Books on Aquinas's Five Ways

[WholeSpirit]

Could somebody recommend a good, basic-to-intermediate book on Aquinas’s Five Ways?

I’ve been reading *Aquinas *by Edward Feser, but this is a fairly tough book. The First Way I understand. That is (somewhat) simple. But I can’t seem to understand what’s the exact difference between the Second Way to the First Way. Also, the Fourth Way is a mystery to me. It’s not clear how God follows from grades of perfection, etc.

Now I don’t want a book that’s too superficial. Just something a level below Feser’s book.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Could somebody recommend a good, basic-to-intermediate book on Aquinas’s Five Ways?

I’ve been reading *Aquinas *by Edward Feser, but this is a fairly tough book. The First Way I understand. That is (somewhat) simple. But I can’t seem to understand what’s the exact difference between the Second Way to the First Way. Also, the Fourth Way is a mystery to me. It’s not clear how God follows from grades of perfection, etc.

Now I don’t want a book that’s too superficial. Just something a level below Feser’s book.

To be honest Feser explains it about as simply as possible. There isn’t much difference between the 1st and 2nd way. Both are valid. I think personally that they are the same. Thomas used motion to begin because it is obvious that things move and change. And this is where Aristotle started and I think its where the Islamic and Jewish philosophers started as well. And he uses motion throughout the Summa to demonstrate one thing or another.

The fourth way basically says the beings of our experience truely exist, are truely good, etc. but not perfectly so. Therefore there must be a cause for their limited existence, goodness, etc because they cannot have caused this themselves because that would mean, simple, that they caused themselves to exist, that they caused their own perfection. But their perfections are limited so the cause must be a Being which is perfect, and this is God.

Etienne Gilson has a number of books which could be helpful. I liked his Elements of Christian Philosophy. But I don’t think it is any easier than Feser. It is a subject that is difficult to grasp.

Also, you might find something like Philosophy for Dummies that would help.

 

[Shike]

It’s not easy stuff no matter who’s writing about it, I think.

Entienne Gilson’s The Christian Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas has a brief bit how the first three arguments are very similar but that their exact starting points differ among a few other things. (warning, this book is not easy)

Side note: The experiential basis of Aquinas’ Ways are extremely important and the nature of the proofs as necessary is controversial enough in our current philosophical climate–for a better understanding it requires knowing a bit about the history of philosophy, rationalism, empericism, and how Thomism sidesteps the errors of both camps. With that said, I have not found a better book that sets the stage like Feser does. Re-read the book a couple times if you are having difficulty (I did) and it may very well pay off.