Essence and existence. Aquinas develops Aristotelian metaphysics, the "transcendental" science of being (note that the term 'transcendental' as used by Thomas is quite different than the same term as used by Kant). Thomas' thought is among the densest of all philosophers', and is, for the modern student, perhaps more difficult to grasp than is the work of Kant. A reader unfamiliar with philosophy should not initiate his study with Thomas. For the student [at least] somewhat grounded in existentialist reasoning, this compilation serves as a concise introduction to Thomist metaphysics/ natural theology/ first philosophy. Translated and compiled by professor of philosophy, James F. Anderson, this volume is especially valuable in that Thomas Aquinas' work is so capacious and intimidating that one doesn't otherwise know how to approach it.
Thomas [and Averroes] reintroduced Aristotle to Western thought and Thomist scholasticism has illuminated the path from the 13th century to the 20th, he was perhaps the greatest intellect of the Middle Ages. Anderson's edition may be the best means of introducing oneself to St. Thomas Aquinas.

This book harvests Aquinas's finest, clearest and most relevant metaphysical texts--particularly those that better elucidate his original philosophical synthesis--with a focus on three problems: the subject of metaphysics, the analogicity of being, and the most universal determinations of this notion: the "transcendentals."

Do not expect a comprehensive exposition of Aquinas's metaphysical thought, for this was clearly not the intent of the late James F. Anderson. In fact, the book does not introduce us to certain basic metaphysical notions such as substance, accident, prime matter and substantial form. For this reason, some knowledge of classical metaphysics is highly desirable, while not absolutely necessary, to benefit more fully from this outstanding compilation.

The selection is of tremendous educational value, especially if we consider that some of the incorporated texts are difficult to find in translation. Excellent for teachers and students alike.

In brief (in just 116 pages), this book reveals some of Aquinas's greatest contributions to classical, perennial "first philosophy." The result is a well-organized, fluent introduction to Aquinas's own thoughts in Aquinas's own words.

First, I will simply reiterate what the previous reviewer stated: "The author introduces the reader to the metaphysics of St. Thomas by compiling sources from disparate primary texts." Apparently, no single primary source for Thomas' metaphysics exists. The author has done us a tremendous service in bringing Aquinas' metaphysical teachings together in one volume.

This book also represents a great introduction to metaphysics in general, at least for a person who is trying to teach himself philosophy, such as myself.

I have found other compilations of Thomas' writings to be difficult to understand because they assume an understanding of the transcendentals: being, one, true, good and beautiful and their relationships to each other; and other philosophical terms such as act, potency, form and matter, substance and essence, etc.

In around 100 pages the author is able to convey the central concepts of Thomas' metaphysics very clearly, thus opening the way for further study in Thomas' writings.

I am very grateful to have discovered this book. I am sure you will be too.

First things first. "Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence" has been published in two volumes: "Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence, Part 1", and "Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence, Part II", which must be purchased separately. The two volumes absolutely go together - the first volume has the introduction for both volumes, and the second volume has the index for both volumes.

With questions of how to get it out of the way, it remains to be said what "Providence" is about and why it is worth reading.

If you are familiar with Aristotle, the easiest way to describe "Providence" is that it covered much the same ground as Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics". This is true in the same sense that the first book of "Summa Contra Gentiles", "God" covered the same ground as Aristotle's "Physics" and that the second book, "Creation", covered the same ground as Aristotle's "De Anima". That is, it dealt with the same topics, but from a thoroughly Christian perspective.

Of course, if you are not familiar with Aristotle, the above description of "Providence" is not going to be that helpful. In fact, reading that it is about "ethics" can even be misleading. In ordinary modern usage, "ethics" is taken as some set of rules regarding how to treat other people, implicitly dealing with balancing your interests against the interests of others. In traditional philosophy, however, "ethics" is much broader in scope - it covers the entire subject of how a man should live his life. "Providence" concerned ethics in this much broader, traditional sense.

Within the overall framework of "Summa Contra Gentiles", "Providence" was the bridge between the first two volumes ("God" and "Creation"), which were almost entirely philosophical in character, and the last volume ("Salvation"), which was almost entirely theological.

