Medieval Philosophy

by Peter S. Adamson

Now we can see that Boethius’ position is in fact very close to that of Aquinas. He insists that the natural philosopher cannot pronounce with any finality on the question at hand, precisely because this philosopher does not reckon with supernatural causes. Boethius’ handling of individual arguments also recalls Aquinas’ treatment of those same arguments. He too gives short shrift to Bonaventure’s idea that genuine creation must mean bringing something to be after it was nothing, and likewise comments that the heavens’ immunity to generation and destruction has to do only with natural causation. Boethius even cites that passage from the Topics to prove that Aristotle considered the eternity question too difficult to resolve with any certainty.