PHIL 624 Aquinas on Book of Causes
Initially received by the Latin West as a work of Aristotle's, the Neoplatonic Book of Causes (Liber de Causis) was recognized first by Thomas Aquinas to be an Arabic work consisting of emended excerpts from Proclus's Elements of Theology. This course will consist of a slow reading of Thomas's Commentary on the Book of Causes, one of his later works (1272). Focus will be on metaphysical themes such as the nature of causality in general, God's creative act, and the nature of the separate substances. Special attention will be paid to Thomas's interpretation of the Book of Causes in light of the thought of Aristotle and Ps.-Dionysius. Some familiarity with both Latin and Aquinas's metaphysics is recommended but not required.