Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Book Review: Hooked on Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas Made Easy by Robert A. O'Donnell, PhD

Hooked on Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas Made Easy by Robert A. O'Donnell, PhD

The philosophy and theology of Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican monk from the 1200s, follows in the steps of Aristotle (from the 300s BC!), covering almost every topic imaginable. This book moves through Aquinas's philosophy systematically, starting with epistemology (how we know things, both ideas and the world around us) and moving through metaphysics and natural theology ending in philosophical anthropology, considering human psychology and morality. O'Donnell does a good job summarizing topics and giving enough from other philosophers to situate the ideas in the broader context of the history of philosophy.

The book is very brief (barely 100 pages) so he has to condense a lot. Some bits felt oversimplified but that is a limitation in a basic introductory book. This makes a good starting point to get into more difficult summaries or into reading Thomas himself.

Mildly recommended.

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