THE CONCEPT OF TRUTH IN THOMAS AQUINAS
INTRODUCTION
According
to Thomas Aquinas' Disputed Question on
Truth, article 1(1225-1274/75), Thomas postulates that, "truth
expresses the correspondence of being to the knowing power, for all knowing is
produced by an assimilation of the knower to the thing known, therefore the
assimilation is said to be the cause of knowledge."[1] Thus Truth is a connection
between a thing and the intellect. Consequently this paper aimed at exposing
Thomas' notion of Truth in accordance with his Disputed Question on Truth, article 1. To accomplish the goal of
this paper, we shall look at definitions of Truth by some Philosophers.
Afterwards we shall consider Thomas' ways of defining truth and his elucidation
of Augustine's notion of truth. More so,
we shall examine the ways in which truth adds something to being. Finally we
shall give our conclusion.
SOME PHILOSOPHERS' WAYS OF DEFINING
TRUTH
Aristotle defines truth as "That
which affirms the existence of what is, and denies the existence of what is
not.[2]" Augustine posits
that "the truth is that which is and also, that truth is that by which is,
is shown, Truth is that according to which we judge inferior things".[3] Accordingly Augustine’s
definition of Truth implies that truth
and being are materially the same and it seems that they are also formally the
same. Being however can in no way be understood apart from the truth, for being
is known in so far as it is true.[4] Consequently, truth includes both being and non-being since
it affirms being and denies non-being. Hence, it does not add anything to being.
Thus truth seems to be entirely the same as being. Things in the same state are
the same. But the truth and being are in the same state; therefore, they are
the same. For according to Aristotle. "The state of a thing in its act of
existence is the same as its state in truth."[5] Therefore, the true and
being are entirely the same.
Furthermore, Avicenna posits that,
"the truth of each thing is the property of the act of being which has
been established for it."[6], However, some opine that
"the truth is the undividedness of the act of existence from that which is."[7] Moreover Truth is define as according to that in which its
intelligible determination is formally completed.[8] Hence Isaac avers
"Truth is the conformity of thing and intellect", and Anselm defines
truth as " a rectitude perceptible only by the mind", while Hilary
posit that the truth is that which manifests and proclaims existence.
THOMAS WAYS OF DEFINING TRUTH
Thomas
posits that truth expresses the correspondence of being to the knowing power,
for all knowing is produced by an assimilation of the knower to the thing
known, so that assimilation is said to be the cause of knowledge. According to
him, there are three ways in which truth has been defined. First, truth is
defined according to that which precedes truth and is the basis of truth. Thus
Augustine affirms that “truth is that which is.” Also, Avicenna opines that, “the
truth of each thing is a property of the act of being which has been
established for it.”[9]
Furthermore, others affirm, “truth is the undividedness of the act of existence
from that which is"[10].
Secondly, truth is defined according to that in which its intelligible
determination is formally completed. Hence, Isaac writes, “truth is the
conformity of thing and intellect”; while Anselm posits that “truth is rectitude
perceptible only by the mind.” This rectitude is said to be based on some conformity.
In any case, the Aristotle posits that truth is when one affirms that “to be
which is, and that not to be which is not.”[11]
This connotes that truth means the conformity between the intellect and things
in reality. Thirdly, truth is defined based on the effect following upon it. Consequently,
Hilary asserts that truth is that which manifests and proclaims existence. In
addition, Augustine avers, “truth is that by which that which is, is shown”;
and also: “truth is that according to which we, judge about inferior things.”[12]
THOMAS ELUCIDATION OF AUGUSTINE'S
NOTION OF TRUTH
Aquinas
elucidates and defends Augustine’s definition of truth. Since it is argued that
his definition of truth seems to mean exactly as being, which says that “Truth
is that which is?” But that which is, is simply being. Thomas argues that the
definition is not to be understood in this context as referring to the act of
existence, instead as the distinct of the intellectual act of judging, intend
the avowal of a proposition. Hence, “truth is that which is” implies the
avouchment of the existence of what is. Furthermore, he argues against those
who claim that since truth and being are the same, it's tautological to say
“Being is true.” Thomas argues that why it is not tautological to say that a
being is‘true’is that something is expressed by the word 'true' that is not
expressed by the word being. Hence, he animadverts that being and truth do not
differ in reality but in idea.
