Aquinas and Modernity: The Lost Promise of Natural Law (Modernity and Political Thought)

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In this startling book, Drury overturns the long-standing reputation of Thomas Aquinas as the most rational exponent of the Christian faith. She reveals that Aquinas as one of the most zealous Dominicans (Domini Canes) or Hounds of the Lord. The book contains incisive criticisms of Aquinas's reconciliation of faith and reason, his defense of papal supremacy, his justification of the Inquisition, his insistence on the persecution of Jews, and his veneration of celibacy. Far from being an antiquarian exercise, Drury shows why the study of Aquinas is relevant to the politics of the twenty-first century, where the primacy of faith over reason has experienced a revival. The current pope, Benedict XVI, relies heavily on Aquinas when prescribing cures for the ills of modernity. For Drury, religion is as incompatible with political moderation and sobriety in our time as it was in the thirteenth century. This is why she defends a secular version of Aquinas's theory of natural law_a theory that he betrayed in favor of what she calls 'the politics of salvation.' Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Series Editors' Introduction Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1 The Horrors of Theocracy The Historical Setting The Fanaticism of Faith The Lost Promise of NaturalLaw Chapter 2 The Subjugation of Reason The Intellectual Setting William of Saint-Amour Siger of Brabant The Usurpation of the Double Truth Aristotle and the Bible Faith and Reason The Authority of Scoundrels Weapon Against Modernity The Ann-Modernist Oath The Appeal of Fideism Is Faith Impervious to Reason? Chapter 3 The Politics of Salvation Papal Supremacy and the Two Swords The Pragmatism of Natural Law The Bigotry of Faith Heathens, Heretics, and Jews The Success and Failure of the Mosaic Law Just War and Holy War Death to Heretics Aquinas and the Inquisition Chapter 4 Sin, Sex, and Celibacy Eunuchs for Heaven The "Aristotelian" Argument Sharing the Agony The Sex Life of Adam and Eve To Marry or To Burn? Carnal Pleasure and the Contemplation of God Those Pesky Polygamous Patriarchs The Crimes of Celibacy The Vices of Celibacy: Abelard, Heloise, and Augustine Chapter 5 Aquinas and Modernity: A Dialogue Christianity and the Inquisition The Silence of Conscience The Separation of Church and State Western Civilization and the Islamic Threat Freedom and Licentiousness The New Averroist Menace The Disenchantment of Postmodernity Chapter 6 Recovering the Lost Promise of Natural Law Natural Law and Human Nature A Minimalist Reading Abhorrence of Nature Conscience Conventionalism Legal Positivism Natural Law and Divine Revelation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author