87. Concupiscence, Pleasure, and the Infinite Desire
Summary
Listen to Lecture
Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript
Lecture Notes
Main Topics #
Article 3: Natural vs. Non-Natural Concupiscence #
Definition of Concupiscence: Desire for a delightful or pleasant good.
Two Kinds of Desire:
Natural Concupiscence: Desire for things suitable to animal nature (food, drink, etc.)
- Common to all animals and all humans
- Arises from absolute apprehension without deliberation
- Called “irrational” (without reason, not against reason) by Aristotle
Non-Natural Concupiscence: Desires arising from rational apprehension
- Particular to humans who reason about what is good beyond natural necessity
- Arise through deliberation and work of reason
- Called “with reason” (cum ratione) by Aristotle
- Require habituation and education (acquiring a taste)
How Reason Elevates Appetite:
- The sensitive appetite can be moved by particular reason (pertaining to the sensitive part) and also by universal reason through imagination as intermediary
- The same object desired naturally (e.g., food) can be desired non-naturally when apprehended through reason
Article 4: Whether Concupiscence is Infinite #
Natural Concupiscence:
- Cannot be infinite in act—limited by what nature requires
- Never desires infinite food or drink at once
- Can be infinite only in succession (one meal after another, one day after another)
- Bodily things are finite and fail; they must be replenished
Non-Natural Concupiscence:
- Can be entirely infinite
- Follows reason, which can proceed to infinity
- One desiring wealth can desire it without any determined limit
- Distinction between desire of the end (infinite) and desire of means (limited):
- Those who make wealth their end have infinite desire
- Those who desire wealth for necessity of life have limited desire
Pleasure as Passion (Introduction) #
Nature of Pleasure: A motion/emotion (passio) of the sensitive desiring power, not merely an operation. Eight key questions about pleasure are posed for investigation:
- Is pleasure a passion?
- Whether it is in time
- Whether it differs from joy
- Whether it is found in the will
- Comparison of higher and lower appetite pleasures
- Comparison of sense pleasures to each other
- Whether some pleasure is non-natural
- Whether one pleasure can be contrary to another
Distinction Between Pleasure and Joy:
- Pleasure and pain are more bodily, connected to the sense of touch
- Joy and sadness are more spiritual/intellectual
- Both are passions but differ in their seat and nature
Key Arguments #
Against the Natural/Non-Natural Distinction (Article 3 Objections) #
Objection 1: Concupiscence pertains to animal desire, but natural desire is divided against animal desire; therefore no concupiscence is natural.
- Response: The term “animal” (soulful) can apply to desires in animals; the division is not properly contra concupiscence itself.
Objection 2: Material diversity (different objects) makes only numerical difference, not specific difference; therefore cannot divide concupiscences.
- Response: The diversity is also formal, proceeding from diversity of apprehension (absolute vs. deliberative)—this is a formal, not merely material difference.
Objection 3: Reason is divided against nature; if non-natural concupiscence exists in humans, it must be rational, but concupiscence pertains to sensitive appetite, not will.
- Response: Humans have both universal reason (intellect) and particular reason (pertaining to the sensitive part); the sensitive appetite can be moved by universal reason through imagination as intermediary.
Against Infinite Concupiscence (Article 4 Objections) #
Objection 1: The object of concupiscence is the good, which implies an end; but infinite excludes the notion of end.
- Response: Natural concupiscence is limited by what nature requires; non-natural concupiscence can be infinite because it follows reason.
Objection 2: Concupiscence is of a fitting good; the infinite is disproportioned and cannot fit.
- Response: Reason possesses infinite power in a certain way; those making wealth their end can infinitely desire it.
Objection 3: One cannot traverse the infinite; thus never attains the end and never experiences pleasure.
- Response: Natural desires are satisfied in succession; non-natural desires, infinite in potency, still bring pleasure in each particular satisfaction.
Important Definitions #
Concupiscentia (Concupiscence): Desire for a delightful/pleasant good (delectabile bonum).
Apprehensio (Apprehension): The grasping or knowing of something.
- Absolute Apprehension: Grasping something as suitable without comparison or deliberation
- Deliberative Apprehension: Grasping something through reason and deliberation
Passio (Passion): Originally meaning suffering or undergoing something bad; extended to mean any undergoing or being acted upon by an object. In emotions, the soul being acted upon by its object.
Delectatio (Pleasure): A motion of the sensitive desiring power caused by the presence of a good connatural to the subject.
Examples & Illustrations #
Natural vs. Non-Natural Desires #
Love of Mozart: Berquist’s personal example of acquiring a taste through reason:
- Initially found Mozart difficult and did not hear the complexity
- Through repeated listening and instruction (reason), came to appreciate the work
- Requires deliberation and work of reason to acquire the taste
- Contrasted with Romantic composers (Beethoven, Tchaikovsky) that appeal to emotion without reason subordinating to it
Shakespeare: Requires thought and study to appreciate fully; initially difficult due to archaic language, but understanding comes through reason and education.
Bible vs. Cicero: Augustine initially found the Bible unworthy compared to Cicero in literary style; only later, learning to read it spiritually through reason, did he appreciate it more.
Infinity of Desire #
Sam Walton Example: When asked what more he wanted after making a gazillion dollars, replied “I want to make more.” Illustrates how non-natural concupiscence (wealth as end) can be infinite.
Natural Appetite: A child eating candy stops when satisfied; never wants infinite candy at once.
The Samaritan Woman at the Well: Christ’s encounter with the woman desiring water that would quench her thirst forever illustrates natural desire satisfied in succession versus spiritual desire for eternal life.
Notable Quotes #
“In one way, something is delectable because it is suitable to the nature of the animal, as food and drink… and the desire of these things is called natural.” — Thomas Aquinas
“In another way, something is delectable because it is suitable to the animal according to his grasping, his knowing… such a desire of the delectable is called not natural, and is more called in Latin cupiditas.” — Thomas Aquinas
“The more you hear it, the more you appreciate it, but you need a little bit of reason there to see what Mozart’s doing.” — Berquist, on acquiring taste through reason.
“I always use the expression in English sometimes, an acquired taste, yeah. As if you need some work of reason there, right? To acquire a taste, right?” — Berquist
Questions Addressed #
Article 3: Are all concupiscences natural? No; some arise from absolute apprehension (natural), others from deliberative reason (non-natural).
Article 3: How can non-natural desires be in the sensitive appetite if reason is divided against nature? The sensitive appetite can be moved by particular reason or universal reason through imagination.
Article 3: What makes natural and non-natural desires specifically different? The diversity of apprehension (formal difference), not merely the material diversity of objects.
Article 4: Can natural concupiscence be infinite? No; it is limited by what nature requires and can only be infinite in succession.
Article 4: Can non-natural concupiscence be infinite? Yes, because it follows reason, which can proceed infinitely.
Article 4: How can infinite desire lead to pleasure if one never attains the end? Natural desires are satisfied in succession; non-natural desires, though infinite in potency, bring pleasure in each particular satisfaction.
On Pleasure: Is pleasure a passion? Yes, it is a motion of the sensitive desiring power following sensible apprehension.
On Pleasure and Joy: Do pleasure and joy differ? Yes: pleasure and pain are more bodily (connected to touch), while joy and sadness are more spiritual/intellectual.