St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Summa Theologica

1273

"For the body obeys the soul blindly without any contradiction, in those things in which it has a natural aptitude to be moved by the soul: whence the Philosopher says (Polit. i, 3) that the 'soul rules the body with a despotic command' as the master rules his slave: wherefore the entire movement of the body is referred to the soul."

Reply OBJ 3: The body is ruled by the soul, and the irascible and concupiscible powers by the reason, but in different ways. For the body obeys the soul blindly without any contradiction, in those things in which it has a natural aptitude to be moved by the soul: whence the Philosopher says (Polit. i, 3) that the "soul rules the body with a despotic command" as the master rules his slave: wherefore the entire movement of the body is referred to the soul. For this reason virtue is not in the body, but in the soul. But the irascible and concupiscible powers do not obey the reason blindly; on the contrary, they have their own proper movements, by which, at times, they go against reason, whence the Philosopher says (Polit. i, 3) that the "reason rules the irascible and concupiscible powers by a political command" such as that by which free men are ruled, who have in some respects a will of their own. And for this reason also must there be some virtues in the irascible and concupiscible powers, by which these powers are well disposed to act.
(I, Q56, A4, Rp3)

Government::Rule and Subjection::Rule of Soul Government::Slavery

Searching in Past Masters

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province (London: Burns, Oates, and Washburne, 1912-36; New York: Benziger, 1947-48; New York: Christian Classics, 1981). Text from Intelex Past Masters, The Collected Works of St. Thomas Aquinas. Electronic edition. <Link to Past Masters>

07/11/2011