Summary of El Libre Albedrio en Santo Tomas de Aquino y en Lutero

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The video discusses the concept of free will through the eyes of two prominent figures: St. Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. Aquinas believed that free will allowed individuals to choose and make decisions, while Luther claimed that humans were slaves to sin and subject to the sovereignty of God. The speakers explore the philosophical and theological differences between the two thinkers and the relationship between individuals and the creator. The video also delves into the debate on free will, the limitations of human freedom, and the concept of spiritual death. Additionally, it touches on Luther's criticism of the Scholastic tradition and how the decline of this tradition prevented him from fulfilling his biblical pursuits. Ultimately, the video provides insight into different philosophical and religious understandings of free will in the context of these two influential figures.

00:00:00 In this section, the professor introduces the concept of free will and the two major theological perspectives on it: Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. Aquinas believed that free will meant having the ability to choose and make decisions, while Luther believed that humans were slaves to sin and subject to the sovereignty of God. The professor also touches on the philosophical and theological differences between the two thinkers and their approach to the relationship between the individual and the creator. The reading of Nestor, with his insightful comments, sheds light on the nuances of the two perspectives on free will.
00:05:00 In this section, the transcript excerpt discusses how Catholicism creates subtle plots and sophisms to dictate obscurity in the scriptures but clarity in their sentences to hold onto the words of men and deny the words of God, leading to a debate between Cayetano and Luther. The debate centers on the concept of whether human nature is the real cause of actions or an instrumental cause of God. Cayetano follows the ideas of Thomas Aquinas, where God moves the created being while conserving its freedom, and human beings can move themselves based on their free will as the second cause. Luther argues that the human will is entirely dependent on God, and we are prisoners of the will of the devil. Ultimately, Cayetano's argument makes Luther laugh when he suggests that humans could be a second cause of God, and Luther believes that we can only imitate God when we do good.
00:10:00 In this section, the video discusses the concept of free will in the views of Santo Tomas de Aquino and Martin Luther. Santo Tomas believed that second causes modify the work of the first causes, meaning that the second cause can't have free will that is independent of the first cause. On the other hand, Luther argued that the first cause was both temporal and ontological, which created a contradiction with Tomas' beliefs. Additionally, Luther's views were heavily influenced by his faith, as he believed that God was the true cause of human behavior and rejected the idea that human free will was what caused one's actions. Overall, the video provides insight into the different philosophical and religious understandings of free will in the context of these two influential figures.
00:15:00 In this section, the video discusses the concept of free will according to Aristotle, Aquinas, Lutero, and Schopenhauer. While for the Greeks, fate was the driving force behind everything, Aquinas believed that causality was important and that God was the cause of all actions. Lutero, on the other hand, disregarded Aristotle's notions of free will and believed that everything was predetermined by God. Aquinas believed that God was the cause of actions but differentiated between the primary and instrumental causes of actions, with both contributing to the final outcome. Ultimately, Aquinas and Lutero's views on free will were significantly different, with Aquinas believing in the importance of causality and Lutero believing in the complete predestination of all actions.
00:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of alienation in relation to created beings, who are subordinate and slaves to God, according to Aquinas and Lutero. This alienation is inherent in nature and results in the created beings projecting and differentiating themselves from God. The speaker then moves on to Lutero's lack of ability to develop his theology using metaphysical and scholastic terms. Instead, he was preoccupied with opposing the power of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, which he viewed as tyrannical and responsible for the moral decay of society.
00:25:00 In this section, the speaker discusses a debate between Martin Luther and Cardinal Cayetano, a famous theologian and commentator of the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Despite being sent to dissuade Luther from his heretical views, Cayetano ends up conceding many points to Luther and even becomes somewhat of a semi-Lutheran himself. The speaker also shares an interesting story of how the Catholic Church sent 20 people to infiltrate Luther's theological discussions, but half of them ended up becoming Lutherans, demonstrating the persuasive power of Luther's personality and rhetoric.
00:30:00 In this section, the debate on whether free will exists or not is discussed. Santo Tomás argues that the autonomy of the created being is created by God, and the principles of the operations of the beings are within themselves. However, the Bible denies the freedom of man in terms of eternal life, with God having the ultimate decision on who is saved or not. This takes away the free will of man. While Luther denies free will, Santo Tomás accepts it, and modern philosophers take Luther's denial of free will to create a political movement where history is predetermined, leading to a secularization of Lutheranism.
00:35:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the concept of secularism and its relation to eternal truths. They explain how Luther distinguished between the religious and secular domains and argued that free will functions in the secular realm but not in the realm of eternal truths. They also delve into the theological concept of being dead to sin, which is used to limit and even deny free will. This idea is based on the belief that humans are spiritually dead and therefore unable to cooperate freely in choosing their salvation. This concept of spiritual death is rooted in the Hebrew Bible and the writings of the Apostle Paul, and it has been influential in shaping the theology of the Protestant Reformation.
00:40:00 In this section, the video discusses the concept of free will within the Reformed circles and philosophy. It is believed that the human concept of free will must be differentiated from the idea of a limitless free will, which would be godlike. Instead, human freedom is limited to the options available to them, a concept that aligns with other philosophers such as John Locke. Furthermore, the discussion delves into the idea of the human will becoming enslaved or corrupted after the fall of man, making it impossible for them to choose good. The video then shifts to a reading that centers on focusing on the scriptures, particularly the writings of apostle Paul, who humbly identified as the least among the apostles.
00:45:00 In this section, it is mentioned that Luther perceived an intellectual decline in the Scholastic tradition, where theologians could be seen as good without even citing a single text from the Bible. Luther's encounter with Cardinal Cajetan was bittersweet as he was received with benevolence and honor, but he found the Cardinal's philosophical reasoning to be contrary to his biblical interests. Luther believed that the only way to save the intelligibility of revelation was through the analogy of being rather than the analogical understanding of being. He also criticized the ability of the school, who were his judges, to understand his cause and believed that they were swayed by their hatred towards him. Overall, Luther saw the decline of Scholasticism as an obstacle that prevented him from fulfilling his biblical pursuits.
00:50:00 In this section, the video discusses the difference in approach to free will between St. Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. The speaker notes that while he prefers the writings of the Church and the Bible to those of the scholastics like Aquinas, he recognizes that some of their ideas can be retained. The conversation shifts to the cardinal Cayetana, who changed his views on free will after meeting Luther, and how Luther utilized the principle of "operatio sequitur esse" to explain his theology. The idea is that all operations come from the essence of a substance, and Luther used this to argue that man cannot operate the act of faith because he is under original sin. Finally, the speaker explains how both Cayetana and Luther rejected the idea of the "lumen gloriae" and believed that man is only able to believe in God through the grace of God.
00:55:00 In this section, the video explores the dilemma of whether God's grace impels us towards belief, or if there is a space that depends entirely on our own disposition and free will. According to Jarrod M, our willingness to receive and respond to God's grace ultimately determines our faith, and this disposition is something that we ourselves create. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to determine whether or not they will embrace God's gifts and produce good fruit. The video also touches on Luther's theology of freedom, which teaches that true salvation comes not from our own works, but only from the mercy of God.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

