Thursday, March 12, 2009

Q82 A1: Whether the will desires something of necessity?

Yes. The will desires something of necessity because the desire of the ultimate end does not regard those actions of which we are masters.

Voluntas ex necessitate aliquid vult quia appetitus ultimi finis non est de his quorum domini sumus.

We are masters of our own actions by reason of our being able to choose this or that. But choice regards not the end, but "the means to the end," as the Philosopher says (Ethic. iii, 9).

Sumus domini nostrorum actuum secundum quod possumus hoc vel illud eligere. Electio autem non est de fine, sed de his quae sunt ad finem, ut dicitur in III Ethic.

For as the intellect of necessity adheres to the first principles, the will must of necessity adhere to the last end, which is happiness: since the end is in practical matters what the principle is in speculative matters.

Sicut intellectus ex necessitate inhaeret primis principiis, ita voluntas ex necessitate inhaereat ultimo fini, qui est beatitudo: finis enim se habet in operativis sicut principium in speculativis, ut dicitur in II Physic.

Augustine says (De Trin. xiii, 4) that "all desire happiness with one will."

Augustinus dicit, in XIII de Trin., quod "beatitudinem omnes una voluntate appetunt."