The Prooemium to Aquinas’ Commentary 1972 James C. Doig.pdf

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CHAPTERIII
THEPROOEMIUMTOAQUINAS'COMMENTARY
Beforebeginningthelengthyinvestigationsintotheintentionsmoti•
vatingAquinasinthecompositionofhisCommentaryontheMeta•
Physics,itseemsworthwhiletonotethataThomistconceptionof

isfoundintheProoemium,theonepartoftheCommentaryundeniably
expressiveofAquinas',beforewebeginour
investigationintothebodyofThomas'expositionoftheAristotelian
Metaphysics,weshouldseektheconceptiontobefoundintheProoem•
ium;thatconceptionwillserveastheframeworkintowhichmust
fitanydoctrineoftheCommentarywhichcanbestyled"Aquinas'
personalthought."Asweshalldiscover,theconceptionofmetaphy•
sicspresentedintheProoemiumisactuallythebarestoutlineofthe
conceptionatworkinthebodyoftheCommentary.


tohisunusualemphasisontheintellect,oneissomewhatatalossto
knowwhetherAquinasintendstogiveelementsofascientificintro•
duction,orwhethertheaffairisaratherloose,dialecticalproofofthe
,forthepresentwe
mustlimitourselvestograspingthemeaningofAquinas'
wecanwithsomecertaintydeterminethenatureofthe"intellectu•
alism"oftheProoemium.
Wheneverseveralthingsarefoundorderedtothesameend,Aquinas
writesinbeginningtheProoemium,insuchacaseoneofthesethings

disciplineswhichaidmantoachievehisperfection:oneofthesemust
,AquinasonMetaphysics
©MartinusNijhoff,TheHague,Netherlands1972:.
PARTONE
"wisdom,"for

Theexactnature,theidentityofthisdiscipline-Aquinascallsit
"science,"nodoubtbecausesciencesarehigherthanotherintellectual
disciplines-thenatureofthissciencewillbeknownifwecandiscover
:intellec•
tualsnaturallyruleothermen,andsotherulingintellectualwillbe
themostintellectualofall,hewillbethepersonwhostudiesthemost

Todiscoverthenatureofthemostintelligibleobjects,threepaths
,ifoneconsidersthatthegreatestcertitudewouldbe
hadfromthemostintelligiblethings,theintelligibleobjectsstudied
inwisdomwouldbethefirstcauses-fortheknowledgeofcausesis

mostintelligibleobjectsinvolvestherecognitionthattheintellect
understandsuniversals,whereasthesensesgrasponlyparticulars.
Thuswisdom,asintellectual,wouldstudythoseaspectsofthings
whichcorrespondtoourmostuniversalconcepts,forthesewouldbe

insomeway"comewith",onecandiscoverthemost
intelligibleobjectifonereflectsonthefactthatanintellectissuch
,the
,
whateverisseparatedfromsensiblematterbothinitsexistenceand
initsdefinitionisthemostintelligibleobject-.,Godandother

1".••quandoaliquapluraordinanturadunum,oportetunumeorumesseregulans,sive
regcns,etaliaregulata,siverecta...Omnesautemscientiaeetartesordinanturinunum•
scilicetadhominisperfectionem,,quodunacarum
sitaliarumomniumrcctrix,
ordinare."
2"Quaeautemsithaecscientia,etcircaquaJia,consideraripatest,sidiligentcrrespiciatur
quomodoestaliquisidoneusadregendum...hominesintellectuvigentes,naturaliteraliorum
rectoresctdominisunt...itascientiadebetessenaturaJiteraliarumregulatrix,quaemaxime
,quaecircamaximcintelligibiliavcrsatur."
3"•
,videnturesseintelligibiliamagis.
Unde,cumccrtitudoscientiaeperintellectumacquiraturexcausis,causarumcognitio
,quaeprimascausasconsiderat,
videturessemaximcaliarumregulatrix."
4",cumsensussitcognitioparticu•
larium,intcllcctusperhocabipsodifferrevidetur,
etillascicntiamaximccstintellectualis,quaecircaprincipiamaximeuniversaliaversatur.
Quaequidemsuntens,eteaquaeconsequunturens,utunumetmulta,potentiaetactus."
li"•
tivamhabeat,quodestamateriaimmunis,oportctilIaessemaximeintelligibilia,quaesunt:.
THEPROOEMIUMTOAQUINAS'COMMENTARY57
Thus,writesAquinas,weknowwhatthemostintelligibleobjects
are,andsoweknowwhatwisdommuststudy:firstcauses,being,