Thomas began "Providence" with a general discussion of the nature of "end", "good", and "evil". His immediate problem was to explain how evil could exist within God's creation, but in spite of the book's title, "Providence" deals with this problem in only general philosophical terms - there is nothing resembling, for example, Augustine's long exposition in his "City of God Against the Pagans" of God's plan as enacted through specific historical events. Thomas's real purpose was not to attempt to explain or justify God's plan in His creation, but to frame the central topic of the book - the problem of the achievement of human happiness.

To this end, Thomas began by considering the things in which people often attempt to find happiness in this life (fame, power, wealth, the pleasures of the body, virtue), and analyzed the inadequacy of those ends, even to the extent that they could be achieved. In contrast, Thomas held up the contemplation of God as an end worthy of human striving, but also held that - through man's own power at least - that it could not be adequately attained. From this, Thomas concluded that it is only through God's grace - that is, as a gift of God - that it could be had and even then not in this life; but only be in a life to come.

Having dealt with the end towards which human beings should strive, and having said that man unaided could not reach it, Thomas in the middle section of "Providence" considered in more detail the respective parts played by God and man in man's life. This discussion largely revolved around the question of human freedom vs. various concepts of fate and predestination. The major concern was a proper delineation between the divine will and human freedom, one that neither assigned so much power to man as to claim for him the ability to do good without God's help, nor so little as to make God responsible for man's sin.

The final section of "Providence" dealt with the question of how this life should be lived. This section drew on the traditions of classical philosophy scarcely at all; it instead drew almost entirely from scripture and Christian theology. Temperance, Courage, Wisdom, and Justice (the pillars of classical ethics) scarcely put in an appearance, but The Law, God's Grace, and Sin were front and center, each receiving an extended discussion.

Because covered the same ground, but drew on it so little, it might be tempting to read Thomas's "Providence" as a rejection of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", but this would be an oversimplification. The ethics of Arisotle and classical philosophy were not being rejected per se (Thomas certainly wasn't recommending profilgacy, cowardice, foolishness, and injustice), but instead held as insufficient, both in the end to which they aimed and the means by which they sought to attain that end. Thomas's argument was that while classical ethics were good, Christian ethics were in every way better, indeed that not only better but perfect, in that they aimed at God as the perfect end, and through God had the perfect means for the achievement of that end.

Thomas Aquinas was an extraordinarily systematic thinker and writer. Because of this, one of the best ways to comprehend "Summa Contra Gentiles" is through consideration of its structure. At the highest level, it consists of 4 books, with the third book in two parts, on account of its length.

The titles of the five volumes are as follows:

Summa Contra Gentiles: God

Summa Contra Gentiles: Creation

Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence, Part I

Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence, Part II*

Summa Contra Gentiles: Salvation

Each volume is formally divided into about 100 short chapters. A typical chapter gets its title from some proposition that is to be affirmed, or in some cases refuted. Each paragraph is an argument in support (or denial) of that proposition. The chapters are themselves ordered so that the later chapters build on what the arguments in the earlier chapters have established, and it is this arrangement of chapters that constitutes the real structure of "Summa Contra Gentiles".

Although in his later "Summa Theologica", Thomas formalized the higher-level structure of his writing, he did not do so here, which somewhat complicates any presentation of this structure - the book titles are so high level that they give little feel of the work, and the chapter titles so numerous that the reader is easily overwhelmed by a list of them.

In order to give the reader some sense of the overall work, I've prepared an outline of the work that (hopefully) is short enough to be readily comprehensible and long enough to give the reader an understanding of what topics are covered and in what order. This outline is presented below:

