THEOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
What is Aquinas' definition of a science?
Saint Thomas's definition of science is the organized body of knowledge of things from their causes.
Yes
What is Form and Matter?
Form refers to the actuality or specific structure that gives a thing its identity and purpose. It is the principle that organizes and makes matter into something determinate, something with a particular nature.
Matter refers to the potentiality or the underlying "stuff" of which a thing is made.
What is essence?
The essence of a thing is what makes that thing to be what it is. The essence of a thing defines, at a fundamental level, the core reality of that thing.
Does Pineapple belong on Pizza?
Absolutely not. This violates the nature of pizza as a savory dish.
Is Sacred Doctrine/Theology a Science?
Yes! Sacred doctrine is a science because it proceeds from principles established by the light of a higher science, namely, the science of God and the blessed.
Where does 'Truth' reside?
'Truth' resides primarily in the intellect
What is the 'Form' of a human?
The form of a human is the rational soul
What is the difference between Essence and Being?
Essence is 'what' a thing is and Being is 'that' it is. Being refers to the existence of a thing itself. Essence refers to the nature or defining characteristics of a thing.
Why is it important to study the theology and philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas?
What makes Theology a nobler/higher science than any other?
One speculative science is said to be nobler than another, either by reason of its greater certitude, or by reason of the higher worth of its subject-matter. The purpose of this science, in so far as it is practical, is eternal bliss. Is there anything more important?
What is Aquinas' definition of Truth?
Truth is defined by the conformity of intellect and thing; and hence to know this conformity is to know truth.
Can Matter exist without Form?
No. Matter or 'Prime Matter' is pure potentiality and needs a form in order to express that form.
What is the difference between Substance and Accidents?
Substance is a thing existing by its own act of being and accidents are that which exists in another substance. An accident is a quality of a substance. An accident can be the color, size, weight, etc of the substance whereas the substance would be the thing itself existing as an independent unit. Accidents do not determine a substance's essence.
Is the long answer always the right one in the Aquinas 101 quizzes?
yeah pretty much lol.
Explain St. Thomas' hierarchy of sciences.
Saint Thomas ranks sciences based on the universality of their principles and the authority from which they come.
How can we know if something is true?
For Aquinas, truth is when our mind conforms to reality. Something is true if it aligns with how things really are. So, we know something is true if our intellectual understanding matches the objective reality of what exists.
Why is Matter referred to as the 'Principle of Individuation' ?
Matter is what makes a thing a particular. Forms are universal but when a Form can have a concrete and particular expression, it does so through matter and thus has substance.
ex: A substance with the form and matter of chair is a particular because thanks to its matter, it now exists in time and space which gives it a uniqueness.
How can a thing maintain its identity over time, despite undergoing significant changes?
It can maintain its identity by keeping its substance, form, matter and nature.
Explain the Churches Teaching on why contraception is wrong by referring to the essence of the marital embrace and marriage.
The essence of the marital embrace is the physical and spiritual union of spouses for the purposes of,
1. Procreation
2. Union of Spouses
To deliberately block one of these ends would violate the very nature of the marital act and therefore the marriage itself.
How do we argue Theology compared to other sciences?
Sacred Scripture, since it has no science above itself, can dispute with one who denies its principles only if the opponent admits some at least of the truths obtained through divine revelation; thus we can argue with heretics from texts in Holy Writ, and against those who deny one article of faith, we can argue from another. If our opponent believes nothing of divine revelation, there is no longer any means of proving the articles of faith by reasoning, but only of answering his objections — if he has any — against faith.
What is the philosophical basis for asserting the principle of noncontradiction?
Can be many answers but one is:
It would no longer be possible to distinguish degrees of error; everything would be equally false and true at the same time;
Explain how we come to 'know' objects (form+matter) with our intellects and our senses.
Our senses pick-up the matter (sense, smell, touch, sight, etc) but our intellect abstracts the form from the matter so the object is intelligible. This form exists in our intellect and thus we can now 'play' with this concept in our heads.
Explain how the 'end' or final cause of a thing is critical in understanding the ethics of Aquinas and also the Catholic Church.
God created everything with a purpose. This purpose is ultimately what everything is made for and living in accordance with that purpose is what makes a thing 'good'. When something acts contrary its purpose or end, it does violence to the nature of that thing.
For example:
A car is made to drive on a road. If we drive that car into a lake we will inevitably damage the car.
List and explain Aristotle's 4 causes with an example.
Example is
1. Material (wood)
2. Formal (structure of chair)
3. Efficient (Carpenter)
4. Final (object to sit on)