Aquinas’s Method

(according to Dennis Beach, who may not know much about it, but thinks this makes sense anyway).

bulletAsks a general Question that is then “articulated” into specific articles.
bulletEach Article begins with several Objections. This may seem very odd to us, until we stop to think that “Ob-jections” are things “thrown at” (ject-ed at) the question.  They’re not (yet) objections to Thomas’s own point of view, but “ideas thrown out” to address the article’s question and they often consist of things that have been said in the past by various thinkers about the issue at hand.  In actual fact, although “Objections” is the traditional English translation, the Latin simply says “To proceed, at first (is said) thus 1)… ; moreover, 2)....” Note, our translation is a newer one that does not use the word "Objection," so it's closer to the Latin.  but
bulletThen Thomas replies On the contrary... or On the other hand... by citing some wise guy (sorry, don’t know of any article where he cites a woman, although he may) of the past.  This could be a philosopher, a saint, a church father, the Bible, Jesus himself.
bulletHe follows this with “I respond that...”  This is not a disagreement with what he’s just quoted.  The key is that he quotes an authority and then gives in reply his pledge (Latin: sponsa) to this.  So he’s really saying, “A wise person has said X, and I give in pledge of such idea the following reasons....”
bulletFinally, the Replies to the Objections correspond to the preliminary ideas thrown out. The Latin says: “To the first thing said, I answer that.... To the second, ..., etc.” 

Thus, the original Latin is less an argument than the following structure:

  1. A Question;
  2. An answer or point of view on this question (one that Aquinas will refute);
  3. Reasons (numbered) that could be (and have been) said to support this erroneous conclusion;
  4. On the Contrary, the viewpoint of an authority that contradicts teh view expressed to start with;
  5. Aquinas’s pledge (Response) and explanation of that authority’s reasonableness; and finally,
  6. Better explanations (Replies) that clear up what might have been mistaken or mis-applied in the first things said.

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