31. The Post-Predicaments: Before, After, Together, and Having

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Senses of Before and After #

• First sense: Temporal before/after (taken from time, a species of continuous quantity)
• Second sense: Before/after in becoming (related to coming-to-be in the category of substance)
• Third sense: Before/after in knowledge (one thing knowable without another, but not vice versa)
• Fourth sense: Before/after in dignity/excellence (the better is “before” the worse)

These senses are interconnected: understanding ‘before’ automatically clarifies ‘after,’ and understanding both clarifies the concept of order (which means a before and after). Order presupposes distinction.

Order and Distinction #

• Order means a before and after
• Distinction means one thing is not the other (expressed negatively: “one is not the other”)
• Etymology of difference (diaphora in Greek): to carry apart—named from locomotion
• The most obvious reason for distinction between persons: spatial separation (“you’re there and I’m here”)
• Thomas Aquinas notes that order involves distinction or presupposes it

Naming from the Continuous #

All these terms originate from the three aspects of continuous quantity:

1. Magnitude (size/spatial extension)
2. Motion over magnitude (locomotion along a continuous path)
3. Time (the continuity that measures motion)

Examples of continuous-derived terms:

• ‘In’ primarily from place
• ‘Before/after’ primarily from time
• ‘Contraries’ (furthest apart) named from spatial distance
• ‘Procession’ (going forward) from locomotion
• Terms like ’large discourse’ taken from magnitude

Together (Hama/Simul) #

• Defined by negation of before and after
• First sense: at the same time (temporal simultaneity)
• Examples: runners finishing together, arriving together
• Continuous and discrete quantity are ’together’ in one sense (same division of quantity) but discrete is defined negatively (odd as not-even)
• Equal and unequal: equal may be defined as “neither more nor less,” with unequal being the negation

The Seven Senses of Having #

First Three Senses (tied to three categories, defined affirmatively or negatively):

1. Having a quality/knowledge (habit—an accident in the genus of quality)
2. Having a size or quantity
3. Having clothing or external things (like shoes, pants, shirt)

Fourth Sense (stands apart): 4. Having parts (whole has parts; one’s body has a heart, lungs, stomach, etc.)

Last Three Senses (related to each other, emphasizing distinction between haver and had): 5. Having a place (wine in a bottle; water in a container) 6. Having a possession (most proper sense according to Albert the Great—haver and had most clearly distinct) 7. Having a wife or friend (mutual possession; husband has wife, wife has husband)

The Most Proper Sense of Having #

Albert the Great emphasizes the sixth sense (possession) as “most proper” (proprium). In this sense:

• The haver and the had are most obviously distinct
• The relationship is clearest: I have a house, but I am not the house
• Distance between haver and had increases through the senses: knowledge/virtue (intrinsic to me) → size → clothes → parts (integral to me) → place → possession (external) → family/friendship (external but intimate)

Connection to the Category of Where #

• Fifth sense of having (location) connects to the category of where (ubi)
• “Where is the wine? In the wine bottle.” “Where is the water? In the container.”
• Similar structure to the category of where

The Problem of Having and Being in God #

• In creatures: haver and had are distinct (I have wisdom but am not wisdom itself)
• In God: there is no such distinction (God is whatever he has; God is wisdom itself)
• Problem: to say “God is good” seems to imply he has goodness (like I have wisdom), which would suggest goodness is distinct from him
• But to say “God is goodness itself” seems to deny that he is good (good signifies having goodness, not being goodness)
• Solution: We must speak both ways, acknowledging the imperfection of creature-based language about God
• Thomas Aquinas addresses this in Summa Contra Gentiles: God is good (Ch. 1), God is goodness itself (Ch. 2), nothing bad can be in God (Ch. 3), therefore he is the good of every good (Ch. 4), and finally he is summo bonum

The Example of Having a Name #

• To have a name: one is given a name by parents or the community
• Name is a vocal sound, yet we speak of “having” it
• This sense approaches the last senses (location, possession)
• Crucial for logic: everything discussed in the categories must have a name
• Names can be equivocal by reason (one name, multiple meanings)
• Related to knowledge: naming things requires understanding them (“we name things as we know them”)

