3. Foundation of Existence
3
FOUNDATION OF EXISTENCE
It might be helpful at this point to remember that we have a modest goal in view in this work. We hope to approach the thought of Thomas by highlighting the two foundations—the foundation of existence and the foundation of knowledge—that form the backdrop for every system of thought. In that way, we can provide an interpretive grid through which to read Thomas.
In this chapter, we want to focus on the ways in which Thomas argues for our foundation of existence, as well as the character of the one on whom our existence depends. Any Christian, including Thomas, will affirm that God alone exists in and of himself, and that he is the reason and cause of why anything else exists. Just how one goes about arguing for this is the crucial question here.
Our exposition and critique of Thomas will include the two aspects of Thomas’s understanding of the principium essendi, that is, his arguments for God’s existence and his assessment of who God is.