"The members of the body are not principles but merely organs of action: wherefore they are compared to the soul which moves them, as a slave who is moved but moves no other."
— St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Work Title
Date
1273
Metaphor
"The members of the body are not principles but merely organs of action: wherefore they are compared to the soul which moves them, as a slave who is moved but moves no other."
Metaphor in Context
Reply OBJ 3: The members of the body are not principles but merely organs of action: wherefore they are compared to the soul which moves them, as a slave who is moved but moves no other. On the other hand, the internal appetitive powers are compared to reason as free agents, because they both act and are acted upon, as is made clear in Polit. i, 3. Moreover, the acts of the external members are actions that pass into external matter, as may be seen in the blow that is inflicted in the sin of murder. Consequently there is no comparison.
(I, Q74, A2, Rp3)
(I, Q74, A2, Rp3)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in Past Masters
Citation
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>
Date of Entry
07/11/2011