1.0 Summa Contra Gentiles: God

1.1 Intention of the Work (1 - 2)

1.2 Truths of Reason and Revelation (3 - 9)

1.3 That God Exists (10 - 13)

1.4 That God is Eternal (14 - 20)

1.5 God's Essence (21 - 28)

1.6 That God is Known (29 - 36)

1.7 That God is Good, One and Infinite (37 - 44)

1.8 God's Intellect and Knowledge (44 - 71)

1.9 God's Will (72 - 96)

1.10 God's Life and Beatitude (97 - 102)

2.0 Summa Contra Gentiles: Creation

2.1 Purpose of the Work (1 - 5)

2.2 That God is the Creator of All Things (6)

2.3 God's Power Over His Creation (7 - 29)

2.4 For and Against the Eternity of the World (30 - 38)

2.5 The Distinction of Things (39 - 45)

2.6 Intellectual Substances (46 - 55)

2.7 The Intellect, the Soul and the Body (57 - 78)

2.8 Immortality of Man's Soul (79 - 82)

2.9 Origin of Man's Soul (83 - 89)

2.10 On Non-human (Angelic) Intellects (90 - 101)

3.0 Summa Contra Gentiles: Providence (Parts I and II)

3.1 Prologue (1)

3.2 Good, Evil, and God as the End of All Things (2 - 25)

3.3 Human Felicity (26 - 63)

3.4 How God's Providence Works (64 - 94)

3.5 Prayer and Miracles, Magic and Demons (95 - 110)

3.6 Rational Creatures and Divine Law (111 - 130)

3.7 Voluntary Poverty and Continence (131 - 138)

3.9 Rewards and Punishments (139 - 147)

3.10 Sin, Grace, and Predestination (148 - 163)

4.0 Salvation

4.1 Forward (1)

4.2 The Trinity (2 - 16)

4.3 The Incarnation (27 - 55)

4.4 The Sacraments (56 - 78)

4.5 The Resurrection (79 - 97)

-

* in searching for Part II of "Providence" in Amazon's book catalog, be sure to search by the full title, or the search results may just return part I.

Bourke has provided a helpful and elucidating translation of this all-important text of Aquinas. A must for those interested in the thought of this great philosopher.

As the other reviewers have said, this book is truly a classic, and like most of Gilson's opus is well worth reading by anyone interested in philosophy. Particularly strong are the early chapters on being (ontology) and on Aquinas's famous proofs of the existence of God.

Gilson wants to convince as well as explain, so the tone can be a little tendentious at times, but generally his prose is lucid, even lyrical. Also, in my opinion the final chapter somewhat blurs the distinction between Thomism and saving faith.

Ultimately, however, this book fully succeeds in getting under the skin of Thomistic philosophy. After reading it, you may never see "things" in quite the same way.

Clear. Concise. Masterful. A true classic. If you want to understand Aquinas, read Gilson's book first. Then read it three more times.

Gilson has exceptional skill in explaining difficult philosophical concepts. He lays out the existential foundations of St. Thomas Aquinas' thought and makes a compelling case that "the metaphysical positions of Aquinas are still far ahead of what is considered most progressive in the philosophical thought of our own times." Gilson relates the thought of Aquinas to that of his predecessors, especially Aristotle and Augustine. Although this book can be difficult reading at times, the reader will be rewarded by the effort.

I have a B.A. (cum laude) in philosophy from a major U.S. university, and am currently finishing up an M.A. in Thomistic theology. If I were to choose one book to give to a complete novice who desired to learn about Aquinas' thought, or Thomistic philosophy, this book would definitely be the one (along with McInerny's). There is no shallow end in philosophy, particularly not for St. Thomas (Aquinas), but O'Donnell sees to it that the only difficulties the reader will encounter, are simply inherent in the subject matter, and not because of some obfuscation on the part of the writer (something often found in many writers on philosophy and Aquinas). After working through this book, I think the reader will then have the necessary background to tackle the Summa Theologica, or at least an abridged version (Peter Kreeft's annotated _Summa of the Summa_ comes to mind).

This book is awesome for writing a paper for ethics class.

I have over a dozen books presenting the Realist philosophy as developed by Aquinas. This is the one I would recommend for a first introduction. Yet, ODonnell's presentation is so enlightening that I reread it. Also, includes interesting discussion of Einstien's theory of relativity. First-rate book.

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.

St. Thomas Aquinas, needless to say, is not easy to understand. In this little guide, which makes nice supplemental reading to get a look "behind the scenes" of the saint's philosophy, Josef Pieper first sketches a biographical outlines of Thomas' life and then delves into the negative element in his philosophy and concludes with the "timelessness" of Thomism, which makes it a perennial philosophy.

This book is primarily concerned with St. Thomas' epistemological assumptions (which were taken for granted, hence the "silence"), what knowledge meant for the saint, and how and to what extent it can be achieved. Pieper tackles Thomas' seemingly paradoxical stance on essences, and whether or not they can be known, for Thomas maintains both that we cannot know God in His essence and that God's essence is His existence.

