14. Order, Beauty, and the Distinction of Being

Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript

Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Order as Beauty and the Satisfaction of Reason #

• Beauty rooted in order: Aristotle identifies order (τάξις) as the first form of beauty in the Physics, Book 13
• God’s love of order: Thomas Aquinas notes that God desired the beauty that comes from ordered causes
• Reason’s natural inclination: Shakespeare’s definition of reason as “looking before and after” captures reason’s search for order and causality
• Mind pleased by order: When reason perceives order—particularly causal order and hierarchy—the mind is satisfied
• Participation in causality: Order requires shared causality; creatures participate in God’s causality at different levels

Hierarchy and Participation #

• Angelic hierarchy: From highest to lowest angels, each illumines those below by dividing wisdom proportionally
• Ecclesiastical imitation: The Church imitates the angelic hierarchy in its own structure
• Hierarchical causality: Higher beings teach lower beings because they are more proportional to them; greater wisdom requires fewer thoughts, but these must be divided for instruction

Thomas’s Treatment of Divine Names #

• Love as first gift: Thomas identifies love as the primary divine gift; all other gifts are given because of love
• Ordering of names: Thomas places “image” and “gift” last in treating the names of the Son and Holy Spirit respectively, following an order of before and after
• Systematic organization: This reflects Thomas’s methodological concern with order

The Question of First Distinctions in Being #

• Multiple possible first distinctions: Berquist raises but does not resolve whether the most fundamental distinction is:
  • Between being and non-being
  • Between being per se and being per accidens (accidental being)
  • Between the ten genera/categories of being
  • Between being in act (ἐνέργεια) and being in potency (δύναμις)
• Order among distinctions: Aristotle treats the distinction of substance (Books 7-8 of the Metaphysics) before treating act and potency (Book 9), suggesting a hierarchy among distinctions
• Theological application: Even God as pure being (ἐνέργεια) can be spoken of as almighty (all powerful, relating to δύναμις), suggesting act-potency language applies even to God
• Logical versus metaphysical order: The distinction of the genera comes through logical division (from Categories), while other distinctions may be more fundamental metaphysically

The Principle of Non-Contradiction #

• Foundational principle: Something cannot both be and not be at the same time in the same way
• Ultimate limit of divine power: Even God cannot create what is contradictory (a square circle, nothing, etc.)
• Connection to being and non-being: The principle of contradiction necessarily presupposes the distinction between being and non-being

Key Arguments #

The Priority Question #

• Argument 1: The distinction between being and non-being appears more universal and fundamental than the distinction of the ten categories

  • Being (τό ὄν) is what everything that is in any way whatsoever possesses
  • The categories only apply to being; non-being is excluded from them
  • Therefore, being/non-being distinction precedes the categorical distinctions

• Argument 2: The act-potency distinction appears even more universal

  • In any genus, potency and act can be distinguished
  • This applies to substance, quantity, quality, and every category
  • Even God, as pure act, can be understood through this distinction
  • Therefore, this may be more fundamental than the ten categories

• Argument 3: Aristotle’s methodological order suggests a hierarchy

  • He first considers substance (the fullest sense of being) through logical division
  • Then later distinguishes being through the act-potency distinction
  • This suggests he reserves the most universal distinctions for metaphysics (wisdom)

Important Definitions #

Being (τό ὄν) #

• Everything that is in any way whatsoever; the most universal term in philosophy
• The subject of wisdom (first philosophy/metaphysics)

Non-Being (μὴ ὄν) #

• The opposite of being; the contradiction of being
• Essential for understanding the principle of non-contradiction

Order (τάξις) #

• Arrangement of things in relation to one another
• Named by Aristotle as the first form of beauty
• Essential to satisfaction of reason

Being in Act (ἐνέργεια) #

• Actualized being; what something is now, in reality
• The fulfilled state of a thing’s existence

Being in Potency (δύναμις) #

• Potential being; what something could be or become
• Not yet actualized but capable of actualization

Accidental Being (ἐπὶ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς) #

• Being that comes about incidentally or coincidentally
• Example: being a Christian geometer (two unrelated properties in one person)
• To be distinguished from being per se (essential being)

Examples & Illustrations #

The Christian Geometer #

• One can become Christian through baptism and belief
• One can become a geometer by studying Euclid
• But there is no way to “become” a Christian geometer directly—this is accidental being
• Contrast: one can become a grandfather and become a philosopher, but not “a philosophical grandfather” in the same way

The Stone Paradox #

• Traditional question: Can God make a stone so large He cannot lift it?
• Berquist’s resolution: The question contains contradiction; it asks God to make something contradictory
• Can God make a square circle? No—there is no such thing to make
• Can God make nothing? No—nothing is not something
• Therefore, the principle of non-contradiction limits even divine omnipotence

Canaletto’s Painting #

• Standing at different positions in the room while viewing a painting of a Venetian canal
• From multiple positions, one sees the same vista down the canal in different orientations
• Initially sees confused perception; over time, sees more distinct details
• Illustrates progression from confused to distinct knowledge

Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony #

• Final movement combines all five melodies together
• Represents knowing when and how to bring elements into unified order
• Exemplifies the satisfaction that comes from perceiving order

Wine Tasting #

• Wines blended from multiple grape varieties have their own distinct character
• Initially, one has confused knowledge of the wine’s composition
• With experience, one can taste the distinct components
• Without knowledge of which components are used, confusion remains
• Illustrates how complexity can be perceived in multiple ways—as unified whole or as distinct parts

The Child Learning Language #

• Child initially calls all men “father” and all women “mother”
• Sees a woman and says “Look, a mother!” (though she may not be)
• Shows confused knowledge of what makes someone a mother
• Over time, learns the distinct meaning
• Similar to seeing a cat and calling it “dog”—initial confusion precedes distinction

Questions Addressed #

Why does Aristotle teach order as the first form of beauty? #

• Beauty requires intelligibility; order makes things intelligible
• Reason naturally seeks order through causes and effects
• The mind finds satisfaction in perceiving order—this is what beauty is

Why is the love of God the first gift? #

• Because love is the reason for giving any other gift
• You give something to someone because you love them
• Therefore, the first gift, which motivates all other gifts, must be love

What is the most fundamental distinction in being? #

• Berquist raises this as an unresolved question to be taken up in first philosophy
• Candidates include:
  • Being versus non-being
  • Being per se versus being per accidens
  • The ten categories
  • Act versus potency
• The order in which these appear in Aristotle’s works suggests a methodological hierarchy

How does the principle of non-contradiction relate to being and non-being? #

• The principle presupposes the distinction between being and non-being
• To say something cannot both be and not be is to affirm that being and non-being are absolutely distinct
• This distinction is more fundamental than the distinction of types of being

Notable Quotes #

“To be or not to be” - William Shakespeare (exemplifying the fundamental opposition of being and non-being)

“Something cannot both be and not be at the same time in the same way” - Aristotle, principle of non-contradiction (foundational to all rational thought)

“He’s seeing two orders, right? It’s a question of order, right?” - Berquist on Thomas Aquinas’s treatment of divine names (emphasis on systematic ordering)

“Being is pretty universal, isn’t it? Everything that is in any way whatsoever is a being” - Berquist (articulating the universal scope of being)