94. Divine Providence and God's Foresight

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Providence and Prudence #

• Providence (providentia) corresponds to English “foresight” (from Latin, meaning “to see before”)
• Providence is named from the chief or principal part of prudence among eight integral parts
• The term relates to practical wisdom and the virtue of ordering things to an end
• In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, prudence is treated in Book 6, after the moral virtues (Books 3-5)
• Churchill exemplifies political foresight: the ability to foresee consequences of different courses of action

Structure of the Question #

Thomas divides the consideration of divine providence into four articles:

1. Whether providence belongs to God at all
2. Whether all things come under divine providence (including minute details like losing hair)
3. Whether divine providence is immediately about all things or mediated through secondary causes
4. Whether divine providence places necessity upon things

The Three Integral Parts of Prudence #

• Deliberation (consilium): investigation of doubtful matters, considering alternatives
• Judgment (synesis): determining which course is better and why
• Command (imperium): the culminating part most properly called prudence itself; the actual determination to act

Thomas emphasizes that God possesses the commanding aspect of prudence without requiring deliberation, since He has no doubts.

The Nature of Divine Providence #

• Providence is the ratio ordinis (reason of order)—the principle by which things are ordered to an end
• Distinguished from gubernatio (governing): Providence is the eternal ordering principle in God’s mind; governing is its temporal execution
• Presupposes knowledge of: (1) past things (memory), (2) present circumstances (understanding), (3) future things (conjecture/providence proper)
• All good in created things—both substantial and relational—must have its reason pre-exist in the divine mind
• The order of things to God as their ultimate end must pre-exist eternally in God’s understanding

Species of Foresight #

Thomas distinguishes four species of foresight:

1. Foresight of the individual (for oneself)
2. Foresight of the father of a family (domestic)
3. Foresight of a military commander (military)
4. Foresight of a king (political)

Berquist notes that Aristotle’s Ethics addresses only three (ethics, domestics, politics), but Thomas adds military foresight as an elevated consideration, distinct from Aristotelian political philosophy.

Key Arguments #

First Objection: Providence Requires Deliberation #

Argument: Cicero defines providence as part of prudence. Prudence involves taking counsel (bene consiliativa). God has no doubt and requires no counsel. Therefore, providence does not belong to God.

Response: The objection conflates prudence with its first part. The culminating part—command (imperium)—most properly constitutes prudence. In human prudence, command presupposes deliberation because humans must investigate doubtful matters. In divine prudence, God possesses command without deliberation. The word “counsel” in Scripture (e.g., Ephesians 1:11, “by the counsel of His will”) refers to the certitude of knowledge achieved through reasoning, not to the process of deliberation itself.

Second Objection: Providence is Temporal, God is Eternal #

Argument: Whatever is in God is eternal. But providence concerns existing things which are not eternal (per Damascene). Therefore, providence is not in God.

Response: Two distinct things pertain to providence: (1) the ratio of order (the principle or reason of ordering), which is eternal in God, and (2) the carrying out of that order (executio), which is temporal—this is called governing. The first is eternal; the second is temporal. This distinction preserves God’s eternity while maintaining His providential ordering of temporal things.

Third Objection: Providence Involves Composition #

Argument: Nothing composed is in God (divine simplicity). But providence seems composed, involving both will and understanding. Therefore, foresight is not in God.

Response: Providence in creatures involves composition because their understanding and will are distinct powers. In God, the will and understanding are identical—they are the same divine essence. Providence presupposes the will of the end (God must will the end before commanding means to it), but this does not compromise divine simplicity because God’s will and understanding are one.

God Does Not Order Himself to an End #

Since God is the ultimate end (finis ultimus), there is nothing in God to be ordered to an end. However, God’s providence orders all creatures to the end, which is His own goodness. This is how providence belongs to God: not by ordering God Himself, but by establishing the eternal reason of ordering all creatures to their ultimate end.

