What is the meaning of human life? The Summa Theologica is, in effect, Thomas Aquinas' answer to this question. With the goal of showing why human beings exist, their destiny, and how they can achieve it, Aquinas argues that human beings exist to know God, that their destiny is to enjoy the vision of him in the next life, that they need to act properly in this life in order to be worthy of their destiny, and that the Church's sacraments are the means to do so. The Summa Theologica represents a major attempt to introduce the method and principles of Aristotle into the study of Christian theology.

Intended for an educated general audience and philosophical neophytes, A Philosophical Primer on the Summa Theologica will help readers become better acquainted with Aquinas' thought, summarily expressing his positions and arguments largely in his own terms. Using an innovative format, author Richard Regan makes available in one volume a more integrated view of Aquinas' philosophy in the Summa Theologica.