Rise of Modern Philosophy
By Denys Turner
Yale University Press, 300 pages, $28.00
This is not your normal biography; very little of it is actually biographical about Thomas Aquinas since very little is known about his life. Instead, this is a book about his ideas and how they formed over time, came under attack and were defended. Thomas Aquinas is one of the giant thinkers, theologians, and philosophers of Medieval Europe. His work is well known and widely read. His ideas have helped shaped modern thinking for generations, and he was one of the first Europeans to analyze Aristotle and bring him into the Christian canon. We get to explore how the early life of Thomas, and the vocation he chose, shaped his thinking. Not everyone agrees with his ideas, and it has taken a long time for him to be recognized for the great thinker that he is.
This book might be a tough read for some people to get through. Even though the author, Denys Turner, does not get too technical at times he can get wordy and over power the reader. While this book is written for students in philosophy, a general reader will be able to enjoy this book as well.
Reviewed by Kevin Winter
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