intellectsarethefirstcausesofbeing,
wisdomwilltakethegenusofbeingforitssubjectandwillstudyits
firstcausaeessendi(theseparatedintellects}.l
Nowinsofarasthisrulingscienceofwisdomstudiestheseparate
substances,itcanbecalled"theology,"astudyofdivinethings;and
insofarasitstudiesthefirstcausesofthings,wecancallit"first
philosophy."ZThissciencehasyetanothernamewhichisgivenit
,orenscommune,andallthe
othercommonnotionsconnectedwithbeingarethemostcommonof
allnotions,,ifonedoesnotknow
them,onewillbeunabletoknowcompletelywhatispropertoany
genusorspeciesofbeings;3thatis,itseemstobeimplied,onecould
notunderstandcompletelyanygenericorspecificterm,northein•
dividualstowhomthetermapplies,withoutknowingensandits

studiedlesscommonnotions,thesciencestudyingthemcanbecalled
transphysicaor"metaphysics."4
Aquinasmakestwoadditionalpointswhichmustbementioned:
(I)enscommune,thesubjectofmetaphysics,ispredicatedofmany
things;and(2)metaphysicshasaplaceintheviaresolutionisinmuch
thesamewayasamorecommonthingfollowsalesscommonthing.
Firstthen,ofwhatisenscommunepredicated?OnthispointAqui•
nasisabsolutelyclearonlyifoneknowsbeforehandwhathisdoctrine
is!Enscommune,hewrites,ispredicatedtotallyofeverythingwhich
[sic:read"sunt"]·
portionataesse...Eaverosuntmaximeamateriaseparata,quaenontantumasignata
materiaabstrahunt,...,
sicutmathematica,sedetiamsecundumesse,
deistisrebusconsiderat,maximevideturesseintellectualis,etaliarumprincepssivedomina,"
1"Ejusdemautemscientiaeestconsiderarecausaspropriasalieuiusgenerisetgenus
ipsum:...Undeoportetquodadeamdemseientiampertineatconsideraresubstantias
separatas,etenscommune,quodestgenus,cuiussuntpraedictaesubstantiaecommunes
etuniversalescausae."
2"Dicitureniroscientiadivinasivetheologia,inquantumpraedictassubstantiasconsider•
at...Diciturautemprimaphilosophia,inquantumprimasrerumcausasconsiderat."
3"Huiusmodi[idest:'enseteaquaeeonsequunturens']autemnondebentomninoin•
determinataremanere,cumsinehiscompletacognitiodehis,quaesuntpropriaalieuigeneri
:,,~aberinonpossit...cumhisunumquodquegenusentiumadsuicognitionem
llldlgeat...
4Thisscienceiscalled:"Metaphysica,inquantum[sic.]eonsideratenseteaquaeconse•
,sicutmagiscom•
muniapostminuscommunia.":.
PARTONE
doesnotexistinmatterandwhichisdefinedwithoutmatter("...di•
citurtamentotadehisquaesuntseparataamateriasecundumesse
etrationem").
wantstoexplainwhatthingscanreceivethepredicationof"being",
hewrites:

