136. Free Will, Divine Causality, and the Fifth Objection

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Fifth Objection: Natural Determination of Choice #

• The Problem: Aristotle states “such as each one is, so does the end seem to him” (Nicomachean Ethics III)
• The Claim: Since man’s nature determines what appears good to him, his choices are predetermined
• The Question: How can choice be free if nature determines what seems desirable?

Natural vs. Acquired Qualities #

Thomas distinguishes two types of qualities affecting human choice:

Natural Qualities (from nature/birth):

• On the intellectual side: All men naturally desire beatitude (happiness/blessedness)
  • This natural desire is not subject to free judgment
  • All prefer living well and doing well over living badly
• On the bodily side: Complexion, disposition, bodily constitution
  • Some naturally inclined to anger, others to concupiscence, others to fear
  • Observable even in small children (some shy, some quick to anger)
  • These are impressions from bodily causes

Acquired Qualities (developed through repeated acts):

• Habits and vices formed through choosing to give in to passions
• Moral virtues and vices come from repeated acts (from mos, custom)
• Example: Repeated eating of candy leads to gluttony; repeated surrender to anger creates an irascible person
• Man is responsible for acquiring such qualities

How Free Judgment Remains Free Despite Natural Inclination #

The Body’s Influence is Limited:

• Bodily disposition inclines the will but does not determine it
• The intellectual part is not an act of the body (not corporeal)
• Therefore bodily qualities have some influence but not absolute causality

Reason Can Resist Bodily Inclinations:

• The sense appetite obeys reason “to some extent”
• Examples of resistance:
  • St. Benedict jumped into a thornbush to resist temptation
  • St. Francis de Sales fought lifelong inclination to anger
  • A naturally timid student overcame shyness through speech classes and became elected to office
  • People with alcoholism or addiction fight their natural tendency

Passion Clouds But Doesn’t Eliminate Judgment:

• Shakespeare: “What we in passion to ourselves propose, the passion ending doth the purpose lose”
• When angry, harming someone seems a fitting goal
• When concupiscent, pursuing pleasure seems suitable
• When afraid, fleeing seems the right course
• Yet reason can resist and choose differently

Key Arguments #

How Natural Disposition Affects Free Will #

1. Natural qualities dispose, they do not determine

   • A man inclined to anger by nature is disposed toward anger
   • But disposition is not the same as necessity
   • These inclinations remain “subject to the judgment of reason”

2. Acquired habits create responsibility

   • Man is responsible for acquiring habits through repeated acts
   • What appears suitable changes based on habitual practice
   • Yet even these acquired dispositions remain within “our power”

3. Nothing prejudicial to free judgment

   • Despite bodily inclinations and acquired habits
   • Man retains the power through intellect and reason and will
   • To oppose his own fear, anger, concupiscence

The Role of Passion in Clouding Judgment #

• Passion makes a particular end appear suitable/good
• Yet the judgment of what is good remains free
• When passion ends, the judgment it produced also ends
• This shows passion influences but does not necessitate

Important Definitions #

Qualitas Naturalis (Natural Quality) #

• An inborn disposition on either the intellectual or bodily side
• Intellectual natural quality: Natural desire for beatitude
• Bodily natural quality: Constitutional disposition (complexion, makeup)
• Does not determine but inclines toward certain choices

Qualitas Superveniens (Acquired Quality) #

• A quality that “comes upon” a man through his own actions
• Formed through habits (habitus) and passions
• Subject to free judgment insofar as man can acquire or resist such qualities
• Example: becoming a glutton or becoming virtuous

Habitus (Habit) #

• A disposition acquired through repeated acts
• Created by repeatedly choosing to give in to (or resist) a passion
• Changes what seems suitable to the person
• Yet does not eliminate the power of reason to resist

Examples & Illustrations #

The Naturally Timid Student #

• Started unable to speak in public due to natural shyness
• Took a speech class requiring spontaneous presentations
• Overcame natural inclination through repeated acts of will
• Eventually ran for office and was elected
• Shows natural disposition can be overcome through reason and will

The Woman with Loose Morals (St. Benedict) #

• Placed near the saint to tempt him
• He jumped into a thornbush to distract himself from the inclination
• Shows that sense desires can rebel against reason
• Yet the will maintains freedom to choose resistance

St. Francis de Sales Resisting Anger #

• Had to fight lifelong tendency to anger
• Did not simply surrender to his natural inclination
• Demonstrates that even strongly disposed natural qualities can be resisted

Shakespeare’s Coriolanus #

• Naturally inclined to anger
• Never fought this inclination; instead indulged it repeatedly
• Became habitually irascible through these repeated choices
• So habituated that what his anger made seem suitable (destroying Rome) he pursued
• Shows how repeated surrender to passion creates acquired dispositions

The Lottery Question #

• Two workers asked what they’d do if they won the lottery
• One: “Find a quiet place to read”
• Other: “Get a harem”
• Both want to live well (natural desire) but understand it differently
• Shows contingency in how men apply the natural desire for happiness

Questions Addressed #

Q: If man’s nature determines what appears good to him, how is choice free? #

A: Natural qualities dispose but do not determine. The intellectual part is not an act of the body, so bodily disposition has limited influence. More importantly, reason can resist bodily inclinations. A man disposed to anger can still choose not to act on that anger. The inclinations remain “subject to the judgment of reason.”

Q: What about acquired habits? Don’t they make choice inevitable? #

A: Acquired habits (vices and virtues) are within man’s power to acquire. Through repeated acts, a man may become habitually inclined toward certain choices. But even these acquired dispositions remain subject to reason. A glutton or an irascible person can still exercise reason and resist, though doing so becomes more difficult.

Q: How can we resist passions that seem to make certain actions suitable? #

A: Passion makes an end appear suitable (e.g., anger makes striking someone seem appropriate). But when the passion ends, the judgment it produced also ends. Through reason and will, man can oppose his own fear, concupiscence, and anger. This is the work of virtue—habitually choosing to resist.

Notable Quotes #

“Such as each one is according to a bodily quality, so the end seems to him.” — Aristotle, cited by Thomas, establishing the problem

“But these inclinations are subject to the judgment of what? Reason.” — Thomas Aquinas (per Berquist), the key resolution

“What we in passion to ourselves propose, the passion ending doth the purpose lose.” — Shakespeare (Hamlet), on how passion distorts but doesn’t determine judgment

“Man can, by his intellect or reason and his will, oppose, right, his own fear.” — Berquist, summarizing Thomas on resistance to natural inclination