Whether the Separated Soul Knows All Natural Things?
Objection 1: It would seem that the separated soul knows all natural
things. For the types of all natural things exist in separate
substances. Therefore, as separated souls know separate substances,
they also know all natural things.
Obj. 2: Further, whoever understands the greater intelligible, will
be able much more to understand the lesser intelligible. But the
separated soul understands immaterial substances, which are in the
highest degree of intelligibility. Therefore much more can it
understand all natural things which are in a lower degree of
intelligibility.
_On the contrary,_ The devils have greater natural knowledge than the
separated soul; yet they do not know all natural things, but have to
learn many things by long experience, as Isidore says (De Summo Bono
i). Therefore neither can the separated soul know all natural things.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1), the separated soul, like the
angels, understands by means of species, received from the influence
of the Divine light. Nevertheless, as the soul by nature is inferior
to an angel, to whom this kind of knowledge is natural, the soul
apart from the body through such species does not receive perfect
knowledge, but only a general and confused kind of knowledge.
Separated souls, therefore, have the same relation through such
species to imperfect and confused knowledge of natural things as the
angels have to the perfect knowledge thereof. Now angels through such
species know all natural things perfectly; because all that God has
produced in the respective natures of natural things has been
produced by Him in the angelic intelligence, as Augustine says (Gen.
ad lit. ii, 8). Hence it follows that separated souls know all
natural things not with a certain and proper knowledge, but in a
general and confused manner.
Reply Obj. 1: Even an angel does not understand all natural things
through his substance, but through certain species, as stated above
(Q. 87, A. 1). So it does not follow that the soul knows all natural
things because it knows separate substances after a fashion.
Reply Obj. 2: As the soul separated from the body does not perfectly
understand separate substances, so neither does it know all natural
things perfectly; but it knows them confusedly, as above explained in
this article.
Reply Obj. 3: Isidore speaks of the knowledge of the future which
neither angels, nor demons, nor separated souls, know except so far
as future things pre-exist in their causes or are known by Divine
revelation. But we are here treating of the knowledge of natural
things.
Reply Obj. 4: Knowledge acquired here by study is proper and perfect;
the knowledge of which we speak is confused. Hence it does not follow
that to study in order to learn is useless.
_______________________