Saturday, August 07, 2010

1a 2ae q46 a5: Whether anger is more natural than desire? Yes.

Ira est magis naturalis homini quam concupiscentia, inquantum ira est cum ratione magis quam concupiscentia.

Anger is more natural to man than desire, insofar as anger follows reason more than desire does.

Unde philosophus dicit, in IV Ethic., quod humanius est punire, quod pertinet ad iram, quam mansuetum esse, unumquodque enim naturaliter insurgit contra contraria et nociva.

Wherefore the Philosopher says (Ethic. iv, 5) that "revenge" which pertains to anger "is more natural to man than meekness", for it is natural to everything to rise up against things contrary and hurtful.

Ipsa ratio pertinet ad naturam hominis. Unde ex hoc ipso quod ira est cum ratione, sequitur quod secundum aliquem modum sit homini naturalis.

Reason itself belongs to the nature of man: wherefore from the very fact that anger requires an act of reason, it follows that it is, in a manner, natural to man.