Powers of the Soul: A First Look (Aquinas 101)

Summary

The transcript explores St. Thomas's view of the human person as the meeting point of heaven and earth, emphasizing our nature as composite beings—embodied souls. It outlines the vital powers shared with all living things, including growth, nutrition, and reproduction, before discussing our unique faculties: movement, sense perception, and appetite. The transcript further distinguishes between simple and complex emotional responses, leading to the defining human capacities of intellect and will, which enable us to engage with truth and make choices. This comprehensive view highlights what sets humanity apart in the realm of creation.

Takeaways

• 🌌 St. Thomas Aquinas views the human person as the meeting point of heaven and earth, highlighting our composite nature as embodied souls.
• 🌱 The soul is defined as what animates or informs a living being, serving as the principle of our engagement with the environment.
• ⚙️ Vital activities shared with all living things include growth, nutrition, and reproduction, contributing to flourishing and existence.
• 🐾 Humans share certain powers with animals, including movement, sense perception, and appetite, reflecting our connection to the animal kingdom.
• 👁️ We possess five exterior senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and four interior senses, which facilitate our understanding of the world.
• 💭 Sense cognition involves recognizing what is good or bad for us, leading to desires or aversions through our sense appetite.
• ❤️ Emotional responses are categorized into simple passions (like love and hatred) and complex passions (such as hope and fear).
• 🧠 Our intellect enables immaterial cognition, allowing us to apprehend truth, judge, and reason.
• ✋ The will acts as our intellectual appetite, inclining us towards what we perceive as good, and is central to intention and choice.
• 🌟 The combination of intellect and will is what distinguishes humanity, representing our most distinctive, excellent, and dignified qualities.

Q & A

What does St. Thomas refer to the human person as?

St. Thomas refers to the human person as the horizon of creation, representing the meeting of heaven and earth.

How does Aristotle and St. Thomas define the soul?

In Aristotle and St. Thomas's understanding, the soul is what makes a living thing alive; it animates the body and serves as the principle of our engagement with the environment.

What are the vital activities that humans share with all living things?

Humans share vital activities such as growth, nutrition, and reproduction with all living things.

What powers are identified that man shares with beasts?

Man shares powers of movement, sense perception, and sense appetite with beasts.

What are the five exterior senses mentioned in the script?

The five exterior senses are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching.

What is sense appetite and how does it manifest?

Sense appetite is the capacity to pursue what we sense as lovable and to flee from what we sense as hateful, often expressed through emotional responses.

What are the two categories of passions described?

The two categories of passions are simple or concupiscible passions (like love and hatred) and complex or irascible passions (like hope and fear).

What distinguishes human beings from beasts according to the script?

What distinguishes human beings from beasts are the faculties of intellect and will.

What is the role of intellect in human cognition?

Intellect is the faculty of immaterial cognition, allowing humans to apprehend truth, judge it, and reason upon it.

How is the will defined in relation to human choice?

The will is defined as the intellectual appetite that inclines us towards what we apprehend as good, serving as the seat of intention and choice.