It uses induction as well as deduction, and its data come from ordinary experience and divine revelation as well as philosophical axioms ("first principles").Ī Summa is really a summarized debate. Yet, though very systematic, a Summa is not a system in the modern sense, a closed and deductive system like that of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, or Hegel. So a Summa is ordered and outlined with loving care. The medievals had a passion for order, because they believed that God had a passion for order when He designed the universe. Everything is "bottom line." Such a style should appeal to busy moderns. There is extreme economy in the use of words-no digressions and few illustrations. It is more like an encyclopedia than a textbook, and it is meant to be used more as a reference library than as a book.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |