16. God's Five Attributes and the Natural Mind's Inclination
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Main Topics #
The Five Attributes of God in Thomas Aquinas #
Thomas presents God’s substance through five attributes:
- Unity (Unitas)
- Simplicity (Simplicitas)
- Unchangeability (Immutabilitas)
- Infinity/Unlimitedness (Infinitas)
- Perfection (Perfectio)
These appear in the Summa Theologiae (Questions 3-11 of Prima Pars) and in the Summa Contra Gentiles in slightly different order.
Natural Inclinations of the Human Mind #
The human mind is naturally inclined toward four of these five attributes:
- Something One - unity and unification
- Something Simple - simplicity and elegance
- Something Unlimited/Infinite - boundlessness
- Something Unchanging - stability and constancy
The fifth attribute, Perfection, is not as obviously present in natural inclination because Greek philosophy tended to begin with matter as first principle (which is imperfect).
Evidence in Greek Philosophers and Modern Scientists #
Greek Philosophers: Even the earliest pre-Socratic thinkers (monists and pluralists alike) demonstrate this natural inclination. Aristotle describes them as “forced by the truth itself” (coacti a veritate) to recognize that the first principle must be something simple, unified, and unchanging.
Modern Scientists: Genuine physicists demonstrate the same inclination. Max Planck states that physics seeks “the more universal law, the simpler its form.” Max Born notes that the “genuine physicist believes obstinately in the Unity and Simplicity of nature, despite any appearance of the contrary.”
Conservation Laws: Modern science reveals that what appear to be different forms of energy (height, speed) are actually different manifestations of the same underlying reality. The equations of physics show that from one fundamental equation, an infinity of different numerical cases can be calculated—revealing both unity and infinity in natural law.
The Structure of Thomas’s Theological Treatment #
Thomas orders the treatment of God’s substance systematically:
- After establishing God’s existence (Question 2)
- He dedicates Questions 3-11 to substance
- Each attribute is linked to a related consideration:
- Simplicity (Q3) → Perfection (Q4)
- Goodness (Q5-6) → attached to perfection
- Infinity (Q7) → Ubiquity/Being Everywhere (Q8)
- Unchangeability (Q9) → Eternity (Q10)
- Unity (Q11) → could be extended to God as measure of all things
The Causal Structure of Attributes #
All other attributes flow from or are connected to these five fundamental ones:
- Eternity is tied to unchangeability
- Ubiquity is tied to infinity
- God as measure of all things is tied to unity (following Plato’s teaching in Laws that God, not man, is the measure of all things)
- Goodness and Beauty are tied to perfection
Key Arguments #
Why Four of Five Are Naturally Anticipated #
Argument from Natural Inclination:
- The human mind is naturally inclined toward unity, simplicity, infinity, and unchangeability
- This inclination appears in Greek philosophers despite their various conclusions
- This inclination appears in modern scientists despite their materialism
- Therefore, these four attributes reflect the structure of human reason itself
- God, as the first cause and end of all knowledge, must possess these attributes
Supporting Evidence:
- Augustine: “Our heart is made for God; we rest in God” (Confessions)
- The mind is naturally ordered toward the best thing and the first cause
- These must be the same thing (God) for harmony in reason
Why Perfection Is the Fifth Attribute #
Argument from Natural Philosophy:
- Pre-Socratic philosophers began with matter as first principle
- Matter is imperfect and potentiality
- Therefore, they did not naturally arrive at perfection from nature alone
- Perfection is properly understood through reflection on the good and the beautiful
- The good and the beautiful are essentially the same
- Therefore, perfection completes the five attributes
The Harmony of First Cause and First End #
Aristotelian Principle: The end is always better than what is for the sake of the end. The end is “cause of causes”—it moves all other causes.
Application to God:
- The end of knowledge must be the best thing
- The end of knowledge must be the first cause (since we seek causes)
- If the first cause is also the best thing, everything harmonizes
- God is both first cause and first end
- Therefore, all things harmonize in God
Problem of Materialism: If matter is the first principle, the first cause is not the best thing, creating an internal contradiction in reason (“schizophrenia”—the mind seeking the best and the first cause, but they are not the same).
Why These Five Are Found Throughout Church Teaching #
Thomas’s Masterly Ordering: The Second Vatican Council notes that Thomas does not introduce entirely new doctrines about God, but rather unifies and orders what was already taught by the Church Fathers. The Church documents mention these attributes scattered throughout, but do not see their connections (e.g., that unchangeability and eternity are related). Thomas’s genius is systematic ordering and division.
Important Definitions #
Monism: The philosophical position that reality derives from a single first principle or substance.
Pluralism: The philosophical position that multiple first principles are necessary to explain reality.
Prima Pars: The first part of the Summa Theologiae, containing Thomas’s systematic treatment of God and creation.
Summa Contra Gentiles: Thomas’s work defending Christian doctrine against non-Christian objections, also treating God’s attributes.
Forma (form/shape): The determining principle that makes something what it is.
Materia (matter/material): The substrate of potentiality that receives form.
Actus (actuality): What something is; its realized state.
Potentia (potentiality): The capacity to become or receive form.
