The Nature of Metaphysics

THE THOMIST A SPECULATIVE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY EDITORS: THE DoMINICAN FATHERS oF THE PROVINCE OF ST. JosEPH Publishers: The Thomist Press, Washington 17, D. C. VoL. XXX APRIL, 1966 No.2 THE NATURE OF METAPHYSICS FEW CONCEPTS in modern philosophy are invested with such a variety of meanings as the concept of metaphysics . To many, metaphysics has no meaning at all because it does not even exist. To others, metaphysics is that part of philosophy dealing with mysterious and occult things that lie beyond the scope of our senses. For the majority of philosophers and scientists the term ' metaphysics ' is synonymous with philosophy, as opposed to contemporary science. Among scholastics, there is a variety of opinions on its nature. Even Thomists disagree among themselves on both the nature of this science and on Saint Thomas' own metaphysics. Saint Thomas explicitly analysed the nature of science and, consequently, of metaphysics in his Commentary on Boethius' De Trinitate. In his Commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics his thought, though perhaps not so explicit, seems more complete and mature. When he wrote this Commentary nothing was known about the historical difficulties concerning the composition and unity of Aristotle's work. In spite of this, Saint 109 110 ANTONIO MORENO Thomas' thought in both books is always the same regardless of whether there is or is not a gradual evolution in Aristotle's own philosophical thought. What is the nature of metaphysics? Are physics and metaphysics specifically distinct? What is the proper mode of abstraction to which metaphysics corresponds? The answer to these questions is closely related to the general methodology of sciences. Since science is primarily an intellectual knowledge, its division and specifications depend on that element which makes knowledge possible, namely, immateriality: "It is clear," says Aquinas, " that the immateriality of a thing is the reason why it is cognitive and according to the mode of immateriality is the mode of knowledge." 1 In the immateriality, and therefore in abstraction, lies the solution of our riddles. Scientific abstraction presupposes a harmonious relationship between the object, upon which science falls, and the cognitive power that operates in order to acquire knowledge. Fundamentally , abstraction depends on the object; but formally, abstraction is an activity of the mind for it is only in the mind that the habit of science can exist. To understand the nature of metaphysics we have to bear in mind this double abstractive consideration. First, it is necessary to investigate the nature of the second operation of the mind, the judgment, for the purpose of applying the results to metaphysics. Secondly, and not less important, we shall investigate the nature of the objects upon which the judgment of metaphysics falls. I. METAPHYSICS Is BoRN Nature of judgment. " The intellect," says Aquinas, " has two operations, one called ' the understanding of indivisibles ' by which it knows ' what ' a thing is; and another by which it composes and divides, that is to say, by forming affirmative and negative enunciations. Now these two operations correspond to two prin1 Summa Theo., I, 14, I. THE NATURE OF METAPHYSICS 111 ciples in things, the first operation regards the nature of a thing itself ... the second regards a thing's act of existing." 2 The second operation-the judgment-formally contains the truth, which is defined as: "the equation of thought and thing." 3 Accordingly, the judgment signifies the equation of the thing outside the mind with the concept of the thing in the mind, that is to say, the thing as known and expressed in the intellect by means of the enunciative word of the judgment . In other words, truth is the equation between what is said and enunciated inside the intellect, and the thing itself as it is outside the mind; the equation of reality and its enunciative word.4 The primary feature of a judgment may, therefore, be summarized by saying that it simply expresses reality as it is, without changes and subjective interpretations. This concept is of vital importance to our inquiry. The judgment of separation in metaphysics. Saint Thomas relates abstraction and two operations of the mind. The abstraction proper to physics and mathematics corresponds to simple apprehension.5 The judgment...