The Notion of Participation in the Early Work of St Thomas Aquinas
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The Notion of Participation in the Early Work of St Thomas Aquinas Submitted by Patrick Brooke Kavanagh Bachelor of Laws. University of Sydney, 1965 Diploma in Jurisprudence. University of Sydney, 1966 Bachelor of Arts. Australian Catholic University, 2006 Bachelor of Theology. Australian Catholic University, 2006 BA Honours. Australian Catholic University, 2007. A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Philosophy Faculty of Theology and Philosophy Australian Catholic University Date of submission: 15 September 2011. Research Services Office Australian Catholic University PO Box 968 North Sydney NSW 2059. 1 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP AND SOURCES This thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. This thesis has not been submitted and no part of this thesis has been submitted towards the award of any other degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis. _________________________________ ____________________________________ Signature of Candidate Date 2 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis to build an understanding of St Thomas’s notion of participation within his foundation metaphysical principles. In the revival of philosophical interest in the thought of Thomas Aquinas that has been seen throughout the twentieth century and continues today, St Thomas’s notion of participation has sometimes been nominated as offering a key insight to his metaphysics. This is an attractive proposition, although the scholarship, while of excellent quality, has now revealed fundamental points of contention. These points of contention, furthermore, seem to be fuelled by the differing philosophical allegiances of each scholar. In these circumstances, recent scholars with an interest in participation have been returning to the texts, seeking to re-construct St Thomas’s notion within his own analysis. This thesis is a modest attempt at such a re-construction. The thesis consists of a close study of three of St Thomas’s early works, namely, De principiis naturae, De ente et essentia and Expositio libri Boetii De ebdomadibus. In the course of studying these works I regularly refer also to some other of St Thomas’s leading works, some of which also come from early in St Thomas’s career, others of which are later. I have chosen the three works just mentioned by name for this reason: in the first two mentioned St Thomas lays out his basic metaphysical framework; this is found especially in his two modes of composition - each achieved through a structure of act and potency – and also in his distinction of essence and existence in all created substances. Also important here is the recognition of existence as actuality, and the sharp differentiation of the ‘pure being’ which is God from that ‘universal being’ by which everything else formally exists. In Chapters One to Six I examine these matters in detail. In my view, while participation for St Thomas is involved in the first mode of composition (matter-form composition), he extends significantly the notion of participation in order to explain the second mode of composition (essence-existence composition). This raises several very interesting questions; e.g., exactly how is existence added to essence in created substances and, if existence is received outside essence, is it properly spoken of as an accident? I seek to address such issues and to argue that, in such ways, St Thomas not only extends the notion of participation but re- constructs it on an extended Aristotelian terrain of efficient cause and act and potency. In Chapter Seven I come to St Thomas’s Expositio libri Boetii De ebdomadibus. I seek to show that, while Boethius has participation locked in the Aristotelian categories and confined to accidents, St Thomas now has the metaphysical equipment with which to expand participation so that, while it is so that that which is predicated of a substance by essence cannot also be predicated by participation, participation need not be confined to predicamental accidents. In this chapter I also examine the role of divine exemplarity in participation for St Thomas. In conclusion I argue that, ‘being’ and ‘good’ can be predicated of finite substances both intrinsically and by participation, this participation being a participation in a likeness of the divine essence rather than in the divine essence itself. St Thomas achieves this result not only through an extension of the Aristotelian notion of composition through act and potency, but also through the Neo-Platonic notions of exemplarity and a formal hierarchy of being. 3 STATEMENT OF APPRECIATION My deepest debt of thanks is owed to my supervisor, Dr John Quilter of the School of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. As a supervisor, Dr Quilter is engaged, enthusiastic and erudite. Dr Quilter was always interested in my work, read my drafts promptly and gave me very helpful, if often critical, comments and suggestions. While I am very grateful for Dr Quilter’s assistance and support, the thesis remains entirely my own work. In a more general way I thank all the academic staff of the School of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University, who have invited me and all HDR students in Philosophy to participate in the academic life of the School, especially by participating in the School’s seminar program. Next, I am grateful to the members of the Library staff at Australian Catholic University, especially the librarians at the Mount St Mary campus in Sydney and at the campus at Banyo in Brisbane. These patient and generous people have given me excellent library support, especially in processing my frequent requests for inter-campus and inter-library loans, and, from time to time, in tracking down some hard-to-find material. Next, I thank the Research Services Office at Australian Catholic University, who provide invaluable material support to higher degree by research students such as myself. Included in this support is the use of a study room which HDR students share, equipped with computers, a printer and air- conditioning. I would have found my study very difficult without the use of this facility. Next, I thank the staff-members at the Veech Library at the Catholic Institute of Sydney. Like everyone else who uses this library, I have always found these people friendly, cheerful and helpful. Veech Library has an excellent theological collection, including some old books and journal numbers which are otherwise hard to find. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER ONE De Principiis Naturae Composition of Form and Matter ............................................... 15 1.1 Introduction to the Study of De principiis naturae ..................................................................... 15 1.2 Natural Composition and its Principles ........................................................................................ 16 1.3 Principles and Causes in Natural Composition ............................................................................. 21 1.4 Relations Among the Causes ........................................................................................................ 23 1.41 Priority in Causation ............................................................................................................... 23 1.42 Coincidence Among the Causes ............................................................................................ 25 1.43 Subdivisions of the Causes .................................................................................................... 26 1.5 Intrinsic Principles and Analogy .................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER TWO Equivocal Causation and Modes of Composition: Transition to de Ente et Essentia .... 32 2.1 Univocal, Equivocal and Analogous Causation ............................................................................. 32 2.2 Composition, Act and Potency ..................................................................................................... 36 2.21 The Order and Perfection of the Universe ............................................................................. 37 2.22 Composition in Created Intellectual Natures ......................................................................... 39 2.23 Act and Potentiality ................................................................................................................ 45 2.3 Analogy: Causation, Act and Potentiality ..................................................................................... 48 2.31 Several Issues to do with Analogy .......................................................................................... 50 2.311 First Issue: the extension of analogy ................................................................................ 51 2.312 Second Issue: perfections and analogy ............................................................................ 52 2.313 Third Issue: many-to-one and one-to-another analogy ..................................................