History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 233 - Stairway to Heaven - Bonaventure
Jul 19, 2015
Bonaventure's contrasting approach to Aquinas in 13th century scholasticism, focusing on divine illumination. The lights of arts, sensation, and philosophy and their compatibility with theology. Bonaventure's views on philosophy, divine exemplars, and the necessity of divine illumination for certain knowledge. The contemplative nature of Bonaventure's work and the importance of philosophy in understanding the divine.
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Illumination Vs. Aristotelian Empiricism
- Bonaventure follows Augustine: human knowledge requires divine illumination rather than purely sense-based abstraction.
- He contrasts this with Aquinas' Aristotelian trust in the senses as sufficient for general knowledge.
Every Art Mirrors The Divine
- Bonaventure treats all arts as signs of the divine and handmaids of theology.
- Even mundane crafts mirror God's creative act by imitating divine exemplar-formation.
Use Learning To Serve Theology
- Use philosophy and other arts as handmaids to theology rather than substitutes for it.
- Learn broadly because all knowledge can assist in understanding Scripture and devotion.