Aquinas and Modernity

Shadia B. Drury is professor of philosophy and political science at the University of Regina in Canada, a Canada Research Chair in Social Justice, and director of the University of Regina Masters Program in Social and Political Thought.

• Part 1 I. The Horrors of TheocracyChapter 2 1.The Historical SettingChapter 3 2.The Fanaticism of FaithChapter 4 3.The Lost Promise of Natural LawPart 5 II. The Subjugation of ReasonChapter 6 1.The Intellectual SettingChapter 7 2.William of Saint-AmourChapter 8 3.Siger of BrabantChapter 9 4.The Usurpation of the Double TruthChapter 10 5.Aristotle and the BibleChapter 11 6.Faith and ReasonChapter 12 7.The Authority of ScoundrelsChapter 13 8.Weapon Against ModernityChapter 14 9.The Anti-Modernist OathChapter 15 10.The Appeal of FideismChapter 16 11.Is Faith Impervious to Reason?Part 17 III. The Politics of SalvationChapter 18 1.Papal Supremacy and the Two SwordsChapter 19 2.The Pragmatism of Natural LawChapter 20 3.The Bigotry of FaithChapter 21 4.Heathens, Heretics, and JewsChapter 22 5.Just War and Holy WarChapter 23 6.Death to HereticsChapter 24 7.Aquinas and the InquisitionPart 25 IV. Sin, Sex, and CelibacyChapter 26 1.Eunuchs for HeavenChapter 27 2.The "Aristotelian" ArgumentChapter 28 3.Sharing the AgonyChapter 29 4.The Sex Life of Adam and EveChapter 30 5.To Marry or To Burn?Chapter 31 6.Carnal Pleasure and the Contemplation of GodChapter 32 7.Those Pesky Polygamous PatriarchsChapter 33 8.The Crimes of CelibacyChapter 34 9.The Vices of Celibacy: Abelard, Heloise, and AugustinePart 35 V. Aquinas and Modernity: A DialogueChapter 36 1.Christianity and the InquisitionChapter 37 2.The Silence of ConscienceChapter 38 3.The Separation of Church and StateChapter 39 4.Western Civilization and the Islamic ThreatChapter 40 5.Freedom and LicentiousnessChapter 41 6.The New Averroist MenaceChapter 42 7.The Disenchantment of PostmodernityPart 43 VI. Recovering the Lost Promise of Natural LawChapter 44 1.Natural Law and Human NatureChapter 45 2.A Minimalist ReadingChapter 46 3.Abhorrence of NatureChapter 47 4.ConscienceChapter 48 5.ConventionalismChapter 49 6.Legal PositivismChapter 50 7.Natural Law and Divine RevelationPart 51 Conclusion

In this impassioned criticism, Drury condemns the prevailing view of Aquinas as a champion of reason and morality. With verve and wit Drury relentlessly documents how Aquinas opted for faith over reason, expediency over elementary decency, and cruelty over humanity in order to justify the Crusades, the Inquisition, the torture and murder of devout dissenters, and the condemnation of all who did not wholeheartedly obey the often-changing orthodoxy of the Catholic Church. Contemporary defenders of the faith and Aquinas should meet the challenge of this book—if they can.