The YouTube video "El Libre Albedrio en Santo Tomas de Aquino y en Lutero" explores the concept of free will in the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. The speakers examine how the two philosophers differ in their beliefs on human autonomy and morality with Aquinas contending that individuals can choose sin and go against God while Luther believes that human salvation goes beyond natural capacity. The video also delves into the conflict between the secular and spiritual in life and the problematic notion of voluntarism where projections of man's abstract and concrete selves define rational and sentimental gods. Additionally, the video dissects the ideas of rationality's relationship with reality, the doctrine of double truth, the need for a comprehensive view of Protestantism in philosophy, and the importance of testing the systematicity of one's theology by introducing different beliefs.

01:00:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the Catholic belief that all good works come from grace, but the human decision-making process is still free. Catholicism states that God is the primary cause, and humans are the secondary cause, and both the grace of God and the freedom of humans coexist. However, when humans, resting in the grace of God, decide to perform evil deeds, it poses a challenge for both Luther and Aquinas because if God is the primary cause, then how can humans be free agents if they are not part of the actual operation? Aquinas raises the question of how humans can operate freely when entirely determined by God's grace, as their operation would not be free if they were not part of the process.
01:05:00 In this section, the video discusses the concept of free will in the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. Saint Thomas Aquinas believed that while humans are moved and live in God, they also have the ability to sin and go against God. This raises the question of how humans can use their divine freedom to make choices that go against God. Martin Luther believed that humans have free will in secular matters, such as choosing what to eat or who to marry, but our salvation is a supernatural reality that goes beyond our natural capacity. The video also touches on the problematic notion of voluntarism, which suggests that actions are good simply because they are desired by those of faith. The discussion leads into a larger conversation about the conflict between the secular and spiritual in life.
01:10:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the problem caused by Luther's grave mistake in the modern interpretation of his theology. He explains that, in Luther's chapter one, "The man of flesh and blood," there is a significant jump between religion and ethics, the moral and the religious, the secular and the eternal. This jump represents a discontinuity or "solo." The speaker talks about the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant, who examined and pulverized the traditional proofs of the existence of God in his analysis of the philosophical ideology's ideal use. He elaborates that Kant was an atheist when it came to science or the critique of pure reason, but he becomes a fideist pragmatist, where God is the foundation of practical reason.
01:15:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of the two gods, rational and sentimental or voluntarist, and how they relate to morality and science. The idea of a rational god is the projection of man's abstract self and is related to science, while the voluntarist god is a projection of man's concrete self and is related to morality. The speaker believes that in science, one must be an atheist, while in morality, God is the foundation. Kant believed in the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. He felt that the moral imperative leads to the postulate of God and the immortality of the soul, which requires God's existence to be sustained. However, the speaker feels that the idea of God is mostly used as a way to justify one's beliefs morally, and that ultimately one's own conscience is the key determinant in morality.
01:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of rationality and its relationship with reality. While Hegel believed that everything rational is real and everything real is rational, this idea is not necessarily embraced by all. Some argue that what is truly real is irrational and that reason merely creates a structure upon it. The discussion then turns to the idea of God and how philosophers, particularly those in the modern era, have moved away from the idea of God as a necessary component in understanding reality. However, the importance of God in defining morality is still recognized by some, with the idea that there must be a higher power to enforce objective moral standards. This idea is similar to the doctrine of the double truth, which was discussed in a previous class.
01:25:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of double truth, as seen in the works of Averroes and followed by Peter of Brabant, which proposes that there can be both religious and philosophical truths, which can contradict each other. The speaker explains that while he believes in the truths presented by his religion, he acknowledges that his philosophical reasoning may lead to different conclusions about the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. He concludes that while he may reject the religious truth in a philosophical context, he will follow it in his practical life in order to attain salvation.
