The Metaphysics of Creation: Aquinas's Natural Theology in Summa Contra Gentiles II

498 Pages·1999·1.76 MB·English

by  Norman Kretzmann

The Metaphysics of Creation
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The Metaphysics of Creation
Aquinas's Natural Theology in Summa Contra Gentiles II
Norman Kretzmann
CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD
1999
GreatClarendonStreet,OxfordOX26DP
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To my friends
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Preface
InJanuary 1997 theClarendonPress published my bookTheMetaphysicsof Theism: Aquinas'sNatural Theology in Summa
contragentilesI.InthepresentvolumeIcontinuemystudyofwhatItaketobethefullestandmostpromisingnatural
theologyeverproduced, andIhopetobeabletocompletethisprojectwitha bookdevotedtoAquinas's Summa contra
gentiles III.
Although thisis a sequel to The Metaphysicsof Theism, and although Aquinas conceivesof his enterprise in Summa contra
gentiles I–III as rigorously continuous, most of the topics covered in The Metaphysics of Creation can be considered on
their own—especially those having to do with philosophy of mind, whichoccupy more than half the 101 chapters of
Aquinas's Book II.
Philosophy and philosophical scholarship thrive on criticism. In writing The Metaphysics of Theism, I benefited from
thought-provokingquestions raised by members of graduateseminars and lecture audiences, and from theevenmore
valuable detailed written criticisms faithfully provided by the best readers I could have wished for, all of whom I'm
happytocountasfriendsofmine.BecauseIwroteTheMetaphysicsofCreationwithoutnearlyasmuchopportunitytotry
it out in lectures and seminars, I've been even more dependent on written criticisms I received on various drafts,
especially on those I received on every chapter's first draft from my faithful friend and first reader, Eleonore Stump.
William Rowe and Zoltán Szabó gave me helpful comments on some of these chapters, Anthony Kenny and Scott
MacDonald on most of them, and William Alston on absolutely all of them. Once again I've had the best readers
imaginable, for whose hard work and unstinting friendship I'm very grateful.
I've been able to work on these two books during the past six years largely because of the good offices of William S.
Tyler, MD, whose humane, judicious treatment and character have left me grateful not only to have been his patient
butalsotohavecometoknowhim. AndeverythingI'vetriedtododuringtheseyearsandverymanybeforethemhas
been made much easier for me by Barbara's loving-kindness and by the loving cheer our family
PREFACE
provides us with. I couldn't have done any of it nearly so happily without her and all of them.
The decision to dedicate this book to my friends seemed the least unsatisfactory way out of an embarrassment of
gratitude and affection. I wanted to acknowledge many of my colleagues, near and far, some of whom have been my
friends for almosthalfa century;and Iwanted torecognizeinthesamewaythemanyformerstudentsofminewhom
I'm very glad to count among my friends. After discarding some worrisomely short and clumsy long lists of names,
and realizing that I mightnothaveanotherdedication to offer, I'vededicated thisbookto all of them. The dedicatees
willrecognizethemselves under thatdescription.And IhopeI'llhaveletthem know, inother waysas well,howmuch
they've meant to me.
Norman Kretzmann
January 1998
Contents
Abbreviations xiii
One. Nature from the Top Down 1
1. The aims of the book 1
2. Aquinas's natural theology 2
3. SCG II as the thematic continuation of SCG I 8
4. ‘Divine truth’ 10
5. God's immanent and transeunt activity 14
6. The positive results of meditating on creation 18
7. The corrective results of meditating on creation 23
8. How philosophy and the faith are taught 25
9. Aquinas's plan for SCG II 28
Two. From God to Everything Else 30
1. SCG II as the logical continuation of SCG I 30
2. Considering the source 33
3. The actus purus argument 36
4. God's active power 41
5. How to attribute power to God 44
6. How to attribute relations to God 47
7. God as the source of everything else 53
8. Argument E/U 56
Three. Creation as Doubly Universal Production 70
1. For all things the cause of being 70
2. Out of no antecedent matter 73
3. Not even prime matter 78
4. Not through movement or change 81
5. Something out of nothing 85
6. Movement and change considered more closely 87
7. No successiveness in creating 91
8. No body can create 98
9. Creating belongs to God alone 99