Authors/Thomas Aquinas/posteriorum/L1/Lect30

Lecture 30 Cause of simple negative ignorance

Latin	English
	Lecture 30 (81a38-b9) CAUSE OF SIMPLE NEGATIVE IGNORANCE
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 1 Postquam philosophus determinavit de ignorantia dispositionis, quae fit per syllogismum; hic determinat de ignorantia simplicis negationis, quae fit absque syllogismo. Et primo, ostendit in quibus habeatur talis ignorantia ex necessitate; secundo, probat propositum; ibi: siquidem addiscimus et cetera.	After the Philosopher has determined concerning ignorance through deception which is caused by a syllogism, he now determines concerning the ignorance of simple negation which is produced without a syllogism. First, he shows in which type of person this ignorance is had of necessity. Secondly, he proves his proposition (81a39).
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 2 Dicit ergo primo quod si alicui deficiat aliquis sensus, puta visus aut auditus, necesse est quod deficiat ei scientia propriorum sensibilium illius sensus. Puta, si cui deficit sensus visus, necesse est quod deficiat ei scientia de coloribus. Et sic habebit de coloribus ignorantiam negationis, omnino ignorans colorem. Sed hoc intelligendum est quando nunquam habuit sensum visus, sicut patet in caeco nato. Si quis enim amittat visum prius habitum, non propter hoc oportet quod careat scientia colorum; quia ex his, quae prius sensit, remanet in eo memoria colorum.	He says therefore first (81a38) that if a person lacks any of the senses, say, sight or hearing, then necessarily the science of the sensible objects proper to those senses will be lacking. Thus, if a person lacks the sense of sight, then of necessity the science of colors will be lacking in him. And so he will have ignorance of negation in regard to colors, being entirely ignorant of colors. However, this must be understood of persons who never had the sense of sight, as a person born blind. But if someone loses the sight he once had, he does not on that account necessarily lack a science of colors, because the memory of colors previously sensed remains in him.
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 3 Contingit autem de aliquibus rebus haberi ignorantiam negationis, quae tamen cognosci possunt per sensum quem habemus: sicut si aliquis habens visum semper fuisset in tenebris, careret quidem scientia colorum, sed non ex necessitate, quia posset huiusmodi scientiam accipere sentiendo colores: quod non contingit in eo, qui caret sensu visus. Et ideo addit quod impossibile est accipere; quia videlicet ille, qui caret potentia visiva, non potest percipere cognitionem colorum.	But it is possible that ignorance of negation be had of certain things which can nevertheless be known through a sense we possess.. For example, if someone with sight were always in the dark, he would de facto lack a science of colors, but not of necessity, because he could acquire it by sensing colors-which does not occur in one who lacks the sense of sight. Hence he adds that it is impossible to receive it because one who lacks the power of sight cannot even acquire a knowledge of colors.
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 4 Deinde cum dicit: siquidem addiscimus etc., probat propositum per hoc quod duplex est modus acquirendi scientiam. Unus quidem per demonstrationem, alius autem per inductionem; quod etiam in principio huius libri positum est. Differunt autem hi duo modi, quia demonstratio procedit ex universalibus; inductio autem procedit ex particularibus. Si ergo universalia, ex quibus procedit demonstratio, cognosci possent absque inductione, sequeretur quod homo posset accipere scientiam eorum, quorum non habet sensum. Sed impossibile est universalia speculari absque inductione. Et hoc quidem in rebus sensibilibus est magis manifestum, quia in eis per experientiam, quam habemus circa singularia sensibilia, accipimus universalem notitiam, sicut manifestatur in principio metaphysicae.	Then (81a39) he proves his proposition on the ground that there are two ways of acquiring science: one is through demonstration, and the other is through induction, as we have stated in the beginning of this book. But these two ways differ, because demonstration proceeds from universals, but induction from particulars. Therefore, if any universals from which demonstration proceeds could be known without induction, it would follow that a person could acquire science of things of which he does not have sense experience. But it is impossible that universals be known scientifically without induction. This is quite obvious in sensible things, because we receive the universal aspect in them through the experience which we have in regard to sensible things, as is explained in Metaphysics I.
