How do Augustine and Aquinas argue for an objective ethics? How do they bring to bear ancient philosophical thought in making their cases? Is Augustine a Platonist? Is Aquinas an Aristotelian?

Religion “fights back”! Or does it adapt? The Christian absorption of Greek ethics. Assignment:
Reader: pp. 107-118 (Augustine) and pp 119-133 (Aquinas)

As the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome receded and with the emergence and triumph of Christianity, several religious and moral philosophers attempted to incorporate ancient ethical precepts within their own accounts of morality. Perhaps the two best known are St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. How do Augustine and Aquinas argue for an objective ethics? How do they bring to bear ancient philosophical thought in making their cases? Is Augustine a Platonist? Is Aquinas an Aristotelian? As we consider these questions we will also consider:

  • Why did God create a universe in which “evil” exists?
  • What is “natural law” and what does it say about an objective ethics?
  • Can reason be an adequate foundation for faith?
  • Are there rational arguments for God’s existence? If so, what does this imply about morals?