The Thomistic Institute

Dividing and Relating the Sciences in Aquinas – Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P.

25 snips
Sep 23, 2025
Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P., a Dominican friar and Professor of Philosophy in Rome, delves into Aquinas's approach to categorizing the sciences. He elucidates the difference between speculative and practical sciences, emphasizing the importance of material and formal causes. Reese explores mixed reasoning through subalternated sciences, shedding light on how disciplines like astronomy and music relate to mathematics. His insights highlight Aquinas’s flexible framework for understanding knowledge and its applications, making complex ideas accessible and engaging.
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INSIGHT

Science Is A Mental Disposition

  • For Aquinas, scientia is an internal, stable disposition of the mind to draw necessary conclusions.
  • Science is a habit in the agent, not an external body of knowledge.
INSIGHT

Internalism Isn't Relativism

  • Aquinas' internalist location of science doesn't make it subjective or relativistic.
  • The habit of mind yields objective, real knowledge despite being
ANECDOTE

Priests Illustrate Degrees Of Disposition

  • Reese uses priests' math habits to illustrate degrees of scientific disposition.
  • Father Humbert's mind springs to math almost automatically while Reese's does not.
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