Aula Scholastica 

Having presented, very schematically, Molina’s doctrine and — as a necessary counterpoint — that of Báñez, let us now justify in what sense we can maintain that Molina, contrary to Báñez, moves in rationalist positions with regard to the theme of divine voluntarism — in which, in sum, what one attempts to elucidate is which divine attribute holds preeminence: will or intellect. Because if we consider God as an absolutely free will in his omnipotence, any rationalist restricti

The diverse forms of Realism. Those who held that universals actually exist in the nature of things divided into different opinions. Plato1, since he denied that true science can be given of singulars — which are in perpetual flux — and yet wished to avoid the error of the sensualists, invented certain universal natures separated from singulars, which he called ideas, and of which science treats. Universals, therefore, are certain forms separated from singulars, subsisting in

The opinions are set forth. With the notion of universals established, there arises the notable question of whether universals have some objective value — that is, whether any entity or nature corresponds to the words and concepts of universals. Four systems have existed on this matter: Nominalism, Conceptualism, Absolute Realism, and Moderate Realism. Nominalism holds that universals exist only in names — that they are mere breath of the voice; Conceptualism maintains that t

On genus. It has been said that genus is predicated in what incompletely, and does not constitute the complete essence; is genus, then, a part of the species?Response. 1° Genus is not an actual part of the species. An actual part is one which is contained actually under the whole; thus the hand is an actual part of the human body. But an actual part is not predicated of the whole — for we do not say “Man is a hand” or “a forearm.” But genus is rightly predicated of the specie

On transcendentals. Having explained the notion of univocal and analogical, we must now treat of the principal analogical and univocal concepts — namely, the Transcendentals and the Universals. A transcendental is said to be that which is above every genus and every species. It is defined as: that which belongs, at least in some way, to all and each of the things that are or can be. Six transcendentals are enumerated: thing (res), being (ens), one (unum), something (aliquid),

On univocals. The principal division of the distributive concept is into univocal and analogical. Since this division is of the greatest importance in philosophy, we must now treat more fully of univocals and analogicals. Univocal terms (synonyma) are those whose name is common and whose meaning signified by the name is simply the same: Peter is a man, Paul is a man — here the name is common to both, and the nature signified by the name is simply the same in Peter and Paul. T

I respond and state First: The name of theft (furtum), just as that of robbery (rapina), is sometimes used in a very general sense — and thus, taken most generally, it can be defined as: the unjust taking and usurpation of another’s property. In this way, according to Augustine, Book ii, Questions on Exodus, Question 7, it is used in the Seventh Precept of the Decalogue, when it is said “You shall not steal” — for he says that one who forbade theft did not permit robbery. Aug

The doctrine of intentional existence gives us the solution of Aristotle and St. Thomas to what has come to be called in the history of philosophy the problem of the universals. The answer to the question, What is the nature of ideas? is one of the most important and revealing that can be asked of any philosopher, for it is the key not only to what he holds about the nature of thought but also to his teaching on man and the universe. Philosophies can be classified according t

Kinds of communication The communication between lifeless bodies is limited strictly to an immediate physical impact, a momentary instant of contact an entirely surface communication. A purely physical being receives another being only in the most superficial manner as a cup takes in water or a pail, sand. Any more intimate communication means that physical things lose their identity, becoming something else; the union of hydrogen and oxygen, for example, results in a third t

Aristotle's relation to plato Aristotle was a devoted pupil of Plato and assuredly his most brilliant. Probably no one has ever known better the philosophy of Plato. Aristotle did not philosophize in opposition to his master, as is sometimes said, but rather brought the already rich and profound philosophy of his teacher to its magnificent fulfillment. On the key issue of the universals, Aristotle accepted the discoveries of Plato. Nevertheless, on one of the most fundamental

The platonic dialectic Socrates had contended himself with the investigation of moral problems. Plato went beyond this to ask questions like, What is tree? What is green? What is triangle? What is circle? What is round? etc. Plato was especially interested in the question of meaning, Why do we give one name to some things and a different name to others? What does it mean to give the same name to two different things? In trying to answer the question, Why do we give the same n

1. Knowledge is virtue No man willingly suffers physical evil to himself without good reason. We know better than to blind ourselves or jump off a cliff or even cut off our hands. Now although actions of this kind would cause great hurt to a man, it wouldnt cause near the damage that a lie or an injustice would cause. In the first case the body suffers but in the second case its the soul that suffers which is much more important for man It is foolish to harm the body but it i

What is the problem of change? One of the most striking and mysterious of all the appearances in the world about us is that of change. The problem early arose as to how things can change and yet remain themselves, be infinitely diverse and yet stem from a single or a few basic elements. This is what is known as the problem of change and permanence, and it was destined to dominate greek philosophy for a century and a half. Heraclitus Heraclitus is still known as the philosophe