Aquinas on Friendship (Oxford Philosophical Monographs)

Mary M. Keys

Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good claims that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas’s normative concept of the common good and his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics. Examining the relationship between personal and common goods, and the relation of virtue and law to both, Mary M. Keys shows why Aquinas should be read in addition to Aristotle on these perennial questions. She focuses on Aquinas’s Commentaries as mediating statements between Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and, Aquinas’s own Summa Theologiae, showing how this serves as the missing link for grasping Aquinas’s understanding of Aristotle’s thought, in relation to Aquinas’s own considered views. Keys argues provocatively that Aquinas’s Christian faith opens up new panoramas and possibilities for philosophical inquiry and insights into ethics and politics. Her book shows how religious faith can assist sound philosophical inquiry into the foundation and proper purposes of society and politics. Leer más…

Rudi A. Te Velde

Prior to my class with Dr. Reinhard Huetter (a formidable theologian in his own right), I had only encountered Thomas Aquinas in out of context snippets. That's not to say that I had negative perceptions of Thomas, only slightly off base. Velde's text was a secondary source to the main text, Thomas Aquinas' "The Treatise of the Divine Nature" from his "Summa Theologiae"(see below). Velde briefly familiarizes the reader with major alternative interpretations of Aquinas without amassing a detail overload. He then proceeds to clearly demonstrate his own reading of Aquinas. Velde emphasizes the long history of ripping pieces of Aquinas' work out of its theological context to make it do strictly philosophical work. Velde reasserts the theological context of ALL the arguments in the Summa, especially Aquinas' "treatise" on God. This book is dense and not for the faint of heart! I would suggest some prior engagement with Aristotle's "Metaphysics," if only briefly. You might also want to look at Torrell's brief introduction to Aquinas (see below). This text is definitely a must for anyone who wishes to engage Aquinas beyond surface level; thus, any who wish to do theology should read this since a good theologian will familiarize herself with Thomas Aquinas! Aquinas's Summa: Background, Structure, & Reception The Theology Of Thomas Aquinas The Treatise On The Divine Nature: Summa Theologiae I 1-13 (The Hackett Aquinas) Leer más…

Anthony John Patrick Kenny; Netlibrary, Inc

anthony Kenny Offers A Critical Examination Of Thomas Aquinas's Influential Account Of Being, Arguing That It Suffers From Systematic Confusion. Because Of The Centrality Of The Doctrine, This Has Implications For Other Parts Of Aquinas's Philosophical System. Kenny's Clear And Incisive Study Dispels The Confusion And Offers Philosophers And Theologians A Guide Through The Labyrinth Of Aquinas's Ontology. Leer más…

Sir Anthony Kenny; Anthony Kenny

Aquinas' mature works, though theological in intent, contain much material which is philosophical in the sense that it is not in any way dependent on beliefs which are specifically Christian. His philosophical psychology, or philosophy of mind, was not taken seriously by secular thinkers, with one or two exceptions, from the 16th to the 19th centuries because of the dominance of ideas deriving from Descartes. In the present century many philosophers have come to regard the Cartesian system as quite exploded, and it can now be seen that Aquinas' philosophy of mind has a great contemporary interest and is indeed one of the best options in this area from any period. This book makes accessible those parts of Aquinas' system which are of enduring value. The kernal of the work is a close reading of the sections of "Summa Theologiae" which are devoted to human intellect and will and to the relationship between soul and body. It presupposes no knowledge of Latin or of medieval history, and relates Aquinas' system to a tradition of philosophy of mind inaugurated in the Anglo-American community by Wittgenstein and Ryle. Leer más…

Thomas Aquinas, Brian Davies, Richard Regan

The De Malo represents some of Aquinas' most mature thinking on goodness, badness, and human agency. In it he examines the full range of questions associated with evil: its origin, its nature, its relation to good, and its compatibility with the existence of an omnipotent, benevolent God. This edition offers Richard Regan's new, clear readable English translation, based on the Leonine Commission's authoritative edition of the Latin text. Brian Davies has provided an extensive introduction and notes. (Please note: this edition does not include the Latin text). Leer más…