01:30:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of double truth, which suggests that there can be two contradictory truths that are both correct, thus negating the principle of non-contradiction. The example is given of a Christian who is pro-abortion but sings hymns about the sanctity of life in church, demonstrating a doctrinal double truth. The speaker also compares the views of Martin Luther and the modern subject who develops both an atheistic science and a fideistic religion. The lack of a foundational philosophy in Protestantism is touched on, with the example of a Methodist pastor who denies the creation of God in her scientific work but preaches from the Bible in church, indicating a lack of consensus on the philosophy of the Protestant faith. In contrast, the speaker notes that in Catholicism, the philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas is considered the only one that is consistent with Catholic revelation.
01:35:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the existence of Christian philosophers and the lack of a distinct Christian philosophy. They mention that there are Protestant philosophers but no overarching philosophy that can be attributed to Protestantism as a whole. One of the most significant branches of thought that developed from Protestantism was existentialism, which had roots in the Catholic philosophy of Gabriel Marcel but was strongly influenced by Protestant thought. The speakers also explore the influence of Protestantism on various modern philosophical movements, such as idealism, vitalism, and liberalism, and note that current Protestant philosophers like Van Til have created their own epistemology based on the principles of reform theology. The discussion touches on the works of major philosophers such as Pascal and Descartes, who were Catholic with Calvinist backgrounds, and the attempts of Jansenists to introduce a Calvinist Catholic philosophy.
01:40:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the lack of a Protestant philosophy, claiming that there are Protestant philosophers, but there is no inherent philosophy in the Protestant tradition. The lack of a philosophy stems from the fact that theology tends toward fideism while philosophy leans toward rationalism. The speaker criticizes the Protestant tradition for not having a unified philosophy to serve as a base for their theology, resulting in thousands of different Protestant theologies. The lack of a philosophy and unity within the tradition leads to a modern-day schizophrenia, as Protestants struggle to reconcile their faith with rationalist tendencies in philosophy.
01:45:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism regarding free will, with Blake arguing that while Calvinists have exegetical support, Arminians have philosophy and libertarianism. The ethical implications of Calvinism without free will are also discussed. The role of Protestantism in philosophy is also examined, with examples of Protestant philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Adam Smith, and Nietzsche. However, the author notes the lack of a philosophical platform to support the dogmas and theology of the churches, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive view of Protestantism in philosophy.
01:50:00 In this section, the YouTube video discusses the influence of Protestantism on modern philosophy. While philosophers in previous centuries had a relative independence from theology, they still relied on the idea of natural reason to establish autonomy. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the possibility of using reason to know God was denied, an idea which originated in the Reformation. Various philosophers attempted to reconcile Protestant theology with philosophy, drawing on thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle, but few incorporated a realist metaphysics. While some Protestant thinkers focused on formal logic, others relied on a synthesis of scholastic and Platonic or Aristotelian ideas. While the Reformation failed to produce a unique system of philosophy, it undoubtedly influenced modern thought.
01:55:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the need for a second reform in Christianity, a philosophical one that will establish the missing metaphysical foundation in Protestantism. The speaker suggests integrating the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, specifically his views on the analogy between God and creation, but from the paradigm of radical alterity, or the completely other. The goal is to unify science, theology, and philosophy in a history of thought that is embodied in the history of Christ's church. The speaker emphasizes the importance of deepening one's faith through investigation and introduces the idea of testing the systematicity of one's theology by introducing beliefs that are not normally accepted. Finally, the speaker announces a question and answer session and reminds participants to keep their questions concise.

