Silence Of St Thomas 3rd Edition

by Josef Pieper (Author)

5 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1890318789

ISBN-10: 1890318787

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A single theme runs through the three essays on St. Thomas gathered in this book. It is the theme of mystery or, more exactly, the response of the searching human intellect to the fact of mystery. Both the fact and the response are suggested in a short biography of Aquinas that forms the first essay and are then sketched out in detail by a presentation of the "negative element" in his philosophy. The third essays shows that contemporary Existentialism is in basic agreement with the philosophia perennis on this fundamental element of philosophical thinking.

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Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: St. Augustines Press; 3rd edition (July 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1890318787
ISBN-13: 978-1890318789
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #183 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Medieval Thought
- #266 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements > Existentialism
- #1326 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > History & Surveys

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Neri

The spirit and life of Aquinas

March 25, 2002

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Pieper, in these three essays, describes what we have to learn from the works and life of Aquinas. The essays detail the scholastic arguements of the day and how Thomas, in the true spirit of open mindedness (his life and method are the definition of this oft abused term) brought some peace ond understanding to the various sides, a very serious matter in his day. The book explains how much of an Aristotilian Aquinas was, and more importantly how much he was not. Mainly by showing how the charactoristics of the Latin Averroists have been unjustly attributed to Aquinas by his detractors - the Latin Averoists (Averoes was an Arab) were whole hearted Aristotilians.
This book is an excellent addition to reading Etienne Gilson's "Unity of the Philosophical Experience" as Pieper gives further explanantions as to the behavior of the Augastinians and Latin Averroists. It could explain also why modern Muslims are so singularly textually dogmatic - it is in reaction to Averroist's attempting to rid religion of faith altogether - and thus the violent reaction in nixing reason and rationalism. It tells how Aquinas circumvented this problem. The last essay also compliments Gilson's book in that it shows what Existentialism has in common with Aquinas, some interesting things, despite some gapping fundimental differences at their very root and conclusion.
The first essay vividly descibes what an attitude of accademic pursuit and teaching should look like. Too many teachers are dogmatic and are only interested in pursuing and supporting an idea that is presently clear in their minds and propogating it, rather than treating the moment as an active pursuit of truth. Thomas was a model teacher and the book is an active discripition of his method.
The book also argues, with supporting evidence and reason, that Thomas' main work The "Summa Theologica" was intentionally left unfinished. Why it was left unfinished is at the root of what Aquinas was all about concerning philosophy and metaphysics - it is a process not a conclusion. Gilson's book describes what a conclusion is, as sometimes philosophers have rejected the idea that they have reached a conclusion, when in fact they have. Gilson effectively defines what a conclusion looks like.
Both are highly recommended books for Teachers, Historians, and Philosophers.

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Stanley E. Macora, Jr.

Silence of St. Thomas: Three essays

December 4, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is a true masterpiece even though it is short as are most of Pieper's books. After a nice review of St. Thomas life, Pieper considers, among others, two key issues. The first is the doctrine of God's creation which Pieper calls the hidden and often unexpressed key to St. Thomas' thought. Thomas says that things are true because they are creatively thought and this agrees with Plato who says that God is the measure of all things. So Pieper quotes Aquinas as saying that God gives measure to things and we have true knowledge because we are measured by true things. What is really important about this is that J.P. Sartre, one of the leading Existentialists of the 20th century, agrees that things are creatively thought but denies the existence of a Creator and so he clearly admits (in a quote)there is no human nature nor any other nature (like plant, animal) to serve as an object of true human knowledge. The second issue is that there is a limit to human knowledge in that we can never have exhaustive knowledge of anything because we do not know the Divine ideas or archetypes of the created things of this world. This may be behind the caution people express when scientists meddle with natural things including human nature. I first read this book about 30 years ago and my "Amazon" copy is my second. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in St. Thomas of the topic of truth.

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DeacBelAir

Wonderful

July 11, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Pieper is one of the clearest writers I have ever encountered. He has a way of finding the most important elements in a complex issue and then communicating those elements in an understandable way. This book is a very brief introduction to Thomas' thought. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning about St. Thomas.

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Mark Amorose

Illuminating

July 31, 2001

Format: Paperback

The unifying theme of the three essays composing this book is the paradox that the intelligibilty of things and their incomprehensibility both derive from their being creatures, that is, from their possessing natures that are communications of the ideas in the mind of God. Things can be known only because they are created, but at the same time, things are unfathomable because they are created: "one and the same factor explains both why things cannot be entirely grasped and why they can be known" (pp.95-6). Why is this so? I'll not deprive the reader of the pleasure of reading Pieper's book to find out.
For me, this book ended a long struggle to discover what St. Thomas Aquinas really taught about our knowledge of things. Pieper succeeds in reconciling Thomas's frequent statements that we cannot know the essence of any created thing with his repeated claims elsewhere that our minds are receptive of the forms (i.e., essences) of things.
While my attitude toward Pieper's understanding of St. Thomas's thought is not uncritical, I must concede that he is one of the best and most original (the two are not the same) of twentieth century Thomist philosophers. Unfortunately, he is sometimes (unjustly) put down by scholars as a mere popularizer. Let them read this book and be disabused; Pieper has much to teach them.
My ratings of other books by Josef Pieper: Guide to Thomas Aquinas ****; Leisure the Basis of Culture *****; Scholasticism *****

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Silence Of St Thomas 3rd Edition

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