Authors/Thomas Aquinas/metaphysics/liber10/lect11

Lecture 11

Latin	English
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 1 Quia philosophus iam ostendit quod differentia secundum speciem est contrarietas, hic ostendit in quibus contrarietas non sit differentia secundum speciem; et dividitur in partes duas. In prima ostendit quod sunt contraria, quae non faciunt differre secundum speciem, sed sunt in eadem specie. In secunda ostendit quae sunt contraria quae faciunt genere differre, non solum specie, ibi, quoniam vero contraria diversa et cetera. Circa primum duo facit. Primo movet dubitationem. Secundo solvit, ibi, aut quia hoc quidem dicit et cetera. Dicit ergo primo, quod dubitatio est quare femina non differt specie a viro, cum femininum et masculinum sint contraria, et differentia secundum speciem causetur ex contrarietate, ut supra ostensum est.	2127. Since the Philosopher has already shown that contrariety constitutes difference in species, here he indicates the kinds of things in which contrariety does not constitute difference in species; and this is divided into two parts. In the first (891)C 2127), he shows that there are contraries which do not cause difference in species but belong to the same species. In the second (895:C 2136), he indicates what the contraries are which cause things to differ in genus and not merely in species (“But since contraries”). In regard to the first he does two things. First, he raises a question. Second (892:C 2131), he answers it (“And the reason”). He accordingly says, first (891), that the question arises why woman does not differ specifically from man, since female and male are contraries, and difference in species is caused by contrariety, as has been established (887:C 2112).
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 2 Et iterum cum ostensum sit, quod ipsa natura generis diversificetur in diversas species per differentias, quae sunt per se differentiae generis, quare animal masculinum et animal femininum non sunt diversa secundum speciem, cum masculinum et femininum sint per se differentiae animalis, et non se habeant per accidens ad animal, sicut albedo et nigredo, sed masculinum et femininum praedicentur de animali inquantum est animal, sicut par et impar de numero, in quorum definitione ponitur numerus, sicut in definitione masculini et feminini animal.	2128. Again, since it has been shown that the nature of a genus is divided into different species by those differences which are essential to the genus, the question also arises why a male and a female animal do not differ spegifically, since male and female are essential differences of animal and are not accidental to animal as whiteness and blackness are; but male and female are predicated of animal as animal just as the even and the odd, whose definition contains number, are predicated of number; so that animal is given in the definition of male and female.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 3 Ex duplici ergo ratione quaestio dubitabilis redditur: tum quia contrarietas facit differre specie: tum quia differentiae dividentes genus in diversas species sunt per se differentiae generis: quorum utrumque supra ostensum est.	2129. Hence the first question presents a difficulty for two reasons: both because contrariety causes difference in species, and because the differences that divide a genus into different species are essential differences of the genus. Both of these points have been proved above (887:C 2112).
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 4 Et quia hanc dubitationem in specialibus terminis moverat, reducit eam ad generaliorem formam; et dicit quod haec dubitatio fere est eadem, sicut si quaeratur, quare quaedam contrarietas facit differre specie, et quaedam non: sicut ambulativum et volativum, sive gressibile et volatile, faciunt differre specie animalia, sed albedo et nigredo non.	2130. And since he had raised this question in certain special terms, he reduces it to a more general form. He says that this question is almost the same as asking why one kind of contrariety causes things to differ in species and another does noi; for capabilities of walking and of flying, i.e., having the power to move about and to fly, cause animals to differ specifically, but whiteness and blackness do not.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 5 Deinde cum dicit aut quia solvit propositam quaestionem. Et circa hoc duo facit. Primo solvit eam in generali, ad quod quaestionem reduxerat. Secundo adaptat generalem solutionem ad speciales terminos, in quibus primo moverat quaestionem, ibi, masculus vero et femina. Dicit ergo, quod ideo contingit quod quaedam contrarietas facit differre specie et quaedam non, quia quaedam contraria sunt propriae passiones generis, et quaedam sunt minus propriae. Quia enim genus a materia sumitur, materia autem per se habet ordinem ad formam; illae propriae sunt differentiae generis, quae sumuntur a diversis formis perficientibus materiam. Sed quia forma speciei iterum multiplicatur in diversa secundum materiam signatam, quae est subiecta individualibus proprietatibus, contrarietas accidentium individualium minus proprie se habet ad genus, quam contrarietas differentiarum formalium. Et ideo subiungit, quod quia in composito est materia et forma, haec quidem est ratio, idest forma quae constituit speciem, haec autem est materia quae est individuationis principium: quaecumque contrarietates sunt in ratione, idest ex parte formae, faciunt differre secundum speciem. Illae vero quae sunt ex parte materiae, quae sunt propriae individui, quod est acceptum cum materia, non faciunt differre secundum speciem.	