In existographies, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) (IQ:170|#325) (Cattell 1000:384) [RGM:110|1,500+] (Murray 4000:6|WP) (Gottlieb 1000:8) (GPhE:#) (CR:54) was a an Italian theological philosopher noted for is 1274 Summa Theolologica (Total Theology), wherein he tackles the pros and cons of the Plato-Aristotle dictum that “nothing moves itself”, particularly in regards to the “will”.
Will | Self-motion?
In his third article titled “Whether the Will Moves Itself”, Aquinas opens to his first objection, citing Aristotle’s Physics 3, and states the following: [1]
“It would seem that the will does not move itself. For every mover, as such, is an act: whereas what is moved, is in potentiality; since movement is the act of that which is in potentiality, as such [2]. Now the same is not in potentiality and in act, in respect of the same. Therefore nothing moves itself. Neither, therefore, can the will move itself.”
This would be in accordance with the Isaac Newton era logic that "only force can move an object" or in strict accordance with the 1865 Rudolf Clausius thermodynamic framework that: [3]
“Every force tends to give motion to the body on which it acts; but it may be prevented from doing so by other opposing forces, so that equilibrium results, and the body does remains at rest. In this case the force performs no work. But as soon as the body moves under the influence of the force, work is performed.”
The conflict between the two positions, anthropomorphic "will-based" notions of movement vs. "force-based" notions of movement, often tends to come to the fore in philosophical debates regards to human movement. [4] Resolution of the crux only becomes more complicated in the framework of the post circa 1925 "exchange force" model of force, wherein animation of "bodies", such as intentional human movement, can be understood by studying the bending movement of the retinal molecule, as being a type of induced movement brought about the the exchange of photons, the force carrier of the electromagnetic force, "acting" on the electron structure of 11-12 carbon bond of the molecule.
Education
Aquinas was a student of Albertus Magnus. [5]
Quotes | On
The following are related quotes:
“The monumental work of Thomas Aquinas, which based on Aristotle, including its whole theory of natural law, is the foundation of Roman Catholic theology.”
— Tom Harpur (2004), The Pagan Christ (pg. xxii)
“Aquinas’ masterpiece and his monument, Summa Theologica, contains 38 treatises, and deals with 612 separate questions, subdivided into 3,120 separate sections. In all the work asks and answers ten thousand questions.”
— David Berlinski (2008), The Devil’s Delusion (pg. 65)
Quotes | By
The following are quotes by Aquinas:
“It seems that everything we see in the world can be accounted for by principles, supposing god did not exist. For all natural things can be reduced to one principle, which is nature; and all voluntary things can be reduced to on principle, which is human reason, or will. Therefore, there is no need to suppose god’s existence.”
— Thomas Aquinas (1275), Total Theology [6]
References
1. Aquinas, Thomas. (1274). Summa Theologica, Volume 2 (Part II, First Section) (pg. 630). Publisher.
2. Aristotle, Physics, iii. 1.
3. Clausius, Rudolf. (1875). The Mechanical Theory of Heat (translator: Walter Browne) (pg. 1). London: Macmillan & Co, 1879.
4. Juarrero, Alicia. (1999). Dynamics in Action (pg. 2). MIT Press.
5. Anon. (2013). “Top 10 Medieval Scientists Smarter than Einstein” (Ѻ), Feb 1.
6. Hecht, Jennifer M. (2003). Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas (pg. 257). HarperOne.
Further reading
● Crosby, Everett U. and Webb, Charles R. (1973). The Last Prolouge “Toward a New Equilibrium” (pg. 369). Ardent Media.
External links
● Thomas Aquinas – Wikipedia.
