Treatise on Human Acts (part 1)
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~67,600 words · 321 passages
Cite this work
- APAThomas Aquinas. (n.d.). Treatise on Human Acts (part 1). SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/thomas-aquinas/treatise-on-human-acts-part-1
- MLAThomas Aquinas. "Treatise on Human Acts (part 1)." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/thomas-aquinas/treatise-on-human-acts-part-1.
- ChicagoThomas Aquinas. Treatise on Human Acts (part 1). SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/thomas-aquinas/treatise-on-human-acts-part-1.
What it is about
The treatise on human acts: what makes an action voluntary, and what makes it good or bad.
Context and history
Here is the analysis of will, intention, choice and ignorance that founded Western action theory. The distinction between the object, the circumstances and the end of an act is still taught. A note on the edition: **this is a part of the Summa theologiae**, not an independent work. The title is the English editor's, who published the treatises separately. For citation, the Summa with its question and article number.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
Q. 13: Of Choice, Which Is an Act of the Will with Regard to the Means Q. 14: Of Counsel, Which Precedes Choice Q. 15: Of Consent, Which Is an Act of the Will in Regard to the Means Q. 16: Of Use, Which Is an Act of the Will in Regard to the Means ;c. Commanded Voluntary Acts Q. 17: Of the Acts Commanded by the Will ;d. The Division of Human Acts Q. 18: Of the Good and Evil of Human Acts, in General Q. 19: Of the Goodness and Malice of the Interior Act of the Will Q. 20: Of Goodness and Malice in External Human Actions Q. 21: Of the Consequences of Human Actions by Reason of Their Goodness and Malice PROLOGUE ^TOC Since therefore Happiness is to be gained by means of certain acts, we must in due sequence consider human acts, in order to know by what acts we may obtain Happiness, and by what acts we are prevented from obtaining it. But because operations and acts are concerned with things singular, consequently all practical knowledge is incomplete unless it take account of things in detail. The study of Morals, therefore, since it treats of human acts, should consider first the general principles; and secondly matters of detail. In treating of the general principles, the points that offer themselves for our consideration are (1) human acts themselves [QQ. 6-48]; [Treatise on Human Acts (part 1) (QQ. 6-21) Treatise on Human Acts (part 2) (QQ. 22-48)] (2) their principles [QQ. 49-114]. [Treatise on Habits (QQ. 49-89) Treatise on Law (QQ. 90-108) Treatise on Grace (QQ. 109-114)] Now of human acts some are
What is Treatise on Human Acts (part 1) about?Summarize Treatise on Human Acts (part 1) brieflyWhat are the key ideas in Treatise on Human Acts (part 1)?
← Back to Thomas Aquinas