Pieper shows St. Thomas' beautiful conviction that "it is part of the very nature of things that their knowability cannot be wholy exhausted by any finite intellect, because these things are creatures, which means that the very element which makes them capable of being known must necessarily be at the same time the reason why things are unfathomable" (p.60).

All in all, this book is a fine look at Thomas' profound epistemology, so rarely discussed in philosophical courses today. If you have an interest in the philosophy of St. Thomas, don't pass this one up!

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 *****

I am an admirer of Thomas Aquinas, even though I am not Roman Catholic. He is powerful enough to cross the denominational bridges, and that is quite a compliment! This book is the Angelic Doctor's last written work. In fact, he died in the midst of writing the book, so it is incomplete, which is our loss. A mind like his comes once in a Millennium, so we are all worse off to not have more of his writings.

This book was intended to be a literal "hand book," a one -volume summation of Aquinas' rather bulky Summa Theologica. It follows a deceptively simple format of three parts: Faith, Hope, and Charity. At first blush, this seems to roughly correspond to II-II of the Summa. However, Aquinas restated his arguments for God's existence, and covers in a nutshell the main points of the entire I-I and I-II of the Summa.

It is a rare thing to find someone who can sum up a complex idea, or a string of complex ideas and concepts, but "The Dumb Ox" characteristically pulls it off. I wish more public speakers and politicians could develop this talent, since we get off on so many intellectual rabbit trails, and miss the great Yellow Brick Road. He does have a point to what he says, and he does stick on topic. Hence, his enduring power.

The translation is an easy read, and nothing really spectacular jumps out pro or con. As is stated in the introduction, this translation was to be a crutch, and the true student is encouraged to go to the original Latin for any hair-splitting nuances and so forth. The standard numeration is followed, so we can easily compare the translations. I hate translators/publishers who play God and reinvent the wheel in these matters.

I feel that this book should be used in conjunction with Kreeft's "Summa of the Summa." They are about the same size, but each book has its strengths and weaknesses. "The Shorter Summa" has the benefit of being Aquinas speaking for himself, and him telling you what he thinks is important, with the only disadvantage being that it is incomplete. The "Summa of the Summa" has the benefit of Kreeft's commentary and illustrations, and is (mostly) a good summery of Thomism, but it is Kreeft's-and I say this will an infinity of charity and respect for a great man-"spin" on Aquinas. So my advice is to split the difference and to get both books.

The only real objection I have is that the picture of Aquinas is rather unusual. He looks like one of the extra-terrestrial "Greys" that Art Bell talks about. Aquinas is a genius, and a human computer, but he isn't a Vulcan, and he never made a crop circle. G. K. Chesterton speaks of a portrait of Aquinas with piercing eyes. The only clue we have is the starburst design, but it would be nice for a Chesterton scholar to try and track down this portrait, and start using it. Or at least stick with the traditional Medieval sketch that graces the covers of most of the current Aquinas Anthologies.

In my opinion, there is no better introduction to the writing and thought of Thomas Aquinas than this book. The translation is excellent. This book covers many of The Angelic Doctor's primary theological and philosophical tenents in shorter, more comprehensive language than in the Summa Theologica. As with the Summa, the pity is that the work was left incomplete at the saint's death. This work will give the beginning Thomist an invaluable preparation to exploring the Summa Contra Gentiles, and ultimately, the Summa Theologica.

My friend has borrowed volume I and I'm afraid he may never give it back... There is so much that is subtle in the Gospels that is brought to light. I've never seen anything else like it. I'm shocked that this work was ever permitted to go out of print.

I am so glad this book is back in print! Can you imagine how valuable a Bible commentary written by early Christians themselves would be? Well, this comes very close! St. Thomas Aquinas himself compiled this opus from sermons and commentaries on the Gospels written by the early Church Fathers. He arranged their thoughts in such a way that they form a continuous commentary on each Gospel, verse-by-verse. How I wish Aquinas had done this with the rest of Sacred Scripture as well! It's pricey, but well worth it for the serious Bible scholar.

Joseph Owens, Etienne Gilson's most gifted student and without doubt one of the towering philosophical masters of the 20th century, has produced a work which is both an introduction to cognition and a profound philosophical reflection. His ideas are at once new and old, phenomenological yet fully in accord with the principles of Thomas Aquinas.

