relation of goodness to being, choice, and happiness. Aquinas on Being, Goodness, and God is essential reading for students and scholars of Aquinas, and anyone interested in philosophy of religion or the history of medieval philosophy. Cover......Page 1 Dedication......Page 3 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Preface......Page 9 1 Life and works......Page 14 The taxonomy of being......Page 20 The non-identity of material substances with their matter......Page 34 Substances and their (received) forms......Page 53 One substance, one substantial form......Page 72 The identity (or otherwise) of immaterial substances with their substantial forms and essences......Page 80 The essence and individuation of material substances......Page 87 Essence and existence......Page 123 Materialism and dualism......Page 135 Aquinas’ critique of “Platonic” dualism......Page 139 Intellective souls and substantial forms......Page 146 Animalism and personalism......Page 154 Natural theology: the existence of God......Page 165 Natural theology: the nature of God......Page 200 Evil, sin, and hell......Page 235 Goodness and being......Page 276 Goodness, will, and choice......Page 322 Goodness and happiness......Page 364 Bibliography......Page 377 Index......Page 378