Customer Reviews

Aquinas (Past Masters)

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Kenny's text on Aquinas is informative and to the point. If you want more than a shallow introduction to Aquinas' life and thought, this is an excellent place to begin. Like other contributions in the Past Masters series, the text offers a brief biography, articulates the main philosophical concerns, offers some criticism, then reflects on the consequences or influences of the subject under study.

This work is divided into three parts. In the first and most accessible chapter Kenny talks about Aquinas life and influence. In the second chapter he writes about an aspect of Aquinas thought he considers to be overestimated, his theory of 'Being'. And in the third he writes on another aspect of Aquinas thought he considers to be undervalued, his theory of ' Mind'. These last two chapters are quite difficult going, and are suitable for those who are willing to deal with ' hard and tough thinking'.
I did not find this to be one of the most interesting of 'The Past Masters' series works of which I have read many. I did however learn quite a bit about Aquinas including some of the legendary material. Against his family's will he became a Dominican . He was the most brilliant pupil of Albertus Magnus. In the' 'Summa' his method is to begin with the three most difficult objections to the religious claim he makes and then refute them all in one comprehensive answer. He was recognized in his own lifetime but it was only with the centuries that his thought became the central teaching of the Catholic Church on many matters.
Kenny claims the relative lack of interest in his philosophy today comes in part because it is in Latin, and in part because Philosophy today has different issues and vocabulary. His claim in this sense is that Aquinas is not appreciated as well as he should be today.