Tomism is what? Definition and meaning

Philosophy is a science that generates a huge number of disputes. Nevertheless, you can always find a place of thought. A lot of philosophers for several centuries in a row offered their theories and ideas. At the moment there are a lot of them. And many of them went to religion. Along with atheism, deism, neo-Thomism and others, there is a Thomism.

What is it?

Thomism is a scientific thought in the Catholic faith, formulated by the well-known philosopher Thomas Aquinas. This doctrine is also called Fomism. Often this idea is called theistic interpretation of Aristotelianism. All the basic concepts of Aquinas displayed in his work The Sum of Theology. It is worth saying that these thoughts are not canons of faith, but rather a practical tool for understanding this idea with the help of reason.

History

After the appearance of this point of view, it immediately spread to a certain territory. Thomism Aquinas was popular in the Dominican Order. In the 15th century, philosophy develops, a phenomenon such as scholasticism appears. It begins to form into Thomism. Then this thought begins to be divided into several directions. Appears orthodox and Renaissance Thomism. The first denies the development of something, that is, there is a lack of modernization. And the second presupposes a synthesis of Thomism with new humanistic ideas.

By the way, the Renaissance Thomism began to be called Spanish, as it was first adopted there by the Dominican Francisco de Vitoria, and then - by the Jesuit Francisco Suarez. The latter tried to explain some of the dogmas in terms of realism. He tried to transform all metaphysical concepts into a natural-scientific analysis. And these two phenomena, he tried to initially separate and simultaneously reunite.

A new step in history has been the recognition that Thomism is the norm of Catholic theology. This question was raised by Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical. It happened in 1879. Then this historical document became obligatory when studying in every spiritual school.

Founder

Speaking about this idea, we can not say a few words about her "father." The founder of Thomism - Thomas Aquinas - was supposedly born in 1225. He was a philosopher and theologian of Italy. In addition to works connected with Thomism, he also studied the systematization of scholasticism, was a teacher of the church, a member of the Order of Dominicans.

Already many years after his death, in 1879, he was recognized as one of the main and authoritative philosophers of Catholicism. He was glorified for his successful attempt to unite Christian doctrine with Aristotelianism. In addition, he managed to form and express five proofs that God exists.

The Essence

It should be noted that Thomism is a multifaceted concept that can be interpreted in several areas. You can learn about this teaching by reading the theory of knowledge. It is also permissible to combine Thomism with the doctrine of being. And connect it with the science of human nature. There is a cosmic view of the essence of the doctrine, as well as an ethical and political view.

Theory of knowledge

Thomism in philosophy is a complex idea that tries to unite what it seemed impossible to put next to. In turn, this doctrine tries to distinguish between philosophy and theology. Aquinas believed that in the first case the subject was "the truths of reason," and in the second, "truths of revelation."

The philosopher was convinced that both faith and reason can not be sharply opposed. Both of these concepts come from God, and therefore are not contradictory. Thomism suggests that philosophy is the "slave" of theology as much as the human mind is low in the face of divine wisdom. This teaching interprets the truth as the correspondence of reason and things.

Speaking of concepts, Thomism prefers moderate realism. It was in his time supported by Aristotle. It is believed that the features of the object are its main nature. That is, there is no such thing as a common entity. So, from the main theoretical definitions are formed three universals:

• The first is called "before things" and means the essence of the thought of God;
• The second - "in things" - has to do with the general nature of things;
• And "after things" is interpreted as the ability of a person's mind to extract things from an object and form concepts.

Being

Many scientists who became acquainted with Thomism, believed that this teaching is synonymous with ontology. That is, the study of being is a binder of two thoughts. Hence follows the classification of Thomism according to several main definitions of ontology.

The most important thought in the teaching of the existence of Thomism is the reality of the existence of God. And this idea is not just basic, it also provides and explains the strength of other things. God is the realization of existence.

Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, Thomism in particular, shares the concepts of essence and existence. They can coincide only when it comes to things. But true similarities are achieved only in God. Thus, the doctrine indicates that essence is the possibility of a thing, but existence is its reality.

Human

Thomism is a doctrine that encompasses many other sciences. So, if we approach the question from the anthropological point of view, Foamism regards man as a totality of the soul and body. Or rather - a harmonious combination. We know from other philosophical teachings that the soul is not matter and is a substance. But thanks to the body, she receives the final realization.

Thus, we understand that the soul is the driving force of the body and its substantial form. Aquinas believed that it remains after the death of man. In addition to being independent of the body, it is immortal.

By the way, the anthropological point of view is reflected in the theses of Thomism. Thanks to this teaching, it becomes known that the soul has two main functions: cognition and will. Thus, the first is the goal, and the second is the achievement. Immediately, a preference for intellectualism emerges. As the 21st thesis says, "mind is above will."

Space

Because of the limited knowledge of Thomas Aquinas, and indeed of all the people of that time, the space in Thomism was represented in the form of a ladder. The philosopher believed that in the first stage of the world there are inorganic creations, then plants, followed by animals, man, angels at the fifth level, and God at the top. It is not just a peak, but the cause, meaning and purpose of all and all.

Ethics and politics

As mentioned earlier, Thomism is a doctrine that has penetrated into all spheres. Hence the ethical and political views. They formed a Thomist ethic. Its main interpretation is the goal. That is, according to Aquinas, that a person's action was good, it is necessary to subordinate him to a good purpose.

This idea resonates with the biblical about the struggle against thoughts, which says that if a person has good thoughts, then in him lives the Divine Grace. By the way, Thomism suggests that virtue is not just a desire. Most likely, this is a skill of good.

Innovations

Thomism and neo-Thomism go very close. We can say that these two teachings are synonymous. The only difference is in the time interval. The fact is that neo-Thomism is not just an idea, but the official philosophy of Catholics between 1879 and 1962.

This new teaching mainly confirms the dualism of being and being. The first is represented by God, and the second by nature. Thus, the Lord remains the root cause, the thing is the synthesis of matter and form, and the process is the movement of potency to actuality. Now the popularity of these two trends has become much less. It's no secret that more and more Europeans are becoming atheists.