PHL 3305 Lecture 35

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Aquinas. On the Principles of Nature

Section 5

Cause

• in a prior way
  • the art of healing to bring about a patient's healing
  • also called proximate cause
• in a posterior way
  • the doctor brings about the healing a patient
  • remote cause

• simple causes
  • either in name ("builder to bring about a house; versus the doctor-builder") or
  • in number of objects ("bronze alone to bring about an idol")

• causes in potency and act
  • in act: a builder actually building a house
  • in potency: a builder when he is not building anything

Section 6

• "same in number" - refers to same individual
• "same in species" - Socrates and Plato
• "same in genus" - human and ass
• "same by analogy" - substance and quantity (both just exist)
  • existence among the 10 categories: substance, quantity, quality, etc. all exist in different ways
  • hence no super-genus of "anything that exists"