Excerpt from Lessons in Scholastic Philosophy The formal object, then, of philosophy, or that which, for its own sake, it investigates, are absolutely ultimate reasons and causes, as far as these are knowable with certainty and evidence by man's natural reason. As its material object or that in which it seeks its formal object, it embraces all things, all Being. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The scholastic philosopher is interested in definition for a different reason than the lexicographer and linguist. The philosopher is trying to learn things. Fe defines, after investigating reality, in an attempt to describe reality clearly and to sum up some aspect of his understanding of reality. Hence, we find our scholastic philosophers adopting as a main feature of their method this insistence on defining, on precise and detailed explanation of their definitions, and on proving that their definitions da correctly express what a nature or activity is. A dictionary of the language of scholastic philosophy fitted to the needs of beginners and of undergraduate students of the subject is not available in English.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) was a Neo-Thomist philosopher who taught in France and the United States and was French Ambassador to the Vatican from 1945-48. A Protestant who became a Roman Catholic through association with Leon Bloy, he devoted himself to the study of Thomism and its application to all aspects of modern life and urged Christian involvement in secular affairs. An Introduction to Philosophy is perhaps the most well-known and enduring of all Maritain's many books. It offers a clear and highly readable introduction to the philosophies of both Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas.

This textbook is organized as possible: Introduction Chapter 1. What Is Philosophy? Part I. The Historical Rise of Philosophy Chapter 2. The First Beginnings of Philosophy Chapter 3. The Problem of Change and Permanence Chapter 4. The Age of the Sophists Chapter 5. Socrates Chapter 6. Plato Chapter 7. Aristotle Part II. The Meaning of Man Chapter 8. The Nature of Man Chapter 9. The Nature of Knowing Chapter 10. The Kinds of Knowing Chapter 11. The Truth Of Knowing Chapter 12. The Nature of Desire Chapter 13. Freedom And Liberty Chapter 14. Liberty and Love Chapter 15. The Soul Of Man Chapter 16. Human Personality Part III. The Making of Man Chapter 17. In Search of Happiness Chapter 18. The Road to Happiness Chapter 19. The Life of Virtue Chapter 20. The Virtues of the Individual Person Chapter 21. Justice, The Social Virtue Chapter 22. Social Philosophy Part IV. The Universe Of Man Chapter 23. The World of Bodies Chapter 24. The Realm of Nature Part V. The Universe Of Being Chapter 25. In Quest of Being Chapter 26. Transcendentals of Being Chapter 27. The Divisions of Being Chapter 28. Uncreated Being Conclusion Chapter 29. The Perennial Philosophy Reading List Suggested Topics