Important Definitions #

Providence (Providentia) #

• The divine reason constituted in the beginning of all things (after Boethius), which disposes and orders all things
• Properly understood as the reason of ordering things to an end (ratio ordinis ad finem)
• The reason of order pertains to both the order of things to their end and the order of parts to the whole
• Distinct from governing (gubernatio): providence is the eternal principle; governing is its temporal execution

Foresight (Prudentia) #

• A virtue of practical reason that commands actions ordered to an end
• Presupposes moral virtues that dispose the appetite to the good
• The word derives from “pre” (before) and “video” (to see)
• Involves: memory of past, understanding of present circumstances, and conjecture about future
• The chief part is command (imperium), not deliberation

The End (Finis) #

• For human prudence: the end of one’s life or the common good of the community
• For divine providence: God’s own goodness (divina bonitas), to which all creation is ordered
• God does not need to order Himself to an end; rather, He orders all things to Himself as their ultimate end

Examples & Illustrations #

Churchill and Political Foresight #

Churchill exemplifies political foresight—the ability to foresee consequences and direct policy accordingly. His capacity to perceive future outcomes of different courses of action distinguishes true prudence from mere cleverness.

MacArthur and Military Foresight #

Douglas MacArthur exemplifies military foresight, particularly in foreseeing the success of the Inchon Landing. Berquist notes that MacArthur’s post-war administration in Japan is regarded by some as an even greater accomplishment than his military victories.

The German Army’s Decentralization #

The German army’s success in World War II partly resulted from giving subordinate officers freedom to act according to circumstances, since commanders cannot foresee all battlefield details—they change constantly. This illustrates how even human foresight must delegate to subordinates who can respond to unforeseen circumstances.

The Three Parts of Prudence (Personal Example) #

Berquist’s brother Mark and two friends exemplified the three parts of prudence:

• One friend was imaginative (could deliberate and conceive many possibilities) but lacked judgment
• Mark had judgment (could determine what should be done) but lacked imagination
• A third friend had the commanding ability (could get them going and execute the plan)

Lincoln on Memory and Present Understanding #

Lincoln’s statement: “If we knew where we came from and where we are, we could see what we have to do now” illustrates how memory (past) and present understanding inform future action.

Notable Quotes #

“The reason of ordering things to an end is properly foresight, for it is the chief part of foresight to which are ordered the other two parts.”

“In God there is nothing able to be ordered to an end, since he himself is the last end.”

“The divine reason constituted in the beginning of all things, which disposes all things.” (Boethius)

“It is necessary that the reason of the order of things to the end pre-exist in the divine mind.”

Questions Addressed #

Does Providence Belong to God? #

Resolution: Yes, necessarily. Every good in created things—both substantial (the thing itself) and relational (its order to an end)—is created by God. The good of order existing in created things presupposes that the reason of this order pre-exist in the divine mind. This reason of ordering things to their end is properly called providence. God must eternally possess the principle by which all things are ordered to their ultimate end.

How Does Divine Providence Differ from Human Prudence? #

Resolution: Human prudence orders oneself or one’s subjects to an external end. Divine providence orders all things to an end that is God Himself. Humans must deliberate about doubtful matters and take counsel; God possesses certain knowledge and commands by the immutable determination of His will. Humans order things to ends external to themselves; God orders all creation to Himself as the ultimate end.

Does God Deliberate? #

Resolution: No. God does not take counsel or deliberate about doubtful matters. However, God possesses the commanding aspect of prudence—the eternal determination and ordering of all things according to His wisdom. When Scripture speaks of God acting “by the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11), counsel refers to the certitude of knowledge, not to deliberation. God knows infallibly what should be done and commands it with absolute certainty.

What is the Relationship Between Providence and Governing? #

Resolution: Providence (providentia) is the eternal reason of order existing in God’s mind. Governing (gubernatio) is the temporal execution of that order in creation. Both are necessary: providence establishes the eternal principle of order; governing carries it out in time through created causes.