Examples & Illustrations #
The Locomotive and Conservation of Energy #
Berquist uses the example of a locomotive where mechanical energy is converted to heat, showing that apparent differences in “forms” of energy mask an underlying unity. Different things (height, speed) are recognized as manifestations of the same reality (energy).
Equations and Mathematical Infinity #
Modern physics equations show that from one fundamental equation (e.g., F = ma), an infinity of different numerical cases can be calculated. This reveals both the simplicity of natural law and the infinity of its manifestations—anticipating themes found in reflection on God.
The Hierarchy of Causes #
Among creatures, causes become progressively simpler and more universal as one moves upward (angels are simpler than material things; God is the simplest and most universal cause). This reflects the natural mind’s inclination toward ultimate simplicity.
Simplicity in Art and Music #
Berquist notes that in human art, more simple is more beautiful:
- Tragedy achieves the same emotional effect as epic with fewer words and fewer scenes
- Classical and Baroque music (Bach, Handel, Haydn) demonstrates beauty through simplicity
- Gregorian chant exemplifies beauty through simplicity
- Sophocles and Shakespeare’s plays are superior to novels because they are more concentrated
The Soul and Divine Likeness #
The soul (the most divine part of us) is thought of as finer, thinner, and more subtle than the body—penetrating all parts of the body without being spatially extended like a body would be. This intuitive understanding reflects how we naturally think of God (simple, ubiquitous, not material).
Notable Quotes #
“Too late have I come to know thee, thou ancient beauty” - Augustine, Confessions
This opening of Augustine’s Confessions shows the natural inclination of the soul toward God (perceived as the beautiful itself) even before explicit theological knowledge.
“They are forced by the truth itself” - Aristotle (cited by Thomas in Summa Contra Gentiles)
Describes how even ancient philosophers were compelled by truth itself to recognize that the first principle must be infinite and non-bodily.
“God is a measure of all things” - Plato, Laws (via Berquist’s paraphrase)
Plato’s correction of Protagoras’s claim that “man is the measure of all things,” showing the natural inclination to recognize a divine measure beyond human subjectivity.
“The whole of God sees, the whole of God hears” - Xenophanes, Natural Theology Fragment
Demonstrates pre-Socratic recognition that God has no parts (simplicity): since God has no distinction of parts like humans do, the whole of God sees, the whole of God hears—all God’s operations are one operation.
“God is altogether simple. And the closer one gets to God, the simpler one becomes” - St. Teresa of Ávila (cited by Berquist)
Shows that the attribute of simplicity extends even to the spiritual transformation of saints in union with God.
“So long as physical science exists… this will always be [its] goal: the more universal law is, the simpler its form” - Max Planck
Demonstrates that modern scientists, despite materialism, are naturally inclined toward the simplicity and universality characteristic of the divine.
Questions Addressed #
Q: Why does Thomas structure God’s substance around five attributes? #
A: Four of these five (unity, simplicity, infinity, unchangeability) reflect the natural inclinations of the human mind toward first principles, as evidenced throughout history in philosophers and scientists. Perfection (the fifth) completes the treatment by addressing what our reason implicitly seeks—not just first principle, but the best thing. Thomas’s genius is recognizing this structure and ordering the treatment systematically.
Q: Why aren’t the five attributes explicitly taught in earlier Church documents? #
A: They were taught implicitly and scattered throughout patristic tradition, but Thomas unified and ordered them in a systematic way. The Second Vatican Council praises this Thomistic ordering—not for novelty, but for clarity and connection.
Q: How does natural reason prepare us to understand God’s infinity? #
A: Through experience of mathematics and nature, the human mind already recognizes infinity. Modern science shows equations generating an infinity of cases from one formula. Medieval thinkers reflected on “unlimited matter” (materia infinita). The mind is naturally reaching toward infinity without fully realizing it seeks God’s infinity.
Q: What is the connection between God being the first cause and God being the first end? #
A: The end is always better than what is for the sake of the end; the end is the “cause of causes.” Therefore, if God is the first cause, He must be the first end (the best thing). This ensures that the two natural inclinations of reason—toward the first cause and toward the best thing—harmonize perfectly in God.
Q: Why does materialism create a problem for reason? #
A: If matter (imperfect) is the first principle, then reason is divided: the mind seeks the best thing and the first cause, but these are not the same thing. This creates “schizophrenia” in reason—an internal contradiction. Only when the first cause is recognized as God (the best, most perfect thing) is this contradiction resolved.
Q: Could Thomas have added another question to his treatment—on God being the measure of all things? #
A: Yes. In Metaphysics, unity is associated with being the measure. God, being one, would be the measure of all things (following Plato’s correction in Laws). This attribute would naturally attach to the question on God’s unity, completing the systematic structure even more fully.
Connections to Earlier Lectures #
To Natural Theology and Philosophy of God #
The lecture builds on Thomas’s arguments for God’s existence and extends to understanding God’s nature. The five attributes represent the fullest explication of what “God” means in natural theology.
To Pre-Socratic Philosophy #
The natural inclinations identified in Thomas’s treatment are shown to be already present in early Greek philosophers (monists), suggesting a deep continuity between natural reason and revelation.
To Modern Science #
Berquist demonstrates that contemporary physicists (Planck, Born, Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr) exhibit the same natural inclinations toward unity, simplicity, and infinity—showing this is not merely medieval or theological but genuinely natural to reason as such.