Here is a fine specimen of Aquinas use of the "disputatio" as a style of exposition. Note the various stages(1) His position (2) Range of propositions that oppose him (3) his arguments againsg his opponents. Notice also the bland lucidity of his style. The problem of "just war"is,of course , still with us and Aquinas' views are still the starting point.
posted by louis @ 12:03 PM
Eager to start writing again , I hit upon tne idea of starting A blog and calling it cogito ergo sum. For years I have been fascinated by a famous episode in Descartes Life. He decided to take R and R from military service for a few days to sit in front of a fire place,review everything he thought he knew,subject himself to a bath(closer to a tsunami) of scepticism, to see what he came up with that was immune to doubt. Finally it was "I think therefore I am". I have always found this result a bit lame but I have been fascinated by the process. I am also fascinated by the procedure attributed to the British historian, Keith Thomas whereby he took notes at random, put them in appropriate envelopes and when one became thick enough, he reviewed it more systematically. I will do the same on a variety of subjects, religion, politics, film etc until I reach summary statements. This will be useful to me even if no one reads anything I write here.
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