Thomas Aquinas: Body and Soul

Abstract

Aquinas’ writings, especially the Summa Theologiae, manifest deep knowledge of Scripture, the patristic tradition, and Greek philosophy. On the topic of body and soul, he begins with the soul in its own right and argues on Platonist-like lines that the human (rational) soul is subsistent (capable of existing separately), immortal, and created by God. He then proceeds to argue for the Aristotelian view that the soul is the form of the body, constituting with it a strict unity. This runs contrary to Aristotle’s view that, as form of the body, the soul should always be considered in relation to the subject of which it is the form. Aquinas’ arguments throughout are marked by ingenuity and call for close consideration. But with the arguments set out as clearly as possible, the discussion seeks to show that the case for the subsistence and immortality of the soul, and its creation by God, are all open to question. The subsequent argument that the soul is the form of the body, constituting a strict unity with it, is persuasive in its own right, but is inconsistent with the prior commitment to Platonist-type theses. The conclusion is that Aquinas is committed to a form of mind-body dualism of his own making.