This new and updated edition of Christopher Shields and Robert Pasnau's The Philosophy of Aquinas introduces the Aquinas' overarching explanatory framework in order to provide the necessary background to his philosophical investigations across a wide range of areas: rational theology, metaphysics, philosophy of human nature, philosophy of mind, and ethical and political theory. Although not intended to provide a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of Aquinas' far-reaching writings, the volume presents a systematic introduction to the principal areas of his philosophy and attends no less to Aquinas' methods and argumentative strategies than to his ultimate conclusions. The authors have updated the second edition in light of recent scholarship on Aquinas, while streamlining and refining their presentation of the key elements of Aquinas' philosophy.

Preface1 Life and Work1.1 Early Years1.2 A Young Scholar1.3 Master of Theology1.4 Back to Italy1.5 A Second Term in Paris1.6 Breakdown2 Aquinas's Explanatory Framework: The Four Causes2.1 Introducing the Four Causes2.1.1 Matter and Form2.1.2 The Efficient Cause2.1.3 The Final Cause2.1.4 The Four Causes Reviewed and Briefly Illustrated2.2 The Four Causes Developed and Articulated2.2.1 Mutual Priority2.2.2 Priority Among the Causes2.2.3 Proximate and Non-Proximate Causes2.2.4 Causal Coincidence2.2.5 Incidental Causes2.3 Conclusions3 Aquinas's Metaphysical Framework: Being and Essence3.1 Beings and Essences3.2 Material Substances3.2.1 First Qualification3.2.2 Second Qualification3.2.3 Third Qualification3.3 Immaterial Substances3.4 Substance and Accidents3.5 Universals3.5.1 Qualitative Sameness3.5.2 Numerical Sameness3.6 Conclusions4 God's Existence and Nature4.1 Our Knowledge of God4.2 Phase One: God's Existence4.2.1 The Proof from Motion4.2.2 The Proof from Degrees of Truth4.3 Phase Two: God's Nature4.3.1 Absolute Simplicity4.3.2 From Intellect to Will4.4 Understanding God's Attributes: Analogical Predication4.5 Conclusions5 The Order of the Universe5.1 God's Power5.1.1 Creation5.1.2 Omnipotence and Creation5.1.3 The Beginning of the Universe5.2 The Created Order5.3 Providence5.3.1 Conservation5.3.2 Necessity and Freedom5.4 Conclusions6 The Human Soul and the Human Body6.1 The Special Status of Human Beings6.2 Soul as a Principle of Life6.3 Souls and Bodies: Hylomorphism6.4 Against Reductive Materialism6.5 Against Platonism6.6 A Difficult Intermediary6.7 Soul as Subsistent6.8 Where in the Body Is the Soul?6.9 Conclusions7 Sense and Intellect7.1 The Nature of Cognition7.2 The Cognitive Powers7.2.1 Sensation7.2.2 The Immateriality of Cognition7.2.3 An Argument for the Intellect's Immateriality7.3 Cognitive Functions7.3.1 The Objects of Intellect7.3.2 Abstraction7.3.3 Illumination7.3.4 Concept Formation7.4 Conclusions8 The Goal of Human Life8.1 Introduction8.2 That There Is a Human End8.3 Happiness8.4 What Happiness Is Not8.5 What Happiness Is8.6 The Beatific Vision8.7 Conclusions9 Ethics9.1 Overview9.2 Natural Law9.2.1 Nature and Eternal Law9.2.2 Natural Inclinations9.2.3 The Passions9.3 Virtue9.3.1 The Need for Virtue9.3.2 The Perfection of Virtue9.3.3 Prudence9.4 ConclusionsGlossaryCatalog of WorksIndex