Why Aquinas Matters Now

(Hardback)

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Oliver Keenan brings the medieval philosophy of Thomas Aquinas to life. Thomas Aquinas is more than a medieval curiosity. He was a reluctant revolutionary, a scholar, poet and saint whose work unleashed an epoch-defining explosion of philosophical creativity in the thirteenth century. Writing at a time of war, injustice, poverty and alienation, Aquinas thought reaches across the ages and speaks to us today. As Oliver Keenan argues, Aquinas matters now not because he was right about everything but because he can teach us a new way of looking at the world. A powerful voice for community, justice, friendship and peace, Aquinas profoundly non-violent philosophy shows us how to be human in a deeply dehumanizing world. The era that he knew was defined by conflict and divisive politics, much like our own his unfailing belief in the power of communication to overcome alienation and despair is an important lesson for us all. This book brings Aquinas challenging but deeply rewarding philosophy to life for readers new to his work, as well as those already familiar. Oliver Keenan has spent his working life researching and engaging with Thomas Aquinas, culminating in this moving and original account of why he matters now perhaps more than ever.

Author Bio

Dr Oliver Keenan teaches philosophy in the University of Oxford. He is an authority on the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. He is a fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. He is also director and lector of the Aquinas Institute in that city. He specializes in epistemology and ontology in the philosophy of the twentieth century.