The Division and Methods of the Sciences
by Thomas Aquinas · Super Boetium De Trinitate, qq. 5-6
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1257-1259
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Treatise
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Short · 110 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Division and Methods of the Sciences, translated by Armand MaurerPontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1986The standard English text of questions five and six, with a substantial introduction.
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Questions five and six of Aquinas' early commentary on Boethius' short treatise on the Trinity, published on their own under this title. Question five asks how the theoretical sciences are divided into natural philosophy, mathematics and metaphysics, and by what kind of abstraction each considers its object. Question six asks what method suits each science, whether reason or intellect leads, and whether the human mind can see the divine form in this life. The text is a compact statement of how Aquinas thinks knowledge is organised.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Division and Methods of the Sciences are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