WAYS IN WHICH TRUTH ADDS SOMETHING TO
BEING
Thomas
agrees with Avicenna that being is that which the intellect first gestates as,
in a way, the most evident, and to which it reduces all its concepts. Hence,
all the other constructs of the intellect are formed by additions to being. Still,
he argues that nothing can be added to being as though it were something not
included in being since every reality is essentially a being. Yet, in this idea,
there are two ways in which some predicates may be said to add to being insofar
as they express a mode of being not expressed by the term being. For Thomas, Firstly,
the mode expressed is a certain special kind of being, for there are distinct
grades of being according to which we speak when we speak of different levels
of existence, and according to these grades different things are arranged. Accordingly,
substance does not add a difference to being by signifying some reality added
to it, but substance simply expresses a special kind of existing, namely, as a
being in itself. The same is true of the other classes of existents.
Furthermore, some truth are said to add to
being because the mode they express is one that is common, and consequent upon
every being. This mode can be considered in two ways: first, inasmuch it
follows upon every being considered absolutely; second, inasmuch as it follows
upon every being considered in relation to another. According to the first, the
term is used in double ways, because it expresses something in the being either
affirmative or negative. Still, it is impossible to find a thing that can be
predicated of every being affirmatively and, at the same time, absolutely, with
the exception of its essence by which the being is said to be. There is,
however, a negation consequent upon every being considered absolutely namely,
its undividedness, expressed by one.
In the second, there is a dual use. The
first is based on the differentiation of one being from another, and this otherness
is expressed by the word something, which implies, some other thing. The second
division is based on the correspondence one being has with another. Here,
Thomas swan that the soul is the being which agrees with every being since in
some way is in all things. The soul, however, has both knowing and appetitive
powers. Whereas, the good which all desires, expresses the correspondence of
being to the appetitive power, truth expresses the correspondence of being to
the knowing power. Thus, the first reference of being to the intellect is “the
conformity of thing and intellect”[13]
which fulfilled the formal constituent of the true. Hence, this is what truth
adds to being, namely, the conformity or equation of thing and intellect.
CONCLUSION
The goal of this essay as stated in the
introduction is; what is Truth? This question notably sparked out several
positions by various philosophers like Aristotle, which posits that, truth is
that which affirms the existence of what is and denies the existence of what is
not, and Augustine who posits that, truth is that which, truth is that by which
is, is known. More so we considered how Thomas defines truth. Truth for Thomas,
is the correspondence between a thing and the intellect. Afterwards, we
examined Thomas three ways in which truth has been defined. . First, he opines
that truth is defined according to that which precedes truth and is the basis
of truth, secondly, truth is defined according to that in which its
intelligible determination is formally completed, thirdly, truth is defined
based on the effect following upon it. Furthermore, we consider how Thomas
elucidate and defend Augustine's notion of truth. Finally, we examined the ways
in which truth adds something to being as posited by Thomas. Thomas argues that
although nothing can be added to being as though it were something not included
in being since every reality is essentially a being, in a sense, there are two
ways in which some predicates may be said to add to being as far as they
express a mode of being not expressed by the term being. First is when “the
mode expressed is a certain special manner of being”[14]
and second, if the mode expressed is one that is common and consequent upon
every being, either considered absolutely or in relation with others.
[1]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[2]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[3]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[4]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[5]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[6]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[7]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[8]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[9]
Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Question on
Truth, a. 1
[10] Thomas
Aquinas, Disputed Question on Truth, a. 1
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