02:00:00 - 02:20:00

The video discusses various aspects of the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. The lack of a "vertebral column" in Protestantism is discussed, leading to compartmentalization between secular and sacred aspects of life, resulting in difficulty reconciling them. The limitation of just appealing to scripture when attempting to persuade non-believers is pointed out, while the lack of philosophical grounding in Protestantism often results in borrowing Catholic ideas. The failure of Protestantism to create a philosophical system is also criticized, while the doctrine of penal substitution is explored. Overall, the video encourages respectful and reasoned debate and warns against sweeping and inaccurate claims about theological teachings.

02:00:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the lack of a "vertebral column" in Protestantism that allows for rationalization of faith. He explains that the phenomenon of evangelical growth is often dislocated from rationalization and systematic structuring of faith. The speaker argues that evangelical professionals and scientists often do not have a locus through which to relate their profession with their faith, leading to compartmentalization between secular and sacred aspects of life. This results in fidelistas and a difficulty in reconciling the worldly and the celestial. The speaker cites the idea of Soli Deo Gloria to illustrate the Protestant belief that everything can be done to glorify God, regardless of whether it is in the secular or sacred realm.
02:05:00 this section, the speaker discusses the effectiveness of using biblical authority as an argument with non-believers. He argues that appealing to scripture is not enough to persuade an atheist to take a pro-life stance, for example. Instead, he suggests using philosophy and reason to make a case for the value of life. The problem, he says, is that there is a lack of philosophical grounding in Protestantism, meaning that Protestants often have to borrow from Catholic philosophers to make their arguments. However, the speaker points out that in recent times, there have been attempts to create rational systems of belief within Protestantism.
02:10:00 In this section, the speakers discuss how Protestantism has attempted to create a philosophical system, but often ends up as more of an apologetic. They also mention that the study of the Protestant response to evolutionism is of great interest and how Anglicans tend to be the worst at arguing against it. They then briefly touch on the church's position during the first and second centuries, where they practiced neoplatonic philosophy. Lastly, they address the claim that Martin Luther did not accept certain books of the New Testament, but ultimately ended up incorporating them, and criticize the importance of focusing on minor details instead of banding together against a common enemy.
02:15:00 In this section, the speaker criticizes a video posted by a Catholic apologist claiming to be an objective historian and specialist in the works of Martin Luther, despite misrepresenting Luther's theology. The speaker argues that true specialists in Catholic theology reject the views espoused by the apologist and condemn his misrepresentations of Luther. Furthermore, the speaker points out that the apologist's criticisms of Luther lack substance and that his attacks on Luther's character are unfounded. Overall, the speaker encourages the apologist to engage with the works of Luther and other theologians before making sweeping and inaccurate claims about their teachings.
02:20:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the topic of the doctrine of penal substitution and how it relates to the broader theological debate between Catholicism and Protestantism. The speaker argues that it is important to engage in debates based on the texts and not resort to ad hominem attacks or straw man fallacies. He then invites anyone willing to debate the issue to come and engage in a respectful discussion. Finally, he touches on the idea that the problem is not so much the doctrine of penal substitution itself, but rather how some groups interpret and understand it within their theological frameworks.