Thomas Aquinas was a Medieval Catholic Priest who lived from 1225-1274. He was immensely influenced by Aristotle's teachings, and based much of his work off of his study of Aristotle's works. He tried to reconcile Aristotle's philosophy with the doctrine of his faith and said that both could co-exist. Aquinas' philosophy--known as Thomism was a concept that attempted to combine the supernatural and natural orders of human existence. The Supernatural Order encompassed: truth revealed through scripture, God-given free will to man, and rationality--Aristotle's contribution to the theory. The Natural Orders said that the body is what places us here in the natural world, humans' ultimate goal is existing, human ideas are derived from the senses, and the mind forms concepts from experiences. Where Aristotle quipped that, "our highest and defining power is reason" (Gutek, 2010), Aquinas contested that reason needed faith. Aquinas expounded upon this idea in his greatest work, the Summa Theologica , which had three parts. In it, he addressed every possible question concerning the coexistence of reason and faith with a supported response in defense of the possibility. He is included in this comprehensive look at influences on American education because his ideas found a place in the schools, colleges, and universities of early Roman Catholic Immigrants of the United States (Gutek, 2010). This is relevant because Catholicism is one of the United States' largest religious denominations. Aquinas' ability to blend religion and philosophy provided a happy medium concerning educational philosophy for Catholic proponents. In a wider context, he was able to make a connection between faith and reason that even non-Catholics can relate to. Where Aristotle fell short by explaining the universe with reason, Aquinas said that divine revelation through faith could and lead Christians to the truth of their existence. His philosophy served to strike a much needed balance. Thomas Aquinas worked on the Summa until his death. The work remains unfinished, but regardless of religious affiliation, intellectual minds can surely appreciate his contributions to the field of philosophy. Below is a short video of Thomas Aquinas' other contributions to philosophical thought.