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 5 Sed maxime hoc videtur dubium in his, quae dicuntur secundum abstractionem, sicut in mathematicis. Cum enim experientia a sensu ortum habeat, ut dicitur in principio metaphysicae, videtur quod hoc locum non habeat in his, quae sunt abstracta a materia sensibili.	But this might be doubted in things which are abstract, as in mathematics. For although experience begins from sense, as it is stated in Metaphysics 1, it seems that this plays no role in studying things already isolated or abstracted from sensible matter.
Et ideo ad hoc excludendum dicit quod etiam ea, quae dicuntur secundum abstractionem, contingit nota facere per inductionem; quia in unoquoque genere abstractorum sunt quaedam particularia, quae non sunt separabilia a materia sensibili, secundum quod unumquodque eorum est hoc. Quamvis enim linea secundum abstractionem dicatur, tamen haec linea, quae est in materia sensibili, in quantum est individuata abstrahi non potest, quia individuatio eius est ex hac materia. Non autem manifestantur nobis principia abstractorum, ex quibus demonstrationes in eis procedunt, nisi ex particularibus aliquibus, quae sensu percipimus. Puta ex hoc, quod videmus aliquod totum singulare sensibile, perducimur ad cognoscendum quid est totum et pars, et cognoscimus quod omne totum est maius sua parte, considerando hoc in pluribus. Sic igitur universalia, ex quibus demonstratio procedit, non fiunt nobis nota, nisi per inductionem.	Therefore, to exclude this he says that even those things that are abstract happen to be made known through induction, because in each genus of abstract things are certain particulars which are not isolable from sensible matter, so far as each of them is a “this something.” For although “line” is studied in isolation from its sensible matter, nevertheless “this line”, which is in sensible matter, so far forth as it is individualized, cannot be so isolated, because its individuation is from this matter. Furthermore, the principles of abstracted [isolated] things, from which demonstrations regarding them are formed, are not made manifest to us except from certain particulars which we perceive by sense. Thus, from the fact that we see some single sensible whole we are led to know what a whole is and what a part, and we know that every whole is greater than its part by considering this in many. Thus the universals from which demonstration proceeds are made known to us only through induction.
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 6 Homines autem carentes sensu aliquo non possunt inductionem facere de singularibus pertinentibus ad sensum illum, quia singularium, ex quibus procedit inductio, est solum cognitio sensus. Unde oportet quod omnino sint huiusmodi singularia ignota, quia non contingit quod aliquis carens sensu accipiat talium singularium scientiam; quia neque ex universalibus potest demonstrare sine inductione, per quam universalia cognoscuntur, ut dictum est; neque per inductionem potest aliquid cognosci sine sensu, qui est singularium, ex quibus procedit inductio.	Now men who lack any of the senses cannot make an induction from singulars pertaining to that sense, because sense is the sole knower of the singulars from which induction proceeds. Hence such singulars are utterly unknown, because it does not occur that anyone lacking a sense receives science of such singulars: first, because he cannot demonstrate from universals without induction through which universals are known, as has been said; secondly, because nothing can be known through induction without the sense which is concerned with the singulars from which induction proceeds.
lib. 1 l. 30 n. 7 Est autem considerandum quod per verba philosophi, quae hic inducuntur, excluditur duplex positio. Prima quidem est positio Platonis; qui ponebat quod nos habebamus scientiam de rebus per species participatas ab ideis. Quod si esset verum, universalia fierent nobis nota absque inductione; et ita possemus acquirere scientiam eorum, quorum sensum non habemus. Unde et hoc argumento utitur Aristoteles contra Platonem in fine I metaphysicae. Secunda est positio dicentium quod possumus in hac vita cognoscere substantias separatas, intelligendo quidditates earum; quae tamen per sensibilia quae cognoscimus, quae ab eis omnimode transcenduntur, cognosci non possunt. Unde, si ipsae cognoscerentur secundum suas essentias, sequeretur quod aliqua cognoscerentur absque inductione et sensu: quod philosophus hic negat, etiam de abstractis.	It should be noted that by these words of the Philosopher two positions are excluded: the first is Plato’s, who stated that we do not have science of things except through Forms participated from ideas. If this were so, universals could be made known to us without induction, and we would be able to acquire a science of things of which we have no sense. Hence Aristotle also uses this argument against Plato at the end of Metaphysics I. The second is the position of those who claim that in this life we can know separated substances by understanding their quiddities, which however cannot be known through sensible objects which we know and which are entirely transcended by them. Hence if they were known according to their essences, it would follow that some things would be known without induction and sense perception, which the Philosopher here denies even in regard to abstracted things.