Was the "stupidest " intellectual actually -

[Zeno]

Saint Thomas Aquinas? Think of all the stupidity that he put into motion from his ideas and framework for catholicism. The man is an intellectual monster and thanks mainly to the papacy, especially Leo XIII, he is considered the ONLY authority on matters of theology. Catholic ecclesiastics must accept Saint Thomas if they concern themselves with philosophy and theology. And that underlying philosophy is thee driving force in the practical matters of the church. Which leads to such vile actions like the recent sex abuse revelations involving Priests. And also the shameful actions of Clerical authothities since his influence (circa 1280's).

This Chomsky guy - who I have never read, is just a passing fad, a little man with a little voice and a drum to beat out his tune and only his tune. His influence is really nil.

Saint Thomas Aquinas will continue to echo down the ages and the petrified imbecilities he set down, and transformed into orthodoxy by the Catholic church, will continue to comand influence and authority for millennia. His seeds of ignorance will continue to grow, flourish, and harvest rotten fruit.

Soli Deo gloria!

Le Misanthrope

[Clarkmeister]

"Which leads to such vile actions like the recent sex abuse revelations involving Priests"

Clearly it is his fault that people 800 years after his passing are abandoning their morals and having sex with little boys.

[IrishHand]

My thoughts exactly.

[brad]

if he was the one who instituted the ban on marriage for priests i can see him getting some of the blame.

[Zeno]

Clealy he is not "directly" at fault. And good point. But the seeds of numerous atrocities can be attributed to the thought that is directly his and produces the climate which fosters evil deeds.

For example, in the summa theologiae, he produces arguments that the scaraments are valid even when dispensed by wicked ministers. This idea was vital to church doctrine, as very many priest live in mortal sin and the common pious people feared that such priests could not administer the sacraments (their activities were common knowledge), which are necessary to salvation. It was well known in Thomas's age (and continuing down to today!) that priests and other clerics abused their power and committed crimes, that included, sexual abuse toward women, and young boys and girls, among other abuses involving property and money.

This is the hieght of moral degradation and intellectual dishonesty - that such an intelligent man could justify such nonsense. And he clearly knew what was going on.

I should add that a few lines of the above (first part of second paragragh), I parapharsed and modified from Bertrand Russell's, A History of Western Philosophy. The rest of the post is all mine.

-Zeno

And yes, he supported and justified the celibacy of priests.

[Clarkmeister]

By your logic, our government which makes drugs like heroin and cocaine illegal is responsible for the fact that there are heroin and cocaine addicts.

The concept is called free will and self determination. Blaming someone (even indirectly) for the moral bankruptcy of others is ridiculous in my mind.

[brad]

case can be made that by denying addicts clean needles some liability is assumed for adverse health effects.

[Clarkmeister]

"case can be made that by denying addicts clean needles some liability is assumed for adverse health effects."

but not for the addiction itself.

[brad]

analogies never map 1 to 1 heh

[Zeno]

"The concept is called free will and self determination. Blaming someone (even indirectly) for the moral bankruptcy of others is ridiculous in my mind."

Saint Thomas was intellectually dishonest in setting down ideas he knew to be ignorant and subject to abuse, as I pointed out.

Can the moral bankruptcy of individuals be so easily dismissed by concepts of free will and self-determination? Concepts that are rather difficult to define. Are there no other underlying ideas or preceding causes to crimes, abuses or atrocities that are repeatedly committed under the umbrella of authority? Authority as in governments, religious institutions, military forces, centers of learning etc.

So Saint Thomas is not responsible for the ideas he gave birth to that form a continuum to the present day and into the foreseeable future? Interesting concept. Many ideas, that history as shown to foster crimes and atrocities, have been but forth by many different people throughout the ages and all are guiltless. Absolved by free will and self-determination in the human species. I'll list a few. Add more as you see fit.

Genghis Khan
John Calvin
Rousseau
Jesus Christ
Otto Bismarck
Nietzsche
Adolph Hitler
Karl Marx
Machiavelli
Saint Paul
Mohammed
Saint Thomas


I may be listing people whose ideas are free of any association with any human crimes or atrocities. If so, I apologize. It is possible that I am wrong in the above assumptions. After all, is Machiavelli responsible for Richard Nixon? Is Jesus responsible for the Popes? Is Karl Marx responsible for Stalin? Is Rousseau responsible for the excesses of the French Revolution? Is Mohammed responsible for September 11? Is Adolf Hilter responible for the Final Solution? Is Nietzsche responsible for Adolf Hilter? Is Bismarck responsible for anything at all. And is Saint Thomas responsible for sexual abuse by Priests? or should Saint Paul be guilty? I am in doubt, my usual state of being by the way.

Zeno