Angelicum Thomistic Institute Creation and Evolution: an Aristotelian-Thomistic Perspective | Mariusz Tabaczek OP
Nov 24, 2025
Mariusz Tabaczek OP, a renowned Dominican friar and professor specializing in Thomistic philosophy and theology, dives into the fascinating interplay between creation and evolution. He challenges misconceptions about divine creation and argues that evolution should be seen as a process of production rather than creation ex nihilo. Exploring Aquinas' definitions and the concept of primordial matter, he presents how human souls emerge uniquely from divine action. Throughout the discussion, he emphasizes the importance of teleology and offers fresh insights on the compatibility of faith and science.
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Augustine's Rationes Seminales Aren't Darwinism
- Augustine and Aquinas proposed seminal reasons (rationes seminales) where primordial matter contains potentials that actualize later.
- However, their gradualism is not species transformism; they didn't describe one species arising from another directly.
Use Precise Terminology Around 'Creation'
- Avoid calling evolutionary processes 'creation' in a strict Thomistic sense; instead, call them production or governance.
- Reserve 'creatio ex nihilo' for God bringing primordial matter and (in Anthopogenesis) human souls into being.
Hylomorphism Supports Evolutionary Change
- Hylomorphism lets matter receive dispositions so new substantial forms can emerge through gradual actualization.
- Two levels of potentiality explain how lineage changes can lead to genuine speciation in Thomistic metaphysics.