2131. And the reason (892). Here he answers the question that was raised, and in regard to this he does two things. First, he answers the question in a general way with reference to the issue to which he had reduced the question. Second (893:C 2134), he adapts the general answer to the special terms in which he had first asked the question (“However, male and female”). He accordingly says (892) that one kind of contrariety can cause difference in species and another cannot, because some contraries are the proper affections of a genus, and others are less proper. For, since genus is taken from matter, and matter in itself has a relation to form, those differences which are taken from the different forms perfecting matter are the proper differences of a genus. But since the form of the species may be further multiplied to become distinct things by reason of designated matter, which is the subject of individual properties, the contrariety of individual accidents is related to a genus in a less proper way than the contrariety of formal differences. Hence he adds that, since the composite contains matter and form, and the one “is the intelligible structure,” i.e., the form, which constitutes the species, and the other is matter, which is the principle’ of individuation, all those “contraries in the intelligible structure,” i.e., all which have to do with the form, cause difference in species, whereas those contrarieties which have to do with matter and are proper to the individual thing, which is taken with matter, do not cause difference in species.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 6 Et propter hoc albedo et nigredo non faciunt homines differre secundum speciem. Non enim homo albus et homo niger differunt specie, etiam si utrique imponatur aliquod nomen; ut si homo albus dicatur a et homo niger b. Hoc autem addit, quia homo albus non videtur esse aliquid unum. Sed si imponeretur nomen, videtur esse aliquid unum. Et similiter est de homine nigro. Et ideo dicit, quod homo albus et homo niger non differunt specie, quia homo, scilicet particularis, cui conveniunt album et nigrum, est quasi materia. Non enim dicitur quod homo sit albus, nisi quia hic homo est albus. Et sic, cum homo particularis conceptus sit cum materia, et materia non facit differentiam secundum speciem, sequitur quod hic homo et ille homo non differant specie: quia plures homines non propter hoc sunt plures species hominis, quia sunt plures; quia non sunt plures nisi propter diversitatem materiae, quia scilicet sunt diversae carnes et ossa ex quibus est hic et ille. Sed simul totum, idest individuum congregatum ex materia et forma, est diversum: sed non est diversum specie, quia non est contrarietas ex parte formae. Sed hoc, scilicet homo, est ultimum individuum secundum speciem, quia non dividitur ulterius divisione formali. Vel hoc, scilicet particulare, est ultimum individuum, quia non dividitur ulterius, nec materiali nec formali differentia. Sed quamvis in diversis individuis non sit contrarietas ex parte formae, est tamen diversitas individuorum particularium; quia particulare aliquod, ut Callias, non solum est forma, sed est forma cum materia individuata. Et ita, sicut diversitas formae facit differentiam specierum, ita diversitas materiae individualis facit differentiam individuorum. Album autem non praedicatur de homine nisi ratione individui. Non enim dicitur homo albus, nisi quia aliquis homo dicitur albus, ut Callias. Et sic patet, quod homo per accidens dicitur albus; quia non inquantum homo, sed inquantum hic homo, albus dicitur. Hic autem homo dicitur propter materiam. Unde patet quod album et nigrum non pertinent ad differentiam formalem hominis, sed solum ad materialem. Et propter hoc non differunt specie homo albus et niger, sicut nec circulus aereus et ligneus differunt specie. Et in his etiam quae differunt specie, non est differentia speciei propter materiam, sed propter formam; sicut triangulus aereus et circulus ligneus non differunt specie propter materiam, sed propter diversitatem formae.	2132. Hence whiteness and blackness do not cause men to differ specifically; for white man and black man do not differ specifically, even if a one-word name were given to each of them, say, “white man” were called A and “black man” were called B. He adds this because “white man” does not seem to be one thing, and the same is true of “black man.” Hence he says that “white man” and “black man” do not differ specifically, because man, i.e., a particular man, to whom both white and black belong, serves as matter; for man is said to be white only because this man is white. Thus since a particular man is conceived along with matter, and matter does not cause difference in species, it. follows that this particular man and that particular man do not differ specifically. For many men are not many species of man on the grounds that they are many, since they are many only by reason of the diversity of their matter, i.e., because the flesh and bones of which this man and that man are composed are different. But “the concrete whole,” i.e., the individual constituted of matter and form, is distinct; yet it is not specifically