Get the Workbook | Facilitator Guide | The term philosophy, from Greek for “love of wisdom”, refers to a reasoned study of the truth of things. We have grasped the truth when what exists and what we think exists are the same. Philosophers and scientists alike seek to understand the universe as it really is, or, in other words, to know the truth about the universe. The great Medieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas believed that philosophy could tell us a lot about God. St. Thomas is famous for using logical reasoning to prove God’s existence: there must be one uncaused being which creates everything else, and this reality is referred to as “God.” Using St. Thomas’s reasoning, we can simply look at the world around us and, by using our intellect, conclude that there must be a Creator.
In this episode you will learn that ...
■ Philosophy is the love of wisdom and can be used to come to reasonable knowledge of God.
■ St. Thomas Aquinas demonstrated by way of five proofs for God’s existence that there must be one uncaused, unrestricted being who caused everything else.
■ Contemporary philosopher Bernard Lonergan has developed a new proof for God’s existence that focuses on the intelligibility of reality: God is the complete set of correct answers to the complete set of questions.
■ Philosophical proofs for God can tell us what God is—the Creator, the unique uncaused reality existing through itself, unrestricted in intelligibility and in intelligence—but they are limited in what they can tell us about who God is.
About Fr Spitzer: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 16, 1952, Fr. Spitzer is a Catholic priest in the Jesuit order and is currently the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith (magiscenter.com). The Magis Center produces documentaries, books, high school programs, college courses, adult-education programs, and social media materials on the close connection among science, reason, and faith. Fr. Spitzer is also the President, Master of Ceremonies, and speaker at the Napa Institute (napa-institute.org).