Now Reading: Thomas Aquinas urged sharing wisdom over personal brilliance
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Thomas Aquinas urged sharing wisdom over personal brilliance
Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa Theologiae that 'it is better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.' The Times of India reports…
The Story in Brief
Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa Theologiae that 'it is better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.' The Times of India reports that the 13th-century Dominican friar was defending his order's mission of public preaching against critics who valued silent contemplation. Aquinas argued that knowledge gained through contemplation must be shared to be complete. He compared the active life of teaching with the contemplative life and concluded that combining both was superior. The phrase 'Contemplata aliis tradere', to hand down to others the fruits of contemplation, became the Dominican motto.
The Indian Opinion
The Times of India's piece treats Aquinas's quote as a timeless lesson for modern leadership. That is a stretch. Medieval Dominican debates about monastic life versus public preaching are not the same as corporate culture. The narrative that 'shining' is selfish and 'illuminating' is noble ignores that many brilliant minds need solitude to produce anything worth sharing. The real test is whether the knowledge shared actually helps anyone. Count how many LinkedIn posts quoting Aquinas accompany real action in the community.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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