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AboutaContemporaryThomisticMetaphysics
13
maybeJefferson,thepeopleperishwhenthereisnovisionavision
ofthewhole.That’sthethingthattheymiss,andthattheyfindinSt.
Thomas,avisionofthewhole.That’swhythebookIwroteiscalled
TheUniverseasJourney.That’sasingle,powerful,tremendousimage
summingupinasensetheentiremetaphysicalvisionoftheuniverse
accordingtoSt.Thomas.
Thestudentsmostlydon’tknowaboutthat.Theysaid,“Nobody
givesusanyvisionslikethis.”Themodernphilosophersonewill
sayyoucan’tknowthis,otherswillsayyoucan’tknowthat.Whatcan
youknowisnotclear,andtheyarealldoingpiecemealwork.Nobody
givesusgreatvisionslikethis.Sotheywerejustenthralledwiththis,
butitwasbecauseIpresentedSt.Thomasinthegreatseminalideas,
notheavytechnicalarmaturethathedevelopedfromAristotle.Heis
verydifficulttoapproachjustonyourown.Youhavetohavesomeone
toguideyouinandsimplifyandstreamlinefromalltheheavytechni-
calterminology.
OtherthingisthataftertheSecondVaticanCouncil,Thomism
seemedtoundergoatest.Whydidthishappen?Allovertheseminar-
iesandinmostoftheCatholicinstitutions,St.Thomaswasthegreat
authoritythatyouwererecommended,andsupposedtoteach,andit
wasverycommon.Butthen,aftertheSecondVaticanCouncil,andit
hadbeenbeginningbefore,tryingtotrynewthings,andaplaying
downofauthority.Sowhathappenedthen,thedoorwasopen,soto
speak,toappreciateallkindsofothertraditions,includingreligious
traditions,andthentheyoungCatholicscholarsjustsortofbroke
awayfromSt.Thomas.Thestudentsweretrainedprincipallyinphe-
nomenology,existentialism,andvariousthings,sotheyjustsortof
movedawayfromSt.Thomas,andtheywereabittickedoff,orturned
offbytheauthoritarianaspectthathadcomeintoThomism.Thisisthe
onegreatauthority.Thatwasverybadnews,andSt.Thomasnever
wouldhavelikedthat.Hewasarevolutionaryinhisownday.Several
ofhisdoctrinesgotcondemned,sortofofficially,notbythewhole
Church,butbytheBishopofParis,sotheyhadtorescindthose
whentheycanonizedhim.Theycouldn’thaveasaintwithdoctrines
condemned.Theythoughthewastoodangerous,sohewasnotjust