Book 2: Chapter 13, Saint Thomas of Aquinas Summary and Analysis

The greatest scholastic philosopher was Thomas Aquinas (1225/6, d. 1274). His system may be regarded as the only that was right while his influence was as significant as that of Aristotle, Kant, and Hegel. In following Aristotle he managed to make it acceptable by Catholic ecclesiastics.

He was born in the kingdom of Naples, close to Monte Cassino, where he began to study that was continued at Frederick's II University in Naples. He became Dominican, went to Cologne and studied further under Albertus Magnus, a leading Aristotelian. After returning to Italy in 1259, he died. During 1269-72 he was engaged to rescue Dominicans from adhering to Averroist doctrines, claiming that it was intellect that was immortal and not the soul.

His most important work was the Summa contra Gentiles written during 1259-64 dealing with...