Being and Knowing: Reflections of a Thomist (Library of Conservative Thought)

by Frederick D. Wilhelmsen

Publisher:

Taylor and Francis

, 2017

Overview

Frederick D. Wilhelmsen’s Being and Knowing, rooted in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, rests on two basic assertions: first, metaphysics is the science of being in its first and ultimate act, existence (the act by which all things manifest themselves); second, that existence is known not through observing objects, but in affirming through judgments that these objects are subjects of existence.

The chapters of this book explore these Thomistic doctrines. Some explain St. Thomas Aquinas’s philosophy of being. Others probe his epistemology. The complexity and density of Aquinas’s theory of judgment (that truth is realized in the judgment of man), emphasized throughout most of the book, point not only to a deeper understanding of the nature of metaphysics, but they open doors to the clarification of philosophical issues germane to contemporary thought.

This work addresses a number of metaphysical philosophical paradoxes. Wilhelmsen’s exploration of them demonstrates why he was the preeminent American scholar of the Thomistic tradition. This volume is part of Transaction’s series, the Library of Conservative Thought.

Key Features

• Argues that the heart of St. Thomas Aquinas’s philosophy is not found in abstract logic, but in the vibrant, concrete act of existing.
• Provides a deep psychological and metaphysical analysis of how we know reality, focusing on the human judgment.
• Presents as a central feature of Wilhelmsen’s work his insistence that existence is a dynamic act rather than a static state.

Contents

• Introduction to the Transaction Edition - William Marshner
• Introduction
• Metaphysics as Creativity
• The Triplex Via and the Transcendence of Esse
• The Concept of Existence and the Structure of Judgment: A Thomistic Paradox
• The Priority of Judgment over Question: Reflections on Transcendental Thomism
• Existence and Esse
• Creation as a Relation in St. Thomas Aquinas
• Reasoning and Computers
• The “I” and Aquinas
• Modern Man’s Myth of Self-Identity
• Subject Analysis in the Philosophy of Communications
• A Meditation on the Dignity of the Human Person Prompted by Saint Thomas Aquinas
• The Christian Understanding of Being: A Thomistic Reading

Product Details

• Title: Being and Knowing: Reflections of a Thomist
• Author: Frederick D. Wilhelmsen
• Series: Library of Conservative Thought
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Print Publication Date: 2017
• Logos Release Date: 2026
• Pages: 227
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?-1274; Ontology; Knowledge, Theory of
• ISBNs: 9781351314220, 9781412862127, 135131422X, 1412862124
• Resource ID: LLS:BNGKNWNGRFTHMST
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2026-03-11T21:14:09Z

About Frederick D. Wilhelmsen

Frederick D. Wilhelmsen (1923–1996) was a prominent American philosopher and professor who dedicated his career to the advancement of the Thomistic tradition.He served for over thirty years as a Professor of Philosophy and Politics at the University of Dallas, where he helped found the graduate Institute of Philosophic Studies.A prolific author of sixteen books and hundreds of articles, his notable works include Man's Knowledge of Reality, The Metaphysics of Love, and Christianity and Political Philosophy.Beyond his academic roles in the United States, he taught at various international institutions, including the University of Navarra in Spain and Al-Hikma University in Iraq.His scholarship is characterized by a deep engagement with metaphysics and a traditionalist perspective on the intersections of faith and political life.