History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 446 - Not Doubting Thomas - the Aquinas Revival
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May 26, 2024 Exploring Aquinas' central role in Counter-Reformation thought, focusing on analogy and the soul. Dominican scholars defend Aquinas' legacy, debating his unity of form theory and human soul variations. Philosophical disagreements among followers of Aquinas and the scholastic tradition in Portugal are also highlighted.
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Notre Dame's Personal Thomist Connection
- Peter Adamson recalls Notre Dame's strong Aquinas tradition and his personal ties to it through his PhD studies there.
- He links Notre Dame's Catholic identity and Thomist scholarship to his own teaching, football fandom, and later career focus on Aquinas.
How Thomism Became Counter Reformation Orthodoxy
- Thomism rose from contested medieval standing to dominant Counter-Reformation authority through Dominican advocacy and institutional adoption.
- Dominicans canonized Aquinas (1323) and later made his Summa the standard Iberian theology textbook, cementing influence at Trent and beyond.
Aquinas Offered Intellectual Contrast To Luther
- Aquinas appealed as a counter to Protestant-leaning nominalism because he emphasized intellect over will, contrasting Lutheran voluntarism.
- Jesuits adopted Aquinas as a guiding teacher but instructed students to judge his views critically, producing creative divergence.