By A. W. Price

Reissued in 1997 with corrections and a new Afterword, this book fully explores for the first time an idea common to Plato and Aristotle, which unites their treatments-- otherwise very different--of love and friendship. The idea is that although persons are separate, their lives need not be. One person's life may overflow into another's, and as such, helping another person is a way of serving oneself. The author shows how their view of love and friendship, within not only personal relationships, but also the household and even the city-state, promises to resolve the old dichotomy between egoism and altruism. Leer más…

David Konstan

"This book - the only history of friendship in classical antiquity that exists in English - examines the nature of friendship in Greece and Rome from Homer to the Christian Roman Empire of the fourth century AD. Friendship is conceived of as a voluntary and loving relationship, but there are major shifts in emphasis from the bonding among warriors in epic poetry, to the egalitarian ties characteristic of the Athenian democracy, the status-conscious connections in Rome and the Hellenistic kingdoms, and the commitment to a universal love among Christian writers. Friendship is also examined in relation to erotic love and comradeship, for its role in politics and economic life, in philosophical and religious communities, in connection with patronage and the private counsellors of kings, and in respect to women. Its relation to modern friendship is also fully discussed."--Publisher description Leer más…

Lorraine Smith Pangle

This book offers a comprehensive account of the major philosophical works on friendship and its relationship to self-love. The book gives central place to Aristotle's searching examination of friendship in the Nicomachean Ethics. Lorraine Pangle argues that the difficulties surrounding this discussion are soon dispelled once one understands the purpose of the Ethics as both a source of practical guidance for life and a profound, theoretical investigation into human nature. The book also provides fresh interpretations of works on friendship by Plato, Cicero, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne and Bacon. The author shows how each of these thinkers sheds light on central questions of moral philosophy: is human sociability rooted in neediness or strength? is the best life chiefly solitary, or dedicated to a community with others? Clearly structured and engagingly written, this book will appeal to a broad swathe of readers across philosophy, classics and political science. (A cura dell'editore) Leer más…

Paul Brendan Murray O.p.

Those readers who, in the past, have found the study of Aquinas especially daunting, will be grateful to the Dominican Paul Murray for the freshness and clarity he brings to his task. Praying with Confidence: Aquinas on the Lord's Prayer is both a stimulating scholarly study and an ideal introduction for the general reader. Never before have the most important reflections by Aquinas on the Lord's Prayer been drawn together and considered in a single book. Here, Aquinas comes alive not merely as a profound speculative theologian but also as an impressive master and guide of the spiritual and moral life. And he also comes across, on occasion, as a teacher capable of saying the unexpected, openly confessing, for example, "...it is hardly possible to say a single Our Father without our minds wandering off to other things." The style of Aquinas is, for the most part, plain and expository, but evident on every page is the serene, unmistakable mark of wisdom, Aquinas's own, and that of the great tradition. Leer más…

Francis L. B. Cunningham

The Indwelling of the Trinity: A Historico-Doctrinal Study of the Theory of S... Leer más…

[By] James C. Doig

Thomas Aquinas' Commentary on the Metaphysics has long been con­ sidered by many as one of the most interesting, most rewarding of all his works. Yet strangely enough, there has been no extensive study of this work, at least none that has ever reached print. It is in the hope of partially filling this gap in medieval research that the present study of the metaphysical system of the Commentary was conceived. However, the discussion of the Commentary's metaphysics must simultaneously be an investigation into the reasons which motivated Aquinas in the composition of his work. Did he wish to expose only the theories of Aristotle, or did he simultaneously intend to present his own metaphysical views? Obviously, we must learn the answer to this before we can proceed to disentangle the metaphysical system, or systems, operative in Aquinas' Commentary. Up to the present day this problem, the nature of Aquinas' exposition has not been answered in a manner acceptable to all. Generally speak­ ing, three theories have been advanced. A first one would see the 1 Commentary as an objective exposition of Aristotle. A second opinion views Aquinas' exposition as an attempt to express his own personal 2 theories on metaphysics. And finally, the third view divides within the Commentary paragraphs containing Aquinas' personal thought ... Leer más…

