Introduction
For centuries, philosophers and theologians have been fascinated by the concept of the human soul, and few have explored it with the depth and complexity that St. Thomas Aquinas has. Aquinas’s work on the human soul continues to impact our understanding of human nature, spirituality, and morality. The human soul is an immaterial, immortal substance intimately connected to and distinct from the body (Zembrzuski 77).
Aquinas believed that the soul is the source of human consciousness, intellect, and free will, and that God directly created it at conception. The ideas of Aquinas about the soul have far-reaching implications for our understanding of the afterlife, God’s nature, and the purpose of human existence. (Zembrzuski 77). This paper will examine Aquinas’ ideas about the human soul and its relationship to the body, and how his insights continue to influence our understanding of the human condition.
Substance and Subsistence
St. Thomas Aquinas was greatly concerned with Substance and Subsistence. He defined substance as the fundamental nature of a thing that exists in and of itself, without reference to anything else” (Summa Theologiae, I, Q. 3, Art. 3). The substance defines a thing, regardless of its accidental qualities or properties. For example, a human being’s substance is their rational soul, which gives them their distinct identity and nature (Hannon 80).
In contrast, subsistence refers to the ability to exist independently and sustain oneself. Subsistence refers to things that exist in and of themselves rather than merely about something else (Hannon 80). Subsistence, in other words, is the quality of being a distinct, self-contained entity. God is regarded as a self-sustaining being, existing in and of Himself and not reliant on anything else.
Hence, a non-existent thing exists as a characteristic or attribute of another entity rather than having its independent existence. For instance, a person’s height or weight are not things that exist; instead, they are traits or characteristics of the person. Aquinas’s distinction between substance, subsistence, and a-subsistent things is essential for understanding the nature of things in the world and their relationship to one another. “Substance” is that which exists in itself and is not predicable of anything else (Summa Theologica, I, Q. 3, Art. 1). The substance refers to the essential nature of a thing; subsistence refers to its independent existence; and non-subsistent things are those properties or attributes that do not exist independently but as part of another thing.
Human Soul
The human soul is the principle of life in living things, allowing them to act and perceive. Aquinas believed that the human soul is distinct from the body and has intellectual and volitional capacities. He contended that the soul is the form of the body and that it is the principle that gives the body its unique nature and organization (Summa Theologica, I, Q. 76, Art. 1). Aquinas thought that people have intellectual and volitional capacities, enabling them to reason and exercise free will (Williams 40). As the source of a person’s identity and consciousness, he believed that the soul is eternal and endures beyond the death of the body.
In Summa Theologica, the soul is the first principle of life in living beings. Aquinas asserts that living things are referred to as alive because of their souls. In addition, he claims that “the soul is the principle of the body” (I, Q. 76, Art. 1) and “the soul is a subsistent form” (I, Q. 75, Art. 2), both of which imply that it has its existence and existence apart from the body. The human soul was a unique and eternal principle that gave the body its distinct structure and organization, enabling people to reason and choose, and endured after physical death as the source of an individual’s identity and consciousness.
The human spirit and body interact very profoundly and closely. The soul is the body’s shape or the principle that determines the body’s specific nature and organizational structure (Kyung-heon 41). The soul is the driving force behind the body’s ability to move and behave. Aquinas also believed that the soul, which endows humans with intellectual and volitional abilities, is the source of human consciousness and identity (Thomas, 11). However, the soul is a distinct entity outside the body and not identical to it.
At the same time, the body and the soul are intimately intertwined throughout life. The body acts as an essential tool for the soul’s operation (Thomas, 11). He stated that the body’s organs and systems are essential for the soul to fulfill its purposes and desires, and that the soul requires the body’s senses to experience the outside world (Kyung-heon 41).
Aquinas, however, also held the view that the soul lives on after the death of the body and endures to exist in a disembodied state. He maintained that because the soul is a persistent form with its being and identity, it can live separately from the body. Generally, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, a person’s soul and body are intimately intertwined (Thomas, 11). The soul acts as the body’s life force and shape while having a separate existence.
Death
St. Thomas Aquinas held that the human soul existed and continued to exist after the body’s death. In Aquinas’ view, the vital principle that gives the body its form and makes it capable of functioning is the soul. According to his theory, the soul is a spiritual substance that exists independently of the body (Kyung-heon 41). It possesses some mental and volitional abilities that are not reliant on the physical form. Aquinas’s conviction that people are immortal is one of the key justifications for his idea that the soul endures after physical death (Thomas, 11).
