Whether the Active Intellect Is Something in the Soul?
Objection 1: It would seem that the active intellect is not something
in the soul. For the effect of the active intellect is to give light
for the purpose of understanding. But this is done by something higher
than the soul: according to John 1:9, "He was the true light that
enlighteneth every man coming into this world." Therefore the active
intellect is not something in the soul.
Obj. 2: Further, the Philosopher (De Anima iii, 5) says of the active
intellect, "that it does not sometimes understand and sometimes not
understand." But our soul does not always understand: sometimes it
understands, sometimes it does not understand. Therefore the active
intellect is not something in our soul.
Obj. 3: Further, agent and patient suffice for action. If, therefore,
the passive intellect, which is a passive power, is something
belonging to the soul; and also the active intellect, which is an
active power: it follows that a man would always be able to
understand when he wished, which is clearly false. Therefore the
active intellect is not something in our soul.
Obj. 4: Further, the Philosopher (De Anima iii, 5) says that the
active intellect is a "substance in actual being." But nothing can
be in potentiality and in act with regard to the same thing. If,
therefore, the passive intellect, which is in potentiality to all
things intelligible, is something in the soul, it seems impossible
for the active intellect to be also something in our soul.
Obj. 5: Further, if the active intellect is something in the soul,
it must be a power. For it is neither a passion nor a habit; since
habits and passions are not in the nature of agents in regard to the
passivity of the soul; but rather passion is the very action of the
passive power; while habit is something which results from acts. But
every power flows from the essence of the soul. It would therefore
follow that the active intellect flows from the essence of the soul.
And thus it would not be in the soul by way of participation from
some higher intellect: which is unfitting. Therefore the active
intellect is not something in our soul.
_On the contrary,_ The Philosopher says (De Anima iii, 5), that "it
is necessary for these differences," namely, the passive and active
intellect, "to be in the soul."
_I answer that,_ The active intellect, of which the Philosopher
speaks, is something in the soul. In order to make this evident, we
must observe that above the intellectual soul of man we must needs
suppose a superior intellect, from which the soul acquires the power
of understanding. For what is such by participation, and what is
mobile, and what is imperfect always requires the pre-existence of
something essentially such, immovable and perfect. Now the human soul
is called intellectual by reason of a participation in intellectual
power; a sign of which is that it is not wholly intellectual but only
in part. Moreover it reaches to the understanding of truth by
arguing, with a certain amount of reasoning and movement. Again it
has an imperfect understanding; both because it does not understand
everything, and because, in those things which it does understand, it
passes from potentiality to act. Therefore there must needs be some
higher intellect, by which the soul is helped to understand.
Wherefore some held that this intellect, substantially separate, is
the active intellect, which by lighting up the phantasms as it were,
makes them to be actually intelligible. But, even supposing the
existence of such a separate active intellect, it would still be
necessary to assign to the human soul some power participating in
that superior intellect, by which power the human soul makes things
actually intelligible. Just as in other perfect natural things,
besides the universal active causes, each one is endowed with its
proper powers derived from those universal causes: for the sun alone
does not generate man; but in man is the power of begetting man: and
in like manner with other perfect animals. Now among these lower
things nothing is more perfect than the human soul. Wherefore we must
say that in the soul is some power derived from a higher intellect,
whereby it is able to light up the phantasms. And we know this by
experience, since we perceive that we abstract universal forms from
their particular conditions, which is to make them actually
intelligible. Now no action belongs to anything except through some
principle formally inherent therein; as we have said above of the
passive intellect (Q. 76, A. 1). Therefore the power which is the
principle of this action must be something in the soul. For this
reason Aristotle (De Anima iii, 5) compared the active intellect to
light, which is something received into the air: while Plato compared
the separate intellect impressing the soul to the sun, as Themistius
says in his commentary on _De Anima_ iii. But the separate intellect,
according to the teaching of our faith, is God Himself, Who is the
soul's Creator, and only beatitude; as will be shown later on (Q. 90,
A. 3; I-II, Q. 3, A. 7). Wherefore the human soul derives its
intellectual light from Him, according to Ps. 4:7, "The light of Thy
countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us."
Reply Obj. 1: That true light enlightens as a universal cause, from
which the human soul derives a particular power, as we have explained.
Reply Obj. 2: The Philosopher says those words not of the active
intellect, but of the intellect in act: of which he had already said:
"Knowledge in act is the same as the thing." Or, if we refer those
words to the active intellect, then they are said because it is not
owing to the active intellect that sometimes we do, and sometimes we
do not understand, but to the intellect which is in potentiality.
Reply Obj. 3: If the relation of the active intellect to the passive
were that of the active object to a power, as, for instance, of the
visible in act to the sight; it would follow that we could understand
all things instantly, since the active intellect is that which makes
all things (in act). But now the active intellect is not an object,
rather is it that whereby the objects are made to be in act: for
which, besides the presence of the active intellect, we require the
presence of phantasms, the good disposition of the sensitive powers,
and practice in this sort of operation; since through one thing
understood, other things come to be understood, as from terms are
made propositions, and from first principles, conclusions. From this
point of view it matters not whether the active intellect is
something belonging to the soul, or something separate from the soul.
Reply Obj. 4: The intellectual soul is indeed actually immaterial,
but it is in potentiality to determinate species. On the contrary,
phantasms are actual images of certain species, but are immaterial in
potentiality. Wherefore nothing prevents one and the same soul,
inasmuch as it is actually immaterial, having one power by which it
makes things actually immaterial, by abstraction from the conditions
of individual matter: which power is called the "active intellect";
and another power, receptive of such species, which is called the
"passive intellect" by reason of its being in potentiality to such
species.
Reply Obj. 5: Since the essence of the soul is immaterial, created by
the supreme intellect, nothing prevents that power which it derives
from the supreme intellect, and whereby it abstracts from matter,
flowing from the essence of the soul, in the same way as its other
powers.
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