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A single theme runs through the three essays on St. Thomas gather 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 St. Thomas that forms the first essay and are then sketched out in detail by a presentation of the "negative element" in his philosophy. The third essay shows that contemporary Existentialism is in basic agreement with the philosophia perennis on this fundamental element of philosophical thinking.
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: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #373,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #109 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Medieval Thought #151 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements > Existentialism #755 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Religious
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.
If you want to find a succinct compendium of Thomistic Epistemology then this is a must read. While some of other reviews do a good job describing the details of the book, I will focus on what I believe to be Pieper's true intent. The book should be read once to grow in knowledge and another time as spiritual reading.Pieper begins with an overview of Thomistic realism and shows the link between anthropology and cosmology and faith and reason. For St. Thomas, human beings are created to love and know the creator. Creation is capable of being known through reason, and leads one to knowledge of the Creator. But, here lies the paradox as it pertains to silence. Pieper shows that while Thomas believes that the human mind can grasp the existence of many things, and since they have an existence they must also possess an essence, the essence of things in themselves cannot be known. Creation is a gift from God, yet, in itself remains a mystery. Why? Because even though the human mind can know a great deal about nature, it seems to know even less about creation. How much more does the mind fail to grasp the utter incomprehensibility of God? Reason is speechless before the infinite gap between God and the human mind. In the silence, Pieper shows that God allows us to gaze into the depth of the mystery of creation and divinity. God creates or speaks creation into being, and it is this Word that holds creation in existence. Via reason, the mind "knows" through a participation in the Word, Jesus. Per St. Thomas, Pieper demonstrates the necessity of faith to truly gaze and contemplate God, a place where reason alone cannot go.In the second essay, Pieper again refers to the theme of creation.
Silence Of St Thomas Shakespeare & Co.: Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Dekker, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher and the Other Players in His Story The Age of Reason - Thomas Paine (Writings of Thomas Paine) Three Early Modern Utopias: Thomas More: Utopia / Francis Bacon: New Atlantis / Henry Neville: The Isle of Pines: Sir Thomas More's "Utopia", Francis Bacon's "New A (Oxford World's Classics) Thomas Jefferson: The Amazing Life of Thomas Jefferson (Historical Biography) Prairie Silence: A Memoir Unmasking Male Depression: Recognizing the Root Cause to Many Problem Behaviors Such as Anger, Resentment, Abusiveness, Silence, Addictions, and Sexual Compulsiveness The Eloquence of Silence: Algerian Women in Question Wall of Silence: The Untold Story of the Medical Mistakes That Kill and Injure Millions of Americans Silence on the Mountain: Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala Walking With The Devil: The Police Code of Silence Even Silence Has An End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup Against Chavez and the Making of Modern Venezuela Therapeutic and Legal Issues for Therapists Who Have Survived a Client Suicide: Breaking the Silence Chiapas: The End of Silence / El fin del silencio Silence: and other poems She Tries Her Tongue, Her Silence Softly Breaks (Wesleyan Poetry Series) Legacy of Silence Silence: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics) First There Was Silence
