Algorithms of certainty
Aquinas and the scholastic quest for clarity in an uncertain world
![Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274), Summa theologica, Prima secundae, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Paris, final quarter 13th century] | Christie's](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!788Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdb9d495-0aea-4c2f-a14c-18a1c09df02a_3199x2154.jpeg "Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274), Summa theologica, Prima secundae, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Paris, final quarter 13th century] | Christie's")
In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas, the most influential medieval philosopher then and since, approached complex questions of theology, ethics, and existence with a method that bears striking resemblance to an algorithm.
Aquinas’s system, known as the scholastic method, aimed to produce clear, logical answers to questions that often seemed too va…