PHGA 5010 Introduction to Aquinas
Professor Gyula Klima
Spring 2007
Fridays, 3:30–5:30

This course provides a systematic, introductory survey of Aquinas’s philosophical thought. After briefly placing his life and works in their narrower as well as broader historical context, we shall start the systematic survey of Aquinas’s philosophy with taking stock of the basic concepts and principles of his hylomorphist metaphysics. On this basis, we can move on to his philosophy of God, and philosophy of human nature (including his philosophy of mind and epistemology), which will provide the metaphysical foundations for a brief discussion of his ethics and philosophy of law. Throughout these discussions, we are going to confront Aquinas’s ideas with criticisms coming from medieval as well as modern philosophers.