There is no other book on this subject which approaches its breadth, intelligibility, subtlety and simplicity. This book will someday rank as a classic. It is perhaps among the top twnety books every philosopher must have in his library.

Excellence and the most clear argument I ever read about cognition study, Truly recommended.

This book reads much more like a methodology of how Pieper uses philosophy, and his justifications for his usage, than any of the previous books of his I have read. Pieper defines how modern thought has corrupted much of our vocabulary - in comparison with the Medieaval use - of such words as: truth, reality, knowledge, perception, idea, essence, object, subject, imagine, potential capacity, natural, ideal, cognition, will. He also makes an effort to clear the name of Aquinas, from past abusers of his ideas, Aquinas being the primary philosopher Pieper draws his ideas from. Pieper largely defends Medieaval thought against the Modern. The Modern insignificantly began with Montaigne, significantly started with Decarte, and became rock solid with Kant (each with their legions of followers). Pieper is a defense of what there was before. How what is good in the Western Tradition fundamentaly lays there. The book's points are profound; at their essence the most profound of all of Pieper's books I have read thus far. However, they are also the most abstract and possibly the least accessable to the common reader, such as myself.

Many of Pieper's books read much more as a guide to living a better life, this is not one of them. Abuse of Language Abuse of Power is, as are Leisure the Basis of Culture and The Virtues of the Human Heart - and many of his other books I have not read as of yet. These books are accesible and ones, I believe, that will result in a reader making postive life changes significantly altering one's view of the world for the better, for themselves and their brothers.

Living the Truth is probably the best of Pieper's books. It offers the finest insights into Medieval epistemology available, illuminating philosophy from Plato to Aquinas in a remarkable way. The second part of the book, building on the first, gives completely fesh insights into the basis of moral action, grounded in the knowledge of essences. Perhaps the most significant thing about the book is that it shows what has been lost in Western philosophy since the Enlightenment, where the concern changed from knowledge of essence to empiricism.

As usual with Pieper, the book is written with consumate clarity.

Peter Kreeft of Boston College has performed a work of mercy for those of us who were cheated in college by being kept in blithe ignorance of the greatest Christian philosopher. Ironically, I was cheated at a Catholic university of exposure to Aquinas! But Peter Kreeft has provided selections of Aquinas with generous footnotes explaining and enlightening various passages and even including diagrams for those of us trying to catch up. I can comfort myself with the thought that a well annotated book by Kreeft, who is also a skilled Catholic apologist, is assuredly better than what I probably would have received anyway as an undergraduate in a decidedly confused Catholic university.

One need not be a Christian, nor even a Roman Catholic, to know of the centrality of Saint Thomas Aquinas to medeival philosophy. In his monumental work, the "Summa Theologia" (and, to a lesser extent, the supplementary tract "Summa Contra Gentiles"), Aquinas kept Aristotelian 'pagan' philosophy alive by applying its principles to the Church. Unfortunately, readers today (save for the most devout, I suppose) hardly have the time to read the whole thing. This is where Boston College's Peter Kreeft helps out. Further concentrating his previous Aquinian abridgment, the "Summa of the Summa," Professor Kreeft gives us the most accessible reduction of Aquinas's philosophy with "A Shorter Summa." Well-edited, well-translated, and well-organized, this small book is a fantastic summary of the monumental philosophy written centuries ago by the official Doctor of the Church.

I had the pleasure of taking a class in Medieval Philosophy with Peter Kreeft. We used this text in our survey of St. Thomas Aquinas alongside G.K. Chesterton's "Dumb Ox"--which I also recommend as a secondary source. This is a wonderful introduction into the thought of one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the world. Aquinas's "Summa Theologica" is an overview of Christian philosophy and theology, according to Aquinas. It is, however, over 5,000 pages long--a bit much for the common reader. In "A Shorter Summa" Kreeft has selected and annotated the most vital sections of the Summa, making Thomas's philosophy both accurate and accessible. If you are looking for a little more to chew on, I'd advise Kreeft's other abridgment entitled "Summa of the Summa"--hence, my title. "A Shorter Summa" is a gem, packed with more knowledge than most books five times its size. I not only recommend it; I plead that you give it a whirl.