Saturday, June 5, 2010

Provoust on Thomas' rejection of even intramundane univocity

"The whole effort of Thomas tended towards theology.  And metaphysics is for him only a program given by some definitions of science (in the commentary on Boethius' De Trinitate above all), and by his commentary on Aristotle.  But he never develops a proper metaphysics.  We can say still more:  he did not give metaphysics the status of a rigorous science, but only [a science] in the broad sense.  A rigorous science is founded on univocal concepts.  But, as Thomas stresses, being is not univocal.  Metaphysics does not function except with analogous terms:  it is therefore a science only in a broad, supple sense."

Géry Prouvost, “Quand commence l’ontothéologie? Aristote, Thomas d’Aquin et Duns Scot,” Revue thomiste 95 (1995): 101 (85-108).

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