The Thomistic Institute Evil as Privation | Father James Brent, O.P.
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Sep 28, 2023 Fr. James Brent, O.P. discusses the nature of evil according to St. Thomas Aquinas. Topics include the metaphysics of evil as privation, different interpretations of perfection, the concept of evil as absence of good, and debunking misconceptions about completely evil beings.
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Evil as Privation
- Evil is a privation, a concept often repeated without deep thought.
- Father Brent encourages stepping back to examine goodness and being, which precede evil.
Constitutive Principles of Beings
- Beings have two principles: existence (esse) and essence (what it is).
- Properties, perfective of the being, flow from the essence.
Perfection in Degrees
- Perfection is the fulfillment of a thing in its being and can be understood in degrees.
- This contrasts with the Platonic ideal, where anything short of perfect is imperfect.