FAITH AND REASON IN THE LIGHT OF THOMAS AQINA'S PHILOSOPHY

INTRODUCTION

So many philosophers have written a lot about the relationship between faith and reason, particularly, those philosophers that existed within the medieval period in the annals of philosophy. Some philosophers opined that faith and reason are two entities that have reconcilable differences. Thus they will always conflict. Some philosophers opined that faith and reason are two entities that have irreconcilable differences, thus they will always conflict. Others opined that faith is superior to reason. On the other hand, some philosophers argued that reason are superior to faith. While some of these Christian thinkers opines that faith and reason are complementary and that the duo need each other to reach their final purposes; that is the attainment of truth. For the sake of delineation of assignment, our focal gaze will be on the thought of Thomas Aquinas’ on the relationship between faith and reason. For us to fully understand his thought, let us briefly look at the biography of Thomas Aquinas’, clarification of faith, in the light of Aquinas’ philosophy, clarification of reason in the light of Aquinas’ philosophy, point of convergence between faith and reason in the light of Aquinas’ philosophy, point of divergence between faith and reason in the light of Aquinas’ philosophy and finally, evaluation and conclusion.

                                    BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS AQUINAS

Thomas Aquinas was a Christian philosopher and theologian who lived between 1225 and 1274. He was born of Roccesseca, midway between Rome and Naples, precisely Italy. His father belongs to the Lombard mobility, while his mother descended from the Norman nobility. Thomas is the youngest of the count of Aquino. He was entrusted to the Benedictine monks at the age of five at Monte casino. Here he had his earl studies and remained from 1230 to 1239. At the age of fourteen, he entered the University of Naples, the first university of the western world; there Thomas was introduced to the works of Aristotle, setting out for paris, he was kidnapped by his brothers, who were soldiers and was held for a year as a prisoner in one of his fathers castles. His family was angry with his decision to become a friar. It was said that, he had not experienced the temptation of flesh.  Here after, he is known as the Angelic Doctor. While in his way, he died in a monastery between Naples and Rome, at the age of 49years.

 CLARIFICATION OF FAITH IN THE LIGHT OF AQUINAS’ PHILOSOPHY

Aquinas takes faith to be an intellectual virtue or habit, the object of which is God. For Aquinas, there are other things that fall within the preview of faith, such as the Christian doctrine of incarnation and that of the trinity. Aquinas opined that we do not affirm these specific doctrines, unless they have some relation to God. According to Aquinas, these doctrines (which are under the purview of faith), serve to explicates Gods nature and provide us with a richer understanding of the one in whom our perfect happiness consists. Aquinas added that, although faith is an intellectual virtue, it would be a mistake to construe the act of faith as something that is purely cognitive in nature, such as the belief that Earth is a planet or that 5+5=10, or that purple is a secondary colour. These beliefs are not (so it seems) things over which we have much voluntary control. Perhaps, this is because their truth is manifestly obvious or because they are base on claims that are themselves self-evident. In either case, it doesn’t appear that certain theological statements are true. For faith involves as appetitive aspect hereby, the will-aloe or desire for goodness-moves us to God as the sources of ultimate happiness. Aquinas also sees faith as the act of the mind ascending to Devine truth, by virture of the command of the will which is moved by God through grace.

CLARIFICATION OF REASON IN THE LIGHT OF AQUINAS PHILOSOPHY

Aquinas sees reason as the other way to discovering the eternal truth. Just like Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas place reason on the same page with faith. apart from “baptizing “ the works of Aristotle  which are based on reason, he also used logical arguments that are base on reason to justify the Christian faith, for instance, his well known five ways of proving God’s existence. Aquinas belief the reasoning applied in the arguments offered in the support of the Christian doctrine gives believe the necessary motivation they need in order to embrace, without seeing, the things that God has revealed.

POINT OF CONVERGANCE BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON IN THE LIGHT OF THOMAS AQUINAS’ PHILOSOPHY.

            Thomas Aquinas has long been understood to have reconciled faith and reason. Typically, he is understood as having provided the justification of faith by means of proof, particularly, that the five ways to proof the existence of God.

