The Philosophy Of Thomas Aquinas And The Existence Of God

Aquinas was proven a scholarly man who combined the theological principles of faith and the philosophical principles of reason. He combined his education, beliefs, points of view, writings, teachings, preaching’s and the works of others which launched his own learning and exploration of philosophy. Aquinas believed that the existence of God could be proven in five ways. The one concluding that the impermanent nature of beings proves the existence of a necessary being, God, who originates only from within himself. Aquinas claims that essence and existence are really different from each other.

Aquinas says there are two different types of existence. One existence is essential such as the fact that man exists. The second existence is accidental,

Essence is that which has existence, but it is not existence; this is a crude articulation of Thomas’s most fundamental metaphysical teaching: that essence and existence are distinct in finite entities. When Aquinas tries to explain the differences he is concerned with hylemorphism. Hylemorphism is the philosophical doctrine that identifies matter with the first cause of the universe. Aquinas believes that hylemorphism contradicts what philosophers think. Aquinas has three stages he has broken down to explain the difference between essence and existence. Stage one states that we will never understand an essence without knowing the parts of the essence. But one can understand the essence of a thing, despite not knowing the existence of it. "For instance, one can understand the essence of a man or a phoenix without thereby understanding the existence of either. Stage two states that is, a being of essence in existence there would be one being. If a being is to the point where its essence is its existence, it would be one of a kind. A being whose essence is its existence could not be multiplied through the addition of some difference, for then its essence would not be its existence but its existence plus some difference, nor could it be multiplied through being received in matter, for then it would not be subsistent, but it must be subsistent if it exists in virtue of what it is. Stage three states that if some belongs to a thing it either belongs to it through essence or principle. A thing cannot can be created and found by its own existence. Everything then whose essence is distinct from its existence must be caused to be by