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A review by ben_smitty
Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide by Edward Feser
5.0
Aquinas' thoughts seemed impenetrable at first, but Feser has allowed me to scratch the surface of Thomistic philosophy. I'm not gonna lie and say that I understood everything perfectly; at times, I've had to read and re-read passages to grasp what Feser is on about. Still, the book's structure is especially helpful—starting off with Thomistic metaphysics is the perfect antidote to misunderstanding Aquinas—and Feser's abundant examples solidify the abstract into the concrete. He also covers natural theology, "psychology" (which is basically ontology for Aquinas), and ethics.
The book is refreshing for Christians (like me) who have drifted away from scholastic metaphysics and have adapted Cartesian dualism instead. The book is dense, though, so take lots of notes, especially in the chapter on metaphysics, which Feser references quite a bit.
The book is refreshing for Christians (like me) who have drifted away from scholastic metaphysics and have adapted Cartesian dualism instead. The book is dense, though, so take lots of notes, especially in the chapter on metaphysics, which Feser references quite a bit.