Brian Davies

Brian Davies offers the first in-depth study of Saint Thomas Aquinas's thoughts on God and evil, revealing that Aquinas's thinking about God and evil can be traced through his metaphysical philosophy, his thoughts on God and creation, and his writings about Christian revelation and the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. Davies first gives an introduction to Aquinas's philosophical theology, as well as a nuanced analysis of the ways in which Aquinas's writings have been considered over time. For hundreds of years scholars have argued that Aquinas's views on God and evil were original and different from those of his contemporaries. Davies shows that Aquinas's views were by modern standards very original, but that in their historical context they were more traditional than many scholars since have realized. Davies also provides insight into what we can learn from Aquinas's philosophy. Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil is a clear and engaging guide for anyone who struggles with the relation of God and theology to the problem of evil. Leer más…

Edited By Barbara Caine

The meaning and importance of friendship have become questions of increasing interest in recent years, as declining rates of marriage and parenthood have made the family less central and friends more so in the lives of many people, particularly in the western world. Yet the history of friendship, and the ways in which it has changed its form and its meaning over time has only just begun to be discussed. Both historically and in the contemporary world, the language of friendship has not been confined to personal relationships. It is significant also in discussions or descriptions of a range of different ethical systems, social institutions and political alliances. The term 'friend' and others derived from it, such as 'mate' or 'comrade', have played an important role in establishing and characterizing particular religious organization, national cultures and political movements. The concept of friendship has been an important one in western philosophy, too. Indeed, for many philosophers, from Plato and Aristotle to G. E. Moore, friendship, or terms connected to friendship are crucial to the establishment of society and to the meaning of the good life. As Jacques Derrida has argued recently, in relation to his book The Politics of Friendship, while 'friendship ...is marginal in the usual taxonomies of political concepts, as soon as you read the canonical texts in political theory starting with Plato or Aristotle, you discover that friendship plays an organising role in the... Leer más…

Fergus Kerr

This guide to the most interesting work that has recently appeared on Aquinas reflects the revival of interest in his work. Written by one of the foremost Roman Catholic theologians currently writing in English. Offers a guide to the most interesting work that has recently appeared on Aquinas, reflecting the revival of interest in his work. Brings together in one volume, a range of views that have previously only been accessible through different books, articles, and periodicals. Represents a major revisionist treatment of Thomism and its significance, combining useful exposition with original, creative thinking. Offers students, in one volume, all the material necessary for a rounded understanding of Aquinas. Leer más…

Mary P. Nichols

In the modern philosophical tradition, Plato's Socrates has been viewed as an alienating influence on Western thought and life. In this book, Mary Nichols addresses Kierkegaard's and Nietzsche's criticism of Socrates and recovers the place of friendship and community in Socratic philosophizing. Her rich analysis of both dramatic details and philosophic themes in Plato's Symposium, Phaedras, and Lysis shows how love finds its fulfillment in the reciprocal relation of friends. Nichols shows how friends experience another as their own and themselves as belonging to another. Their experience, she argues, both sheds light on the nature of philosophy and serves as a standard for a political life that does justice to human freedom and community. Leer más…

Cicero, Marcus Tullius

Part of a collection of Cicero’s writings which includes On Old Age, On Friendship, Officius, and Scipio’s Dream. Leer más…

Suzanne Stern-Gillet, Sj Gary M. Gurtler

__Charts the stages of the history of friendship as a philosophical concept in the Western world.__ Focusing on Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, and early Christian and Medieval sources, __Ancient and Medieval Concepts of Friendship__ brings together assessments of different philosophical accounts of friendship. This volume sketches the evolution of the concept from ancient ideals of friendship applying strictly to relationships between men of high social position to Christian concepts that treat friendship as applicable to all but are concerned chiefly with the soul’s relation to God—and that ascribe a secondary status to human relationships. The book concludes with two essays examining how this complex heritage was received during the Enlightenment, looking in particular to Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Hölderlin Leer más…