A philosopher’s dream: 200 people reading philosophy, discussing philosophy and absorbing philosophy. Last Friday, Jan. 26, the Saint Louis University Philosophy Club sponsored the fifth annual Summa-Thon, a marathon reading of the Summa Theologica.
The Summa is a four-volume set of books written by Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of philosophers. Last year, the readers completed the first volume and ended this year midway through the second volume. The entire set should be completed around the year 2010.
Gregory Beabout, Ph.D., faculty adviser for the Philosophy Club, started the Summa-Thon for a variety of reasons. On one hand, he said, it is a good teaching approach that allows people to learn about Aquinas’ philosophy and raise awareness. It also serves as a celebration of Thomas Aquinas, whose Roman Catholic feast day is Jan. 28.
The president of the club, Drew Hall, added that it is also a form of “college absurdity-like how many people can you cram in a telephone booth.”
Throughout the day, students, staff and faculty read from the Summa in a variety of languages, including Latin, English, French, German and Spanish. The languages add a “universal flare” to the importance of philosophy worldwide, Hall said.
This year, the readings dealt with the impediments to happiness such as hatred, fear and sorrow. Beabout explained that Aquinas emphasized that the intellectual and moral, as well as the physical and spiritual were together.
One participant, senior Monika Langenstroer currently takes a class by Beabout and decided to attend and read to make herself more aware of Aquinas’ philosophy.
Another student, freshman Erin Burke attended simply to listen to the readings. She had read some of the Summa in a past philosophy class and hoped to learn more. “I found it very clear why something seemed one way and why the contrary was true,” she said.
Former SGA President and SLU graduate Joe Hodes returned to read, “As (former) SGA president and with an interest in student life, I love these interesting events and the diversity of life.”
