The Affiliation between Religion and Aesthetics from the Perspective of Thomas Aquinas in the European Middle Ages and its Reflection in Italian Architectural Works

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 P. H. D., student, Department of Political Science, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

2 P. H. D,, Department of Political Science, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

3 P. H. D., Department of Political Science, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

10.22034/ias.2021.251408.1373

Abstract

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste as well as the philosophy of art. With the collapse of Christian theology in 12th and 13th century Europe, the tendency of society at that time to Aristotelian rationalism amplified. In the meantime, a Christian Saint named Thomas Aquinas attempted to promote the teachings of Christianity with Aristotelian rationalism in order to prevent the decline of Christianity. The current research, which was carried out in a descriptive-analytical manner, seeks to investigate the connection between religion and Aristotelian philosophy from the perspective of Thomas Aquinas and its influence on Italian architecture. Studies have shown that Thomas Aquinas transformed and completed Aristotle's philosophical thoughts within the framework of Christian teachings, and finally, he reconciled the Christian faith with Aristotle's philosophy. Aquinas make an attempt to create a rational and tangible face for the socio-political events of that time which arose from the practice of the church and its politics. According to Aristotle's philosophy, there are two actual (divine) and potential intellects. Relying on this philosophy of Aristotle, Aquinas knew that Christian religious teachings emerge from the actual intellect, that is, God, from which human rationality is an inspiration. In fact, Thomas Aquinas believed in two knowledge systems: the divine system based on faith and the philosophical system based on human reason. The aesthetics of Italian architecture is divided into two categories: external (symbolic) and internal (identity). In the external domain, it is divided into factors such as light and color, and in the internal domain, it is distributed into factors such as religion and culture.

Research aims:
1. Recognizing the relationship between religion and aesthetics from the perspective of Thomas Aquinas in the European Middle Ages.
2. Investigating the influence of the relationship between religion and aesthetics in Italian architecture.

Research questions:
1. What is the affiliation between religion and aesthetics in the thought of Thomas Aquinas?
2. What effect did Thomas Aquinas' views on aesthetics and its connection with religion have on Italian architecture?

Keywords

References

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Islamic Art Studies
Volume 18, Issue 43 - Serial Number 43
February 2021
Pages 480-496

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