Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham: Faith, Reason, and the Existence of God

Thomas Aquinas: Faith, Reason, and God

Philosophical Approach

Thomas Aquinas, a great scholar and teacher, dedicated his life to teaching and writing. A primary question throughout his work is the relationship between faith and reason. Aquinas sought a balance and reconciliation between the two, based on these principles:

• Clear distinction between reason and faith: Reason is a natural human faculty; faith is a supernatural gift from divine grace.
• Reason cannot contradict revealed truth: If reasoning conflicts with revealed truth, the reasoning is false by definition.
• Three kinds of truths: Truths of natural reason, preambles of faith, and revealed truths.

Aquinas stressed the importance of natural law and reserved a significant place for Aristotelianism. He considered Aristotle's work important for sciences like physics, and saw the preambles of faith as grounded in natural metaphysics.

Aristotelianism and Original Contributions

Aquinas's assimilation of Aristotelianism: While adopting many Aristotelian principles, Aquinas offered his own critiques. He assimilated fundamental Aristotelian structures. His original contribution lies in distinguishing between essence and existence: essences are eternal, but existence is of two types—necessary existence (God's existence) and contingent existence (the existence of all created beings).

The Existence of God

Aquinas's arguments for God's existence: Aquinas presents five ways (arguments from natural reason) to demonstrate God's existence, echoing other theologians and philosophers. These arguments align with dogma and include:

1. Motion
2. First cause
3. Contingency
4. Degrees of perfection
5. Teleological argument

William of Ockham: Empiricism and the Rejection of Metaphysics

Philosophical Approach

William of Ockham, a significant figure in Scottish and British philosophical thought, rejected metaphysics. A defining characteristic of medieval theology was the tension between faith and reason. Ockham advocated a radical separation between philosophical and religious knowledge, arguing that it's nonsensical to rationally examine the content of faith. This led to the via modernorum, a significant break from scholasticism.

Criticism of Metaphysics

Ockham's critique of metaphysics: Ockham believed human reason is limited to sensory knowledge, leaving no room for metaphysical entities. His views included:

• Acceptance of only unique, observable entities.
• Rejection of unknown substances as substrates of qualities.
• Inability to rationally prove God's existence or attributes.

Ockham's Theology

Conception of God: Ockham held a voluntarist view of God—God is omnipotent and does what he wills. God's will is pure and creates the world. God is incomprehensible, and there is no science of God.

Conception of the world: The world's creation lacks rational explanation; its contingency is absolute, possibly a divine whim.

Epistemology: All knowledge comes from the senses; knowledge is not innate but acquired. Ockham rejected rational predetermination and was a nominalist. He introduced Occam's razor (among competing hypotheses, the simplest is preferred).