            In preceding account, of faith that Aquinas staunchly supports the use of arguments in exonerating those claims that are proposed for belief. Indeed, the argument offered in support of Christian claims often provides us with the motivation we sometimes need in order to embrace them.

Aquinas sees reason and faith as two ways of knowing , that is, both are sources of truth.”Reason” covers what we can know by experience and logic alone. Through reason, we can know that there is God and that there is only one God. These truths about God are accessible to anyone by experience and logic alone, apart from any special revelation from God.

            Faith is built on reason. Since faith and reason are both ways of arriving at truth and since all truth are harmonious with each other. Faith is consistent with reason; if we understand faith and reason correctly there will be no conflict between what faiths tells us and what reason tells us, because faith and reason originate from the same God. Both of them are epistemic forces that are working towards the same objective, which is the conquest of truth. Thomas believes that there could be a conflict between faiths and reason and also believes that any conflict that may rise between faith and reason is resolvable. God is the only source of true wisdom, reason can produce knowledge if followed from philosophical method and that also faith can not deceive. The conflict that can arise between faith and reason is when is either one of them have not reached to attained the truth. The human reasoning is limited and need the help of revelation to acquire truths in a religious domain. Reason explains faith without recourse to revelation. Both are sciences / desciplines of study and both have methods, divisions and objects presupposing a connection.

            Point of Divergence between Faith and Reason in the light Of Thomas Aquinas Philosophy.

According to Aquinas, “faith” covers what we can know by Gods special revelation to us (which comes through the bible and the Christian faith). By faith, we can know that God came into the world through Jesus Christ and that triune (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit). This truth about God cannot be known by reason alone.

            Reasons proceeds from philosophical principles discovered by human reasoning. Faith is the rational ordering of theological principles received from authoritative revelation and held as matter(s) of faith and not reason.

            Aquinas says that there is no reason why does things which are treated by the philosophical disciplines, so far as they can be known by the light of natural reason, may not also be treated by another science so far as they are known by the light of the divine revelation. He thus in this manner, implies that sacred doctrines by way of the Devine revelation is not absolutely necessary. Infect, St Thomas Aquinas says in order that the salvation of men might be brought about more filly and more surely, it was necessary that they be thought divine truths, by divine revelation. it is a question of more or less fitness and certainty and hence the logical consequences is that sacred doctrine, may not be as good and reliable as reason based on sense-experience, the reliability of faith as a justification of true belief may be doubted.

Wherever Reason is capable of knowing something, faith, starkly speaking, is unnecessary, and what faith uniquely knows through revelation cannot be known by Reason alone.  Even if reason suffices to prove that beholding that God is the end of man, it could not conclude that such a vision would perpetually become and agree with a human being perfect, both in body and in soul. The perpetuity of a good of this kind is the very condition that makes this end desirable. It can be stated that although, there are probable reasons for this proposition, these are not demonstrative, nor for that matter, are they ever necessary reasons. In Thomas’ Summa Theologica, he affirms that it is necessary for man’s salvation to be based on  a doctrine revealed by God, besides the philosophical disciplines investigated by human reason because man is directed to God as to an end that surpasses the grate of his reason. They differs in areas like; subject matter, formal object, method and scope.

EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION

            Although, faith and Reason have dissimilarities, the former is dogmatic while the later is not, the duo, according to Aquinas, are complimentary and have to work together in other to attain the truth. Faith, when explained with reason, gives motivation to the believers to embrace such doctrines whose basis they (the believers) have not seen with their two eyes. That is to say, with reason, the believers will believe the theological doctrines they receive from authoritative revelation with little or no skepticism.

REFFERNCE

                    i.            Edward J. Gratsch, S.T.D. Aquina summa-an introduction and interpretation, Theological publications, Bangalore, India, 2008.

                  ii.            John Duns Scotus, Ordination prologus, opera. omnia, (civitas vaticana: Typis polyglottis vaticanis, 1950).

                iii.            John Hospers, An Introduction to philosophical Analysis 2nded. (1967; rpt . London: Routledge and Kegan  Paul ltd, 1970).

                iv.            Nathaniel micklen, Reason and Revelation: a question from Duns Scotus (Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and sons ltd, 1953)