Five Ways (Aquinas)
Also known as: Five Ways · Five Proofs
- 1Formulated by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century.
- 2Published within the Summa Theologica.
- 3Includes the argument from the first mover.
- 4Includes the argument from universal causation.
- 5Includes the argument from contingency.
- 6Includes the argument from degree.
- 7Includes the argument from final cause.
The Quinque viæ are five logical arguments for the existence of God summarized by the 13th-century Catholic philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas in his book Summa Theologica.
Connections1
canonical arguments for God's existence in Thomism
These five logical proofs derived from Aristotelian metaphysics are the most famous arguments within Thomistic natural theology.
The Quinque viæ, or Five Ways, are a set of five logical arguments for the existence of God formulated by the 13th-century philosopher Thomas Aquinas. These arguments are famously presented in his major work, the Summa Theologica. Each path relies on a specific observation of the natural world, which Aquinas then uses to infer the necessity of a divine first cause or ultimate reality.
Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century Dominican friar and theologian who formalised the "Five Ways" intended to demonstrate God's existenceWikimedia Commons: File:St-thomas-aquinas.jpg The five arguments include the first mover, which posits that everything in motion must have been set in motion by another; universal causation, which argues against an infinite regress of causes; contingency, which distinguishes between things that exist necessarily and those that do not; degree, which suggests that there must be a standard of perfection; and the final cause, which observes that natural objects act toward a specific end. Together, these arguments represent a cornerstone of natural theology.