I've been following the discussion between John DaFiesole and Steven Riddle on the merits and demerits of the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Mr. Riddle gave me one of those "a-ha!" moments with a recent post.
He says:
One must know that I delight in "solving" mysteries before the author reveals the solution to me, and speeding through the NY Times crossword puzzles on a timed basis-- rooting out mystery and resolving apparent inconsistency gives me great joy and a bloated head.
A-ha! I have never solved a mystery on the rare occasions I've read one - I loath the things. The only mystery writer I'll read is Elizabeth George, and that not for the mystery but for her insights into human nature. The mystery is just extra stuff to wade through or ignore on the way to her characters. And the thought of doing a crossword puzzle... shudder. Please extract my fingernails first. I detest, nay, abhor such contrived puzzles (Ed works just down the hall from me).
So maybe the intellectuals among us need a Carmelite vision of life, while the <insert term here> need a different spirituality. As for Aquinas and his mistakes, well, cut him some slack! He was doing the best he could, illustrating points with what he knew, and sometimes he didn't know how things really work. Same here. You can still get the gist of his argument even if he gets the biological or mechanical details "wrong".
Posted by billw at December 27, 2002 09:53 AMDear Mr. White,
You will be horrified to hear that I not only solved Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose (about half-way through), but I even had the motive down.
Thanks for the link! I love contrived puzzles and the entire realm of mathematics, which, in a way is nothing more than a series of contrivances--useful, to be sure, but nevertheless, tell me that a concept such as i isn't contrived.
But, so with different personalities, and so let it rest, it is one of the things that makes the world such a truly wonderful place.
Oh, and please note, I NEVER denigrate St. Thomas--I do consistently point out that the fault is in my own intellectual make-up. I must make that point clearly. In fact, St. Thomas Aquinas has my most ardent respect and even my love for the brilliant, Saintly man that he was. He has been a light for the church and a beacon for a great many people. My respect for him is profound and deep--perhaps precisely why he present certain insurmountable difficulties for me.
My purpose is simply to warn and advise those who are quite similar to me in make-up that St. Thomas may present certain dangers. Better warned than facing senseless challenges to your faith.
Once again, thanks for the link--the more contrived the better. For example the famous Bridges of Koenigsburg or the four-color map problem.
shalom,
Steven
Posted by: Steven Riddle at December 27, 2002 12:12 PMtest
Posted by: asdfa at April 15, 2004 05:24 PMAmoxicillin online information.
Posted by: Amoxicillin cheap at October 5, 2004 05:59 PMInfo on Levaquin tablets online.
Posted by: Levaquin side effects at October 13, 2004 06:46 PMSeasonale online info site.
Posted by: Cheap Seasonale at October 15, 2004 12:40 PMButalbital online site.
Posted by: Order Butalbital at October 16, 2004 01:20 PMFioricet prescription info site.
Posted by: Fioricet online at October 18, 2004 08:17 AMMetaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct, but to find these reasons is no less an instinct.
Posted by: penis enlargement at October 18, 2004 09:36 PM