Thomas Aquinas Question: the general framework of good
Project description:
The essay should consist of a critical analysis of a philosophical issue or problem discussed in a text by Thomas Aquinas. Your task is to present and explain the position that Aquinas takes with regard to this issue or problem, and assess the merits of his position. This will involve selecting a reading from Aquinas, identifying the problem under discussion, explaining clearly and coherently how Aquinas justifies his solution to this problem, and then evaluating the strength or weakness of his arguments. For example, you might choose to discuss the problem of whether God possesses knowledge (discussed in ST I, q. 14). This will require you to read carefully Aquinas texts on this topic (i.e., the articles that make up this question), and then explain precisely what he has to say about this. In this example, you will be discussing whether God possesses knowledge, what kinds of things God knows, what is required for something to be an object of divine knowledge, are there things that God does not know, does Gods knowledge increase, etc. In short, your goal should be to provide a an explication of Aquinas’ text.
With respect to the topic of your essay, you may choose any text in the Pegis (or Brown) anthology that has not been discussed in class. Also, you should choose a topic that has philosophical implications. Texts that examine a purely theological problem should be avoided.