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gen era of bei ng per tain s to thi s conside ra tio n. 18 But those pri nci ple s wh ich are use d in all the sci ences are of be ing ins ofa r as it is be ing. Firs t pri nci ple sof demo nstra tion are su ch pri nci ple s. Conseq uen tly, the y per tain to be ing ins ofa ras it is be ing. Th ese pri nci ple s are commonconcep tions of all thi ngs from wh ich all demons trat ion pro cee ds. Th ey are un ive rsa l pri nci ple s, no t in th e- or de rof cau sal ity , but in the order of pre dic ati on. He nce ,the y are pri or in the order of kno wle dgeand con sequen tly use d by all the sci en ces . Ye t their con sid era tion belong s pr incipa lly to meta ph ysi cssin ce thes e pri nci ple sbel ong per se to be ing ins ofa ras it is be ing ;just as the term bei ng is use d in all the sci ences, alth oug hthe con sid erationof be ing as suc h per tai nsto me tap hys ics . It is from me tap hys icsthat oth er sci ences rec eiv esu ch pri nci ple s. Th is doe s not de ny tha t the oth er scien ce s com e firs t in the order of lea rni ng, for ma ny thi ngs are det erm ined therein that are then use d in me tap hys ics ,suc h as the no tions of genera tion , corr upt ion an d mo tion , wh ich are pro per to ph ilosoph yof na tur e. However , thi s inv olv es no cir cul arity, for the prin cip les tha t me tap hy sic sgiv es to the oth er scien ce sne ith er pro ve, nor are pro ved by , the pri nci ple s rec eiv ed from the oth er sci ences . Rath er, suc hpri nc ipl es are pro ved by oth er pr inc ipl esthat are per se no ta. 19 Unive rsa lint rin sic pr inc ipl es are not the on ly pr inc ipl escon sid ere dby me tap hys ics , for ther e are two kin ds of inte llec tua lpro ce sse s. 20 One is acc or din gto rea son and rem ain s in the rea lm of int rin sic cau sal ity , pro ce ed ingfrom par ticu larto uni ver salforms. Th ere for e,sin ce the mor e un ive rsa lthi ngs are tho se common to all being s, the term of thi s proces sis the con sid era tionof be ing an d of the att ribute sof be ing ins ofa ras it is be in g. n* Ibid., lect . 5, n. 590 . 1 9 In de Tr in ita te, q. 5, a. 1, ad. 9. 20 Ibi d, q. 6, a. 1, c. t i s a- t n.18 ciples which i . ciples - ciples. e tly, i g. ciples are tions tration c ds. al iples, der o lity, i ation. , l dge e tly ces. - tion s i i lly - ics iples b r i ; h tio t ins hysics. hy ics ces i e ciples. i ces e ing, ined hysics, i - , tio i , il y e. , l es arity, - l hysics ces , , iple i ed ces. , iple are b i iple rwt . rsal i i ic principles l i iples c red hy ics, t l - ses.20 ding t i s l l i ic saHty, - i g ti l r sal . fore, rsal l s, s eration and of the attri t s o i g. 18/bid., . 9 f . i itate, l 20
Th e oth er kind of proces s is acc ording to thi ngs and in the realm of ext rin sic caus ali ty. He re the passag e is from eff ec ts to cau ses , an d the term is know led ge of the suprem ean d simple stcau ses ,which are the sep arated substa nce s. Ev ery sc ien ceconsid ersthe pro per prin cip les and cau ses of its subjec t. Bu t the pri nc ipl esof be ing in gen era l are the firs t an d hig he stcau ses , i.e ., the sep arated sub sta nc es. 21 For all sub stanceis eit her bei ng of itse lf, vi z. , if it is form alo ne ;or, if it is com pos ed of ma tter and form, it is be ing by its fo rm . 22 Con sequen tly, the hig he st am on gforms is the pri nci pleof all be ing. 23 Th is form is no ne oth er than the sub stance of God , wh ich is the pri nci pal concer n of metap hy sic s. For thi s rea son , me tap hy sic s is als o cal led di vi ne sc ien ce . 24 Su ch substa nc es are not un ive rsa ls as Pl ato sa id, bu t sin gu lar s;ye t we can have inte llec tua lkn owled geof them bec ause the y are imma ter ial . 25 Intell igi bil ity ,how eve r, is inc ompa tib lewithin the mater ialsin gul ar, vi z. , not as a sin gu lar ,but as a sing ula r that ow es its ind ivi du ationto matte r. 26 The re for e, when we sa y that we can not have sci en ce of the sin gu lar , we mean of the ma ter ial sin gu la r; for the re is no rea son why an imma ter ialsin gular should not be mo st int ell igi ble. Alt houghthe end, i.e ., the goo d, of our inte llec t is kn owled ge of the sep ara ted sub sta nce s, we can no t kno w them as to wh at the y are in them selv es, as to their qu iddity . 27 He re it is neces sar y to dis tingu ish a two fol d manner of kn ow ing . 28 In one wa y we kno w whethe r a thi ng is (a nest ), an d in ano the rwa y, wha t a thi ng is (q u id e s t) . In ord er to know what a i i sic ality. e ts s , ledge e l st , nces. ce ers - l s s t. iples l i hest s , ., - e . 21 stance t lf, ., i ; ed , . 22 uently, st g iple i g. 23 i nce , i l n hy ics. , hysics e ce. 24 nces rsals t , l r ; y ll t al ge terial. ' igibility, r, atible ial r, ., n l r, l r s i uation ll r. 26 - , ce l r, t ial lar; terial l igible. gh ., , ll t l ge te l nce , t sel es, i it .27 y • ti ish f ld ing. 25 a ), a , q id t).
21 In IV Me tap h .,lec t. 1, n. 533. 22 In III Meta ph .. lec t. 4, n. 384. 21 f . /J/ t h., . 22/ . ll t ph.. .
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23 " . . . Quan to aliq uid est simplic iuset formalius in enti bus , tan to est nob ilius et prills et mag is caus a aliorum." (In XI Metap h., lect . 7, n. 2 263) , n t obilius et prius et ma~is ." ( h., l . , . 2 63) n li
24 In de Tr in ita te, q. 4, lect. 2. 25 In II! Me tap h., lec t. 14, n. 528. 26 la , q. 86, a. 1, ad 3. 27 In II Me tap h., lec t. 1, n. 286. 28 In de Tr inita te , q. 6, a. 3, c. 24 f . itate, 2, . ll t h., . 26 fa, q 27 . fl t h., . 28 / i itate, q i
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