228. Peter Kreeft's Intro to the Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas

228. Peter Kreeft's Intro to the Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas

Author: Nick Jamell June 11, 2021 Duration: 11:35

 I wanted to start reading the Summa Theologiae by Thomas Aquinas - until I realized it was a multi-volume set. So, I despaired and looked for another option. And, I ran across A Shorter Summa, Peter Kreeft's work that helps introduce people to Aquinas.

Buy your copy of A Shorter Summa by Peter Kreeft here>>

Full episode: Peter Kreeft's Intro to the Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas 

Who Was St. Thomas Aquinas?

Thomas Aquinas is a Dominican friar, Catholic Saint, and a Doctor of the Church. He was philosopher who helped the Medieval Church incorporate Aristotle and the Greek philosophers into the Catholic tradition. He was a spectacular thinker and writer whose impact on the Church is still tremendous. While he's best known for the Summa Theologiae, he also wrote numerous commentaries, the Summa Contra Gentiles, and much more.

What is the Summa Theologiae?

Buy your copy of A Shorter Summa by Peter Kreeft here>>

Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae is his largest work. Aquinas wrote the Summa to be a beginner's guide to the faith. Today, we would think it is rather comprehensive and hard to grapple with. It argues in favor of belief in God and the teachings of the Catholic Church as well as speculate on moral and theological questions.

How Peter Kreeft helps read the Summa Theologiae

What I found helpful about Kreeft's summary of the Summa Theologiae is how he broke down the questions. Kreeft's offered insight and background to questions, but didn't talk down to the reader. I found his notes helpful in understanding the context as well as the methods and jargon used in philosophy. His glossary of terms helped me grasp the concepts because Thomas didn't write in a way we'd be familiar with. Unless you've read and studied Aristotle (which I barely had at the time), much of what Aquinas wants to say is muddled. By leveraging Aristotle's system, he took on his terms and methods. Kreeft translates that in the notes, helping the layman like myself make better sense of it.

Buy your copy of A Shorter Summa by Peter Kreeft here>>


Nick Jamell hosts Conversation of Our Generation, a space where urgent contemporary questions meet enduring ideas from history and philosophy. Rather than reacting to the noise of daily headlines, this podcast deliberately steps back to examine the deeper currents shaping our society and culture. Each episode is a long-form dialogue that treats topics like politics, religion, and social change not as fodder for debate, but as puzzles to be understood with patience and intellectual humility. The aim is to move beneath entrenched partisanship and surface-level takes, searching instead for clearer perspectives and foundational truths. What you’ll hear are thoughtful explorations that connect modern dilemmas to the wisdom of ancient and modern thinkers, asking how we might navigate today’s complexities with a more grounded sense of principle. This isn’t about quick answers; it’s about cultivating a more meaningful and less reactive way of engaging with the world. For anyone feeling adrift in a polarized age, this podcast offers a sustained, earnest conversation that values depth over speed, and understanding over winning an argument. Tune in for a respite from the frantic news cycle and a chance to consider what it means to be part of this particular moment in time, armed with the best ideas from across the ages.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Conversation of Our Generation
Podcast Episodes
209. Breaking the Rules of Philosophy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:30
I once heard a teacher tell his students, "If you want to be able to break the rules, you have to know them first." Basically, the point is something similar to Chesterton's fence. Rather than breaking the rules when you…
208. Failures of Modernity and Rationality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:05
In this episode, I talked to John Timaeus of Modernity Has Fallen about epistemology, rationality, and the failures of modernity. John writes about these issues on his blog. As a software developer and mathematician, Joh…
207. Was Lincoln a Good President? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:37
Many will argue that Abraham Lincoln was the best president we've had, or at least one of the best. What made Abraham Lincoln great in many people's eyes is the preservation of the union. But was Lincoln a good president…
206. What Is Distributism? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:13
What is distributism? I talked to a distributist about how to implement a distributist economic system and why it's best. I recently sat down with Michael Thomas of Sharon to discuss distributism, and how it's different…
204. Defending Property Rights From Government and Big Tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:10
In this episode, I talked to Brook Medina from the John Locke Foundation about defending property rights from government and big tech. But, we also discussed capitalism vs. distributism, John Locke, beauty, and much more…
203. Why Christianity Is True | Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:56
I recent finished Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, and it was a truly delightful book. Although it might have helped reading it with a scotch and cigar. All joking aside, it was an interesting look at new arguments for Chri…
202. Are Online Courses The Key to Education? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:24
Instead of truly educating people, we've used our school system to push out mindless drones. That is not to say that the average person today doesn't know many things that some of the smartest 500 years ago didn't. Rathe…
200. Restoring Old Homes with Beauty and Purpose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:19
I've talked to a couple of architects and discussed the charm of local neighborhoods. In my conversation with Bill Martin, we discussed restoring old homes. And, we talked about his philosophy on how to do that in a way…