Theistic Realism and Education - Thomas Aquinas

1. THEISTIC
REALISM AND
EDUCATION
Mary Grace M. Romero
Discussant

4. Thomas Aquinas: A Founder of
Theistic Realism
• A Dominican theologian who was born into an
Italian noble family.
• He entered the Dominican order and studied at
the Monastery of the Holy Cross at Cologne, from
1246 to 1252.
• At age 14 and 18, he attended the University of
Naples, where he studied Aristotelian philosophy.
• In 1252, he earned his Master’s Degree in
Theology and was ordained as a priest.

5.  Together with his other Scholastic philosophers
such as Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109),
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), Peter
Abelard (1079-1142), and Albertus Magnus
(1193-1280) sought to create a synthesis of
Greek rationalism, especially Aristotle’s
philosophy, and the accepted doctrines of
Christianity.
 Summa Theologiae was his most important
philosophical work, which sought to create a
synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy and
Christian doctrine
Thomas Aquinas: A Founder of
Theistic Realism

6.  Theistic Realism, or Thomism was formulated as a
philosophy during the Middle Ages, which has been
a major world view that has shaped Western
thought.
 “Realism” asserts the existence of an objective
order of reality and the capability of human beings
to acquire knowledge of it applies equally to
Theistic Realism.
 Term “Theism” asserts the belief in the existence
of an omnipotent, omniscient, and personal Deity
Who created the world and all its creatures
including human beings, and keeps them in
existence.
Definition of Theistic Realism

7.  It represents the fusion of the ideas of Greek
rationality, represented by Aristotle, and Christian
theology.
 It holds the theological conception that the
universe functioned in a deliberate and purposeful
way rather than by mere chance or accident.
Every person’s life was an expression of purposeful
movement to a goal. Aristotle saw the “good life
of happiness” as the human being’s reason-for-
being. While accepting good life as human being’s
purpose on earth. He even argued that there was
an even higher purpose-the Beatific Vision, or the
experience of being in the presence of God.
Definition of Theistic Realism

8.  It has long been the most influential philosophy for
Roman Catholic education.
Educational Implications of
Theistic Realism

10.  Thomism asserts a dualistic view of reality, which
has both spiritual and material dimension.
Possessing both a body and a soul human beings
exist on both a supernatural and a natural plane.
 Following Christian doctrine, Aquinas asserted that
the universe and life within it had been created by
God, who in creating human life had endowed it
with an immaterial and deathless spiritual soul. He
strongly reconciled the claims of faith and reason,
in which the purpose of life was that the soul
should live eternally with God in heaven.
Thomism’s Philosophical and
Theological Bases

11.  Aquinas agreed with Aristotle that humans act most
humanely when reasoning. However, Aquinas
qualified his agreement; while reason is the human
being’s highest and most satisfying earthly power,
it is nevertheless an incomplete and imperfect
happiness. Perfect happiness comes after the death
of the body when, through the gift of divine
elevation, the human being experiences an
immediate cognitive and affective union with God.
 Thomistic educators emphasize the intellectual
function of the school as an agency designed to
cultivate and exercise human reason.
Thomism and Knowledge

12.  As an intellectual agency, the Catholic school
emphasizes the transmission and the use of
the liberal arts and sciences to exercise and
cultivate human rationality. Although primary
is given to intellectual development, physical,
social, and religious development should not
be neglected.
 Following dualistic principles, education
should:
provide the knowledge, exercise, and activities that
cultivate human spirituality;
provide the knowledge, exercise, and activities that
cultivate human reason.
Thomism and Knowledge

14.  Aquinas defined the human being as a “spirit-in-
the-world,” an incarnate spirit who also
possesses an animated body. Unique among
creatures, women and men are composed of
corporeal and spiritual substance and live
between two worlds.
 He asserts that the commonality of human nature
and culture is more important than the historical
variations. All people possess a common human
nature, which is what it is because of the
underlying spiritual and material realities in
which they participate.
Curricular Implications of the Thomistic
Conception of Human Nature

15.  Because the person’s soul is immortal and
destined for the perfect happiness of the Beatific
Vision of God, subjects leading to spiritual
growth and formation such as theology and
scriptural and religious studies shall be given
curricular emphasis.
Curricular Implications of the Thomistic
Conception of Human Nature

17.  For Thomists, education – the complete
formation of a person – is a lifelong process that
involves many persons and agencies, such as the
family, the church, and the community. Teachers
should carefully distinguish between education,
the broader and more inclusive concept, and
schooling, its more limited form. These
distinctions help to define areas of competence
and responsibility for teachers.
 Teachers should strongly assert that parents
should exercise the primary role in their child’s
education.
Thomistic Teacher-Learner Relationship

18.  The distinctions between education and
schooling also make clear that the school is not
an all-powerful educational institution. Its
effectiveness as an instructional agency depends
on other agencies, such as the family, performing
their educational responsibilities well.
 In Thomistic school context, teacher is a mature
person who possesses a disciplined body of
knowledge or skill and through deliberate
instruction seeks to impart this to a learner.
Thomistic Teacher-Learner Relationship

19.  Thomist teacher should be a skilled
communicator who prepares structured and
organized instructional materials.
 The good teacher should be motivated by a
love of truth, a love of persons, and a love of
God.
 Teachers are to serve as exemplars or models
that are worthy of imitation by the students.
Thomistic Teacher-Learner Relationship

20.  Thomisms assert that education should aid
human beings to merit supernatural life.
 Theistic Realism has sought to reconcile faith
and reason, or religion and science, in a
comprehensive synthesis.
Conclusion

21. Thank you for listening!