Here, the notion that a human being comprises both a body and a soul, with the soul as the locus of the person’s identity and consciousness, is evident. The soul is spiritual in character and thus immortal, enduring after the body’s death. Aquinas also believed that, because the soul is a persistent form with its own existence and identity, it can exist separately from the body (Hannon 80). He maintained that the soul is a separate entity outside the body and is not similar to it (Kyung-heon 41).
Additionally, Aquinas held that the soul possesses intellectual and volitional abilities independent of the body, such as the capacity for deliberation and free will. He insisted that these abilities show the soul’s autonomy and imply that it can live on after the body has passed away (Kyung-heon 41). Ultimately, St. Thomas Aquinas believed that the soul’s ability to continue existing after physical death stemmed from its spirituality, independence from the material world, and its crucial role in a person’s identity and consciousness.
The Resurrection of the Body
The resurrection of the body theory holds that the bodies of the departed will be resurrected and reunited with their souls at the end of time. Many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, share this belief. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Thomistic metaphysics emphasizes the unity of the human person’s body and soul (Hannon 80). The soul is the vital principle because it makes the body living and allows it to function.
The soul is not dependent on the body for survival, but it is intimately connected to the body in such a way that the body can function as a human body. Aquinas argued the appropriateness of the resurrection of the body, which is the belief that the bodies of the dead will be resurrected and reunified with their souls at the end of time. He believed the body’s resurrection was required to fully realize the human person’s identity and demonstrate the body’s goodness as a part of God’s creation.
The body is not an inferior aspect of the human person but rather an integral part of their identity. Aquinas felt that the body and spirit were designed to be one and that separating the two via death was unnatural (Williams,40). As a result, the resurrection of the body is required to restore human beings to their wholeness and completeness. Aquinas envisioned the resurrection of the body as a change in which the body would be lifted and glorified.
The resurrected body would be spiritualized and no longer be bound by the laws of nature. The restored body would be immortal, just as the soul is. Ultimately, St. Thomas Aquinas argued that the resurrection of the body is an essential feature of human identity and a confirmation of the goodness of the body as part of God’s creation. The resurrected body is altered and spiritualized, restoring the inherent oneness of body and soul to human identity.
Conclusion
St. Thomas Aquinas’ concept of the relationship between the soul and body is crucial to philosophy and theology. According to his conception, the soul is the shape of the body, and the body is the substance that the soul informs. This signifies that the human being is more than simply a physical body; it also has an immaterial soul that provides the body with crucial attributes, such as feeling and cognition. The theology of St. Thomas emphasizes the unity of body and spirit, condemning any dualistic approach that divides these two aspects.
Moreover, St. Thomas’ perspective on the soul’s continuous existence after physical death is essential to his philosophy. He claims that the soul is immortal and continues to exist after the body dies. This belief in the soul’s immortality is congruent with Christian theology and emphasizes the human person’s ultimate fate beyond physical death. St. Thomas’ doctrine emphasizes the value of human life and the dignity of the individual, which transcends physical existence.
Humans may engage in higher-level thinking and reasoning thanks to their logical side, while the sensitive aspect enables them to perceive the world through their senses. He believed that the soul could know and experience God, and that this was its ultimate purpose. His synthesis of Christian theology with Aristotelian philosophy, which had a profound impact on Western thought, was one of Aquinas’ most significant achievements.
He emphasized the significance of logic and reason in comprehending the world and our place within it, while also acknowledging the role of faith in shaping human existence. His work continues to be examined and contested by researchers and practitioners in various domains, and his legacy as a philosopher and theologian is still felt today.
Works Cited
Hannon, Urban. “Studying and Suffering Divine Things: St. Thomas Aquinas on Hierotheus.” Medieval Mystical Theology, vol. 31, no. 10, 2022, 80–90.
Kyung-heon, Lim. “Thomas Aquinas: On Relation Between Conscience and Aristotelian Practical Reason.” Philosophia Medii Aevi, Societas Philosophiae Mediaevalis Coreana, Vol. 24, 2018, 41–74.
Williams, Thomas. Thomas Aquinas on Human Nature: A Philosophical Study of Summa Theologiae. Cambridgeshire, England: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Zembrzuski, Michał. “‘Homo Non Est Intellectus.’ Aquinas About the Relation Between Soul and Intellect.” Studia Philosophiae Christianae, vol. 53, 2019, 76–80.