Final answer:
Aquinas' philosophy integrates Aristotelian principles of potentiality and actuality, empiricism, and the four causes into his Christian theological framework. These assumptions are central to understanding his Five Ways and the conception of God as the prime mover and first cause.
Step-by-step explanation:
St. Thomas Aquinas built upon three core principles from Aristotle's philosophy as foundations for his own work. These principles include the metaphysical concepts of potentiality and actuality, the epistemological emphasis on empiricism, and the four causes (material, formal, efficient, and final) that describe the nature of being and existence. Aquinas adapted these Aristotelian ideas to fit a Christian framework, providing a philosophical basis for his arguments about the existence of God. Aquinas' famous Five Ways method incorporates these Aristotelian elements. For example, when discussing the First Way, Aquinas uses the notion of substances moving from potentiality to actuality to argue for the existence of a first cause or prime mover that is itself fully actualized—God. The influence of Aristotle's idea that 'thought is thinking itself' can also be seen in Aquinas' portrayal of God as the ultimate cause.
Additionally, Aquinas adopted Aristotle's emphasis on sensory perception as a starting point for knowledge, standing in opposition to the more rationalist approach seen in thinkers like Anselm. Empirical evidence plays a critical role in Aquinas' methodology, indicative of Aristotelian influence. Through these assumptions and adaptations, Aquinas established a philosophical system that sought to synthesize Aristotelian logic with Christian theology.