Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

We see our age as the greatest in human history, filled with seemingly unending originality. Yet such dynamism is not a necessary characteristic of great eras. Among the most long-lasting and stable civilizations was that of medieval Europe. There stasis was achieved, and with it a stability that permitted the development of structured thought and intellectual embellishment of unparalleled degree. Like the vast gothic cathedrals of western Europe, certainties of thought were part and parcel of the medieval age. Its monument of the intellect was the largely static, cumulative philosophy of Scholasticism. And the acknowledged maestro of Scholastic philosophy was Thomas Aquinas.

In Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Aquinas' life and ideas and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Aquinas' work, a brief list of suggested readings for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Aquinas within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.

©1998 Paul Strathern (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Well-written, clear, and informed, they have a breezy wit about them. I find them hard to stop reading." (The New York Times)

Great and quick listen. full of information.

This audiobook was very valuable. it proved to have an immense amount of information squeezed into a shortened form.

Flaming Fag

According to the story told from this book, Thomas Aquinas' mother sent a naked women into his room to help him not become a priest. He pulled a "flaming fag" from the fire and frightened her out of his room. Apparently, according to the author, he wasn't very impressive in appearance. He was very intelligent. The author makes fun of how the Catholic Church gives Thomas Aquinas high marks. Apparently, according to Thomas Aquinas, if you have any questions about the purpose of life, follow the liturgy of the Church and everything will work out in the end. The Catholic Church sent him out to work out problems among those with theological questions until Thomas Aquinas just wore out. The author doesn't seem too impressed with Thomas Aquinas, though among the Christian thinkers, he stand out.

Great for a full history of Aquinas’s life

Overall I enjoyed listening to the audio book to understand Aquinas before reading his works.

Subject is skewed by strong opinions

The most helpful 10 minutes were in the timeline at the end of the audiobook. However, I’ll never get those first 80 minutes back while I listened to arrogantly stated conjecture on how Aquinas served an archaic institution bent on biased self defense. The writer is deeply embedded in his own ego if he thinks we’re making progress without God or the Church. Progress towards what? There’s nothing without faith. The subject understood this in his faith and reason. The author is a typical apostate. The answer is God. Science is u-turning from hardline materialism. We’ll all follow suit when we’re close to death. Trust me.

A mixed bag

I found some interesting information in this account of Thomas Aquinas' life. Well-written and necessarily concise, it provides a good overview of a pivotal character in the evolution of philosophy. The only down side is that the author is much too free with his almost glib appraisals and judgmental comments when a concept seems "ridiculous" to him. It unfortunately takes away the beautiful immersion that can occur when one puts themselves in the place and mindset of the philosopher. It would probably be better for the reader to be familiar with the life and works of Aquinas before reading this book.