Review article
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.48.94.5
The Cosmological Argument in Medieval Philosophy: St. Thomas Aquinas and Herman of Dalmatia
Tvrtko Srdoč
; Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies, Wien, Austria
Kosana Jovanović
; Faculty of Humanitis and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Aleksandra Golubović
; Faculty of Humanitis and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
This paper examines cosmological arguments in medieval philosophy. More specifically, we aim to investigate whether it is possible to speak of a cosmological argument in the work On the Essences by Herman of Dalmatia. To address the research question, we compared Herman’s arguments with the most well-known versions of cosmological arguments– the first two »ways« of St. Thomas Aquinas. Additionally, some of the key teachings of Aquinas’s philosophy are explained, such as the doctrine of the four causes and the distinction between act and potency. Through the analysis of Aquinas’s first and second »way«, it was determined that the first »way« is a cosmological argument from change, while the second is from causality. Similar to the approach with Aquinas, before analyzing Herman’s arguments, the foundational aspects of his thought in the first book of On the Essences are presented. Herman’s arguments do not exhibit all the characteristics of the strict form of a cosmological argument. A detailed analysis and comparison with Aquinas’s »ways« led to the conclusion that Herman’s arguments are more specific arguments or features that potentially move toward proving the existence of God. However, Herman’s arguments do not meet all the criteria of cosmological arguments. As a possible next step, the authors consider a comparative analysis of the natural-philosophical observations of twelfth-century philosophers alongside Herman’s arguments to be a fruitful direction.
Keywords
cosmological argument; medieval philosophy; St. Thomas Aquinas; Herman of Dalmatia; philosophy of religion; Croatian philosophy
Hrčak ID:
324713
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2024.
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