inmateriaessepassunt,sicutDeusetintellectualessubstantiae,sedetiamilia
,
siamateriasecundumessedependerent.
ThusAquinassaystherearetwoclassesofthingswhicharesaidtobe
separatedfrommatterbothaccordingtoesseandratio;onesupposes
thereforethatenscommuneispredicatedofbothclasses,andhence
theyarebothstudiedbymetaphysicsinsofarastheyreceivethe
predicationof"being."Theseclassesare:(I)allimmaterialbeings,
thosethingwhichcanneverexistinmatter,forexample,God;and
(2)allthosethings("illa")whichcanbewithoutmattersincetheydo
notnecessarilyexistinit;enscommuneisitselfanexampleofthisclass.
Whataretheotherthingsdenotedby"illa"?Andisenscommune
takenasaconcept?OrdoesAquinasmean:abeingquabeingdoesnot
necessarilyneedmatter?Althoughonemightwishtosubstitutefor
"illa"somethingsuchas"realbeingsquabeing,"thereisnothingin
theselinesthemselveswhichpermitsorwhichrequiressuchareading.
Ontheotherhanditseemsthat"illa"issupposedtobetakenasstand•
ingfornotionssuchasenscommune;thus"illa"wouldstandfor
"ens,eteaquaeconsequunturens,utunumetmulta,potentiaet
actus."YetonlyafewsentencesearlierAquinashadmentionedthat
enscommuneiscausedbyGod;obviouslytherehemeantthatthereal
aspectsofthingswhichweexpressbytheconceptenscommuneare
,whenhesaysherethatmetaphysicsstudiestheim•
materialsubstanceand"illa,"the"illa"wouldstandforthosereal
aspectsofthingswhichweexpressasens,unum,multa,actus,andsoon.
Yetthereisstillapuzzleintheselines;AquinashadsaidthatGod
isstudiedasthecauseofenscommuneandyetherehesaysthatGodis
called"commonbeing,"thatthistermenscommuneispredicatedof

undertheconceptenscommune?Thesolutionofthisproblemisnot

tounderstandAquinas'thoughtfromtheearlierwritings,orwhether
weareexpectedtolookforthesolutioninthebodyoftheCommentary
:.
THEPROOEMIUMTOAQUINAS'COMMENTARY59
familiarwiththisterminologyfromanacquaintancewithAquinas'
earlierworks.
ThereisaseconddoctrineintheProoemiumwhichisalsonotclear.
Aquinaswrites:"Haecenimtransphysicainveniturinviaresolutionis,
sicutmagiscommuniapostminuscommunia."Earlierhesaidthe
trans-ormeta-physicswillstudyensanditscompanionnotions(or
therealitycorrespondingtothesenotions).Itisevidentthattheseare

oneinwhichitwasnotedthateveryscienceneedstousethesecommon
notionsinitswork:unlessoneknowenscommune,onecanhaveno

proportion:"othersciencesarereducedorresolvedtometaphysics,
aslesscommonnotionsarereducedorresolvedtomorecommonones,"
oneisinclinedtoseemetaphysicsasgivingussomecontentofknow•

relatingresolutionisandmetaphysics,Aquinasisreferringtosomething
touchingtheessenceofmetaphysics;onesuspectsaswellthatwehave
notyetfullygraspedAquinas'doctrine.
ThustheProoemiumpresentsseveralproblems:(I)Whatisthe
contentoftheideaenscommune?(2)Howisitpossibletopredicatethis
conceptofGodwhenHeisthecauseoftherealitycorrespondingto
thatidea?and(3)Whatistheexactmeaningofviaresolutionis?
Thesolutionofthesethreeproblemsisamustifwearetounderstand
'con•
temporaries,hisdiscipleseven,wouldhaveunderstoodonthebasisof
theirknowledgeofhisearlierworks.

Theintentionofthissectionisnottogiveeitheracomplete,nor
anextremelydetailedaccountof"commonbeing."Ratherwemustbe
contentwithabriefexpositionofwhatAquinasunderstoodbythis

apracticalone:becausecontemporaryhistoriansofThornistmetaphy•
sicsarenotatallinagreementregardingsomeofthemostimportant
aspectsofAquinas'theoryof"being,"togiveheremorethanaskeletal
viewofthedoctrinefoundinhisindependentwritingswouldineffect
rendersuspectthepresentdiscussion