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Pseudo-Dionysius and the Metaphysics of Aquinas

Pseudo-Dionysius and the Metaphysics of Aquinas

by O'Rourke, Fran
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780268037246 University of Notre Dame Press

Although Pseudo-Dionysius was, after Aristotle, the author whom Thomas Aquinas quoted most frequently, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the role of this Neoplatonist thinker in the formation of Aquinas' philosophy. Fran O'Rourke's book is the only available work that investigates the pervasive influence of Pseudo-Dionysius on Aquinas, while at the same time examining the latter's profound originality.

Central themes discussed by O'Rourke include knowledge of the absolute, existence as the first and most universal perfection, the diffusion of creation, the hierarchy of creatures, and their return to God as final end. O'Rourke devotes special attention to the Neoplatonist element in Aquinas' notion of "being" as intensity or degree of perfection. He also considers the relation of being and goodness in light of Aquinas' nuanced reversal of Dionysius' theory of the primacy of the good, and Aquinas' arguments for the transcendental nature of goodness.

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Product details

BrandUniversity of Notre Dame Press
Pub dateNov 3, 2005
ISBN-100268037248
ISBN-139780268037246
Paperback318.0 pages
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions9 × 0.71 × 6 in
Weight1 lb
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