The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Highlight the specific influences of Plato, Augustine, and Aristotle on the formation of Aquinas' worldview.?
That's fascinating. Can you give me some specific examples of how Plato's ideas influenced Aquinas?
Of course. For instance, Aquinas adopted Plato's idea of a hierarchy of knowledge, where knowledge of physical objects represents the lowest form of understanding, while knowledge of abstract concepts, such as truth and beauty, represents the highest. Additionally, Aquinas borrowed Plato's concept of the Forms or Ideas as eternal, unchanging entities that form the basis of reality, although he adapted this idea to be compatible with his Christian beliefs.