Is God's existence a matter of rational knowledge? Most people would consider this idea incomprehensible or even pure hubris. For those who believe themselves to be enlightened by the light of reason, faith and reason are usually irreconcilable opposites. It goes without saying that they would side entirely with reason in this conflict. Ever since Kant's critiques, they have believed that when it comes to God, one cannot rely on reason, but at most on faith. Serpentines begins as a fascinating general introduction to the surprising philosophy and theology of St. Thomas and then goes on to discuss the four types of causes that Aristotle and Thomas distinguish: material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause, before turning to the five ways that Thomas Aquinas developed to prove the existence of God.
The philosopher Sebastian Ostritsch gets to the bottom of the misunderstanding of the opposition between faith and reason and, in a debate with Kant, reinterprets the proofs of God's existence by the most important medieval philosopher, Thomas Aquinas.
Softcover
Sebastian Ostritsch teaches as a private lecturer at Heidelberg University and is the author of several philosophical studies and non-fiction books. His most recent publication is the intellectual biography Hegel. Der Weltphilosoph (Hegel: The World Philosopher) and Let's Play oder Game Over? Eine Ethik des Computerspiels (Let's Play or Game Over? An Ethics of Computer Games). Ostritsch conducts research on Hegel and German idealism, on fundamental metaphysical themes such as existence, time, and eternity, but also on the philosophy and ethics of gaming.
"Ostritsch advocates a Thomistic take on epistemology in which we can know things in themselves and not merely appearances." – Dr. Christopher Kaczor, Word On Fire
