Benefits from studying

Philosophy
a. Philosophy enables us to systematize all
important knowledge in the domain of reason.

b. Philosophy guides us in distinguishing truth

from error and in searching for the truth.
 Benefits from studying Philosophy

Philosophy provides us with the ability to

analyze and the “intellectual eye” to see
things not only as they are, but also the
underlying causes and meaning of things
around us or happen around us.
 Benefits from studying
Philosophy
Philosophy gives us insights about our
nature as human beings, it helps us
understand better ourselves and help
develop or improve ourselves.
 Brief History of Western Philosophy

The History of Western Philosophy may

be divided into major periods namely:

Ancient Medieval Modern Contemporary

 Medieval Philosophy
529 A.D. to 1450 A.D.

Dominated by Christian thinkers, the more

noted philosophers are:
a. St. Augustine of Hippo
b. St. Albert the Great
c. St. Thomas Aquinas
 Patristic Philosophy
529 to 799 A.D.

• Forerunners of this period were St.

Augustine and Boethius.
–St. Augustine was a convert who became
the bishop of Hippo.
–Followed the idealist tradition set by
Plato and was influenced by the writings
of the apostle Paul.
 Patristic Philosophy
529 to 799 A.D.

WORKS OF ST AUGUSTINE
His Philosophy is a combination of the
Pauline theology and Platonic idealism

Famous works:
1. The Confessions
2. The City of God
ST. AUGUSTINE
•The first great Christian
Philosopher and the main
authority in the medieval
period.
 ST AUGUSTINE

Born in the African city of Tagaste

in 354 AD of a pagan father and
Christian mother.

•He was involved in a religious sect called Manichaeism.

 ST AUGUSTINE
He was enlightened and was inspired by
St. Ambrose explanation of the cause
of evil which is to be found in the mistake
use of freedom.
Points of Augustine’s Philosophy

His Philosophy of Man reconciled and

synthesized the wisdom of Greek
Philosophy and the divine truths
contained in the scriptures.
 Points of Augustine’s
Philosophy
The ultimate end of human living is the Summum
Bonum or the Absolute Good or the Highest Good
which Greeks perceived imperfectly as God the
absolute, immutable good.
 Points of Augustine’s
Philosophy

• Happiness can be found in God alone.

• The idea of the Absolute Good can be
seen in a personal God.
 Augustine’s Concept of Man
• He calls man the “great mystery”

• Augustine asserts man as part of Creation.

• God created man in a mortal body with an immortal soul and
gave man free will.
 Augustine’s Concept of Man

God created man in a mortal body

with an immortal soul and gave man
free will.
 Augustine’s Concept of Man
• God created man good, but the good in man ceases to
be good when man turns himself away from God.

• Despite man’s imperfection he is capable of reaching

perfection because only man keeps himself good.
Augustine’s Concept of Man

Man can only be saved

by God and not by
himself.
Augustine’s Concept of Man

Only the Grace from God

can save man.
 Augustine’s Concept of God

For Augustine, God is love.

It is in Love that we become like him.
 Augustine’s Concept of God

God is Absolute Spirit, Absolute Will, Absolute Intelligence,

Absolute Freedom, Absolute Good, Absolute Power,
Absolute Holiness, cannot will evil, no beginning (eternal) and
transcendent.

God is also the Creator;

He created the world out of Love.
 Teaching of St Augustine

Man is a rational animal, a creature

endowed both with reason and
passion inseparable linked together in
his nature.
 Teaching of St Augustine

All things come from God, and

each has a specific purpose to
fulfill in the all –embracing plan
of divine providence.
 Teaching of St Augustine

Virtue means the constant

harmonizing and ordering of all
the activities of the human
personality towards LOVE.
 Medieval Philosophy
9th century to 1450

Divided into three sub-periods:

I. The Beginning of Scholasticism
a. 9th to the 12th Century
b. Arab Philosophers – Alfarabi, Avicenna and Avicerbon
c. St. Anselm and Averroes
II. The Golden Age of Scholasticism
a. 13th century
III. The Decline of Scholasticism
a. 14th century and its revival in the 16th century
 The Golden Age of Scholasticism
(13th Century)

Dominated by Aristotelian philosophy

a. Roger Bacon
b. St. Bonaventure
c. Alexander Hales

d. Henry of Ghent
e. St. Thomas Aquinas
f. St. Albert the Great
 ST. BONAVENTURE
ROGER BACON
 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
ST. ALBERT THE GREAT
 ST. THOMAS
AQUINAS
1225-1274
A Dominican Priest, known
as the “Angelic Doctor”
because of his deep faith
and religiosity and his
great mind.
 ST. THOMAS
AQUINAS
1225-1274

Followed the tradition set

by Aristotle.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
1225-1274

Famous works:
1. Summa Theologica
2. Summa Contra Gentiles
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Teachings and Philosophy

Man is
substantially
body and soul.
 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Teachings and Philosophy

The soul is the principle of action in the

human body.

The soul is the principle of life of the body. Body

and soul before death are essentially united
because the two exist in a correlative manner
specifically in the context of perception.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Teachings and Philosophy

The soul is the principle of

action in the human body.

The soul is the principle of life

of the body.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Teachings and Philosophy

Body and soul before death

are essentially united.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Teachings and Philosophy

The soul, requires the body as

the material medium for its
operation, particularly
perception.
 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Philosophy about the Human Person

Man, though had possessed all the goods of

this life such as money, fame, power, health,
talents cannot make him perfectly happy.

Man, still longs for the infinite and eternal.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Philosophy about the Human Person

Man is capable of
transcending himself with the
attainment of his supreme
purpose and union with God.
 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Philosophy about the Human Person

By constantly being good and doing

good we become and eventually
identify ourselves with the GOOD who
is God himself.
 Modern Philosophy

• 1450 to 1799
• Period of Renaissance
• Period of Enlightenment