Thomas Aquinas believed truth is to be accepted no matter where it is found.
Many philosophical “bad guys” have come from the Christian tradition—on this, all can agree. But, unique among philosophers, St. Thomas Aquinas won the admiration of both Ayn Rand and the church. Aquinas helped reintroduce the teachings of Aristotle (“The Philosopher”) into western society, playing a key role in the Renaissance of human achievement.
Was it right for Aquinas to reach backward fifteen hundred years to resurrect the ideas of a pagan philosopher?
What did Aristotle teach?
- The Principle of Non-contradiction
- The Science of Logic
- The Principle of Causality
- The Peripatetic Axiom: “Whatever is in our intellect must have previously been in the senses.”
- The Correspondence Theory of Truth
Where would we be without the genius of Aristotle? Or without Aquinas who made him known?
Should we accept truth no matter where it is found? Aquinas thought so. The “Doctor” met “The Philosopher,” and both benefited. Aquinas brought Aristotle’s genius to Christendom. Today we see a parallel situation: many Christians respect Ayn Rand as a thinker. Could (and should) a Christian do for Ayn Rand what Aquinas did for Aristotle, bringing her genius to the church?
What do you think about the spectacle of Christians looking for truth in the writings of an atheist philosopher such as Ayn Rand?
Aquinas met great resistance in his day. The leading universities outlawed parts of his teaching until fifty years after his death. But seven centuries later, you know Aquinas, and you know Aristotle. Let us continue to ask, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?”