The Five Ways By St. Thomas Aquinas - 996 Words

For centuries The Five Ways, drawn from St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica have been studied, scrutinized, and at the epicenter of heated debate. When St. Thomas wrote this section of his ground breaking essay what he ultimately was claiming, was that through philosophy and observation, there is a way to see how the natural world points to there in fact being a God. Although to some it may seem absurd, modern day science based upon observation and experimentation, does not completely discredit or debunk the first, second, third, and fifth arguments from St. Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways, but rather it suggests substantial evidential credibility, in regards to his theories on God’s existence.Concepts, theories, and laws drawn from the†¦show more content†¦The first argument derives from motion. This argument holds incredible significance for the following reasons, including that St. Thomas Aquinas inadvertently draws attention to the connection between how modern day science lends legitimate evidence, to the creation story, suggesting a degree of accuracy.Thomas Aquinas states the following â€Å"It is cert ain and evident to our senses that in the world some things are in motion. Now whatever is in motion is put in motion by another for nothing can be in motion except it is in potentiality towards which is in motion†(CTR p. 335). Despite the fact that St. Thomas Aquinas lived an estimated 400 years before the great scientist Sir Isaac Newton and his laws of physics, he had a relatively accurate concept of what motion is and its nature in regards to the world around us. After all, motion, or movement, is the active changing of physical location, state, or position (Merriam Webster). If one refers to its physical science definition, the term of â€Å"motion† becomes a little more complex but remains relevant: motion is the conversion of one form of energy to another form of energy, such as potential energy changing to kinetic energy (Encyclopedia Britannica). Everything in existence has energy to some degree, whether it is potential or kinetic and all matter is made of ener gy according to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. With this in mind, according toShow MoreRelatedSt. Thomas Aquinas s Five Ways And William Paley s Argument Essay1825 Words   |  8 Pageswill be writing about St. Thomas Aquinas’s â€Å"Five ways† and William Paley’s â€Å"Teleological argument†. I will be looking into the difference between the two philosophers who both believe in God but have two different approaches on how they can both prove that God does exist. I would like to look deeper into the difference between the two and to see whose theory of Gods existence is more logical with the least arguments. I will be looking at two of Aquinas’s laws two and five, Aquinas says we experienceRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas Essay823 Words   |  4 PagesSt. Thomas Aquinas, was a Dominican monk, who generally one of the greatest Scholastic writers of all times. He used ancient philosophy to prove religious propositions. One of the ancient philosophers that St. Thomas Aquinas used to prove religious facts was Aristotle. One of the greatest works that Aristotle did was to prove that god really exists. St. Thomas Aquinas used the forms that Aristotle and Plato used to prove the same philosophical question, does god really exist? St. Thomas AquinasRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On The Existence Of God1338 Words   |  6 Pagesfocus primarily to proving the existence of God, as well as other religious tenets they held. 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A well-known philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas, introduced five proofs including the Cosmological Arguments of God’s existence, as well as explained some divine qualities that are associated with God. The nature of God’s existence is often questioned by many. Some believe that there is a God, whileRead MoreThe Lifelong Goal Of Saint Thomas Aquinas1692 Words   |  7 PagesRyan Comolli Study Of St. Thomas Aquinas Research Paper 11/23/2014 The lifelong goal of Saint Thomas Aquinas was to clearly elaborate the independence of philosophy and theology, but at the same time show their symbiotic relationship with each other. Throughout his life Aquinas was known as a theologian but many of his works carry strong philosophical undertones as well. The beauty of theology is it can enlighten us through its leap of faith. Philosophy was required to precede theology. Read MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On The Existence Of God1048 Words   |  5 PagesSt. Thomas Aquinas is considered to be one of the greatest minds of the western world as well as one of the greatest theologians. In his work Summa Theologica, which he revised many times over the course of his life, he explored the existence of God, and there are essentially five ways in which St. Thomas Aquinas argues the existence of God. The first way is the argument from change, the second way is the argument from causation, the third argument is the argument from possibility and nec essity,Read MoreSaint Thomas Aquinas Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesSaint Thomas Aquinas I chose to write about Saint Thomas Aquinas because I have heard of his life and found it interesting. There was also a large pool of knowledge to research from, about Saint Thomas Aquinas. I also knew he is called Doctor of the church and I wanted to learn more about that. I was interested in Saint Thomas Aquinas because he was misunderstood by his peers and was also called the Dumb Ox. I wanted to understand how someone can be so misunderstood stood and beRead MoreAristotle s Five Ways Of The Existence Of God1354 Words   |  6 PagesMedieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, who is most famously known for combining principles of faith and reason into a philosophy known as Thomism. The â€Å"five ways† of proofing the existence of God, which is Article three, of Question 2, of part I, of his â€Å"Summa Theologià ¦Ã¢â‚¬ , gives five different ways of proofing the existence of God. In this essay, the five ways of Aquinas will be explained. The first way of proofing the existence of God is an argument based on motion. Aquinas notes that our senses