Tuesday, February 16, 2010

1a 2ae q16 a4: Whether use precedes choice? No.

Usus sequitur electionem, si tamen accipiatur usus, secundum quod voluntas utitur executiva potentia movendo ipsam, quia ipsam executionem operis praecedit motio qua voluntas movet ad exequendum, sequitur autem electionem; et sic, cum usus pertineat ad praedictam motionem voluntatis, medium est inter electionem et executionem.

Use follows choice, provided that by use we mean the will's use of the executive power in moving it, because the motion of the will to the execution of the work precedes execution, but follows choice; and so, since use belongs to that very motion of the will, it stands between choice and execution.

Sed quia voluntas etiam quodammodo rationem movet, et utitur ea, potest intelligi usus eius quod est ad finem, secundum quod est in consideratione rationis referentis ipsum in finem. Et hoc modo usus praecedit electionem.

But since the will, in a way, also moves aspectual apprehension, and uses it, we may take the use of the means, as consisting in the consideration of the formal aspect whereby it refers the means to the end. In this sense use precedes choice.