Whether the Will Desires of Necessity, Whatever It Desires?
Objection 1: It would seem that the will desires all things of
necessity, whatever it desires. For Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv)
that "evil is outside the scope of the will." Therefore the will
tends of necessity to the good which is proposed to it.
Obj. 2: Further, the object of the will is compared to the will as
the mover to the thing movable. But the movement of the movable
necessarily follows the mover. Therefore it seems that the will's
object moves it of necessity.
Obj. 3: Further, as the thing apprehended by sense is the object of
the sensitive appetite, so the thing apprehended by the intellect is
the object of the intellectual appetite, which is called the will.
But what is apprehended by the sense moves the sensitive appetite of
necessity: for Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. ix, 14) that "animals
are moved by things seen." Therefore it seems that whatever is
apprehended by the intellect moves the will of necessity.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (Retract. i, 9) that "it is the
will by which we sin and live well," and so the will extends to
opposite things. Therefore it does not desire of necessity all
things whatsoever it desires.
_I answer that,_ The will does not desire of necessity whatsoever it
desires. In order to make this evident we must observe that as the
intellect naturally and of necessity adheres to the first principles,
so the will adheres to the last end, as we have said already (A. 1).
Now there are some things intelligible which have not a necessary
connection with the first principles; such as contingent
propositions, the denial of which does not involve a denial of the
first principles. And to such the intellect does not assent of
necessity. But there are some propositions which have a necessary
connection with the first principles: such as demonstrable
conclusions, a denial of which involves a denial of the first
principles. And to these the intellect assents of necessity, when
once it is aware of the necessary connection of these conclusions
with the principles; but it does not assent of necessity until
through the demonstration it recognizes the necessity of such
connection. It is the same with the will. For there are certain
individual goods which have not a necessary connection with
happiness, because without them a man can be happy: and to such the
will does not adhere of necessity. But there are some things which
have a necessary connection with happiness, by means of which things
man adheres to God, in Whom alone true happiness consists.
Nevertheless, until through the certitude of the Divine Vision the
necessity of such connection be shown, the will does not adhere to
God of necessity, nor to those things which are of God. But the will
of the man who sees God in His essence of necessity adheres to God,
just as now we desire of necessity to be happy. It is therefore clear
that the will does not desire of necessity whatever it desires.
Reply Obj. 1: The will can tend to nothing except under the aspect of
good. But because good is of many kinds, for this reason the will is
not of necessity determined to one.
Reply Obj. 2: The mover, then, of necessity causes movement in the
thing movable, when the power of the mover exceeds the thing movable,
so that its entire capacity is subject to the mover. But as the
capacity of the will regards the universal and perfect good, its
capacity is not subjected to any individual good. And therefore it is
not of necessity moved by it.
Reply Obj. 3: The sensitive power does not compare different things
with each other, as reason does: but it simply apprehends some one
thing. Therefore, according to that one thing, it moves the sensitive
appetite in a determinate way. But the reason is a power that
compares several things together: therefore from several things the
intellectual appetite--that is, the will--may be moved; but not of
necessity from one thing.
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