different because there is no contrariety as regards form. But this, namely, man, is the ultimate individual from the viewpoint of species, because the species is not further divided by a formal division. Or this, namely, the particular thing, is the ultimate individual, because it is not further divided either by a material difference or a formal one. But while there is no contrariety in distinct individuals as regard form, nevertheless there is a distinction between particular individuals; because a particular thing, such as Callias, is not a form alone but a form with individuated matter. Hence, just as difference of form causes difference of species, so too otherness in individual matter causes difference of individuals. And white is predicated’ of man only by way of the individual; for man is said to be white only because some particular man, such as Callias, is said to be white. Hence it is evident that man is said to be white accidentally, because a man is said to be white, not inasmuch as he is man, but inasmuch as he is this man. And this man is called “this” because of matter. Thus it is clear that white and black do not pertain to the formal difference of man but only to his material difference. Therefore “white man” and “black man” do not differ specifically, and neither do a bronze circle and a wooden circle differ specifically. And even those things which differ specifically do not do so by reason of their matter but only by reason of their form. Thus a bronze triangle and a wooden circle do not differ specifically by reason of their matter but because they have a different form.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 7 Unde si quaeratur, utrum materia faciat diversa specie aliquo modo, videtur quod faciat; quia hic equus ab hoc homine est diversus specie, et tamen manifestum est quod ratio utriusque est cum materia individuali. Et sic videtur quod materia aliqualiter faciat differre specie. Sed tamen manifestum est, quod hoc non contingit propter diversitatem materiae, sed quia contrarietas est ex parte formae, quia homo albus et equus niger differunt specie. Sed hoc non est propter album et nigrum, quia si ambo essent albi, adhuc specie differrent. Sic igitur apparet quod contrarietas quae est ex parte ipsius formae, facit differre specie; non autem illa quae est ex parte materiae.	2133. If one were to ask, then, whether matter somehow causes difference in species, the answer would seem to be that it does, because this horse is specifically different from this man, and it is no less evident that the notion of each contains individual matter. Thus it appears that matter somehow causes difference in species.—But on the other hand it is also evident that this does not come about by reason of any difference in their matter, but because there is contrariety with regard to their form. For “white man” and “black horse” differ specifically, yet they do not do so by reason of whiteness and blackness; for even if both were white they would still differ specifically. It appears, then, that the kind of contrariety which pertains to form causes difference in species, but not the kind which pertains to matter.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 8 Deinde cum dicit masculus vero solutionem generalem positam adaptat ad terminos speciales, in quibus primo quaestionem moverat, scilicet ad masculum et feminam; dicens, quod masculus et femina sunt proprie passiones animalis, quia animal ponitur in definitione utriusque. Sed non conveniunt animali secundum substantiam et formam, sed ex parte materiae et corporis. Quod patet ex hoc, quod idem sperma potest fieri masculus et femina, secundum quod diversimode patitur aliquam passionem; quia cum fuerit calor operans fortis, fiet masculus; cum autem erit debilis, fiet femina. Hoc autem non posset esse vel contingere, si masculus et femina differrent specie. Non enim ex uno semine diversa secundum speciem producuntur. Quia in semine vis est activa, et omne agens naturale agit ad determinatam speciem, quia agit sibi simile. Unde relinquitur quod masculus et femina non differant secundum formam, nec sunt diversa secundum speciem.	2134. However, male and female (893). Next he adapts the general answer which he has given to the special terms in reference to which he first raised the question, namely, male and female. He says that male and female are proper affections of animal, because animal is included in the definition of each. But they do not pertain to animal by reason of its substance or form, but by reason of its matter or body. This is clear from the fact that the same sperm insofar as it undergoes a different kind of change can become a male or a female animal; because, when the heat at work is strong, a male is generated, but when it is weak, a female is generated. But this could not be the case or come about if male and female differed specifically; for specifically different things are not generated from one and the same kind of sperm, because it is the sperm that contains the active power, and every natural agent acts by way of a determinate form by which it produces its like. It follows, then, that male and female do not differ formally, and that they do not differ specifically.
lib. 10 l. 11 n. 9 Deinde cum dicit quod quidem epilogat quod dixerat: quod planum est in litera.	2135. What it is (894). Here he sums up what has been said. This is clear in the text.