Key Arguments #

Why Terms Deriving from the Continuous Matter #

• The continuous (magnitude, motion, time) is the foundation of our naming and thinking
• We extend names from the continuous to other categories through analogy
• All expressions of order, distinction, and relation trace back to these three aspects
• This explains why opposites, before/after, together, and having can apply across categories

The Hierarchy of Distinctness in Having #

• The seventh category of having (wife/friend) is mutual: husband has wife, wife has husband
• This mutuality in possession differs from one-directional possession (I have a house, the house doesn’t have me)
• Yet both express the fundamental distinction between haver and had
• The degree of distinctness ranges from minimal (having a quality intrinsic to oneself) to maximal (having a possession that is entirely separate)

The Analogy Problem: Creature Language Applied to God #

• All our language about creatures involves some distinction between haver and had
• But in God, essence and attributes are identical
• Therefore, analogical language about God is necessarily imperfect
• Yet we cannot avoid such language; we must acknowledge both that “God is good” and “God is goodness itself”
• This is not contradiction but the limit of creature-based thinking when speaking of pure being

Important Definitions #

• Before and after (πρότερον/ὕστερον): A relationship of precedence that can be temporal, ontological (in coming-to-be), epistemic (in knowability), or axiological (in value)
• Order (τάξις): A before and after; presupposes distinction among things
• Distinction (διαίρεσις): One thing is not another; expressed negatively as negation of identity
• Together (ἅμα/simul): Defined by negation of before and after; things that are neither before nor after each other
• Having (ἔχειν): Possessing or bearing something; implies some distinction between the haver and what is had, though the degree varies
• Continuous quantity (συνεχές): That which is divisible infinitely; includes magnitude, motion, and time
• Equivocal by reason: Words with multiple related meanings derived from a primary sense through analogical extension

Examples & Illustrations #

Spatial Separation as the Most Obvious Distinction #

• Conversation between Berquist and a student: “What’s the most obvious reason you and I are not the same?”
• Answer: “You’re there and I’m here.”
• This spatial distinction is the clearest and most immediately apparent form of difference
• Used to illustrate why distinction is named from place and locomotion

The Distance Analogy #

• “I’m eight hours from Quebec and 24 hours from St. Paul” (where Berquist’s mother lived)
• Three correlatives appear together: distance (magnitude), motion/travel (locomotion), and time
• Illustrates how the three aspects of the continuous (magnitude, motion, time) are inseparable in experience

Odd and Even Numbers #

• Euclid’s definition: even number is divisible into equal parts; odd number is what is not divisible into equal parts
• Odd is defined negatively relative to even
• Second definition: odd number differs from an even number by one
• Shows how one concept may be defined affirmatively while the opposite is defined negatively
• Yet both pairs (odd/even, discrete/continuous) are ’together’ in the division of quantity

Haydn and Mozart #

• Chronologically: Haydn came before Mozart (first sense of before—in time)
• Musically: Mozart surpasses Haydn in excellence (fourth sense of before—dignity/excellence)
• Haydn himself recognized this and honored Mozart’s superiority
• Shows that before/after in different senses can apply to the same pair of things differently
• Illustrates the virtue of recognizing excellence even when surpassed by a younger person

Albert the Great Defending Thomas’s Teaching #

• After Thomas Aquinas’s death, Albert came to Paris to defend Thomas’s doctrines
• Shows how the teacher (Albert) honors and supports the student (Thomas) when the student has achieved greater excellence
• Similar to Haydn’s response to Mozart—a beautiful example of intellectual humility

The Name Isabella Rose #

• Berquist calls his granddaughter “Isabella the Rose” (poetic rendering)
• She insists “My name is Isabella Rose” (factual statement)
• Shows the distinction between having a name and the poetic significance or meaning of that name
• Illustrates how names relate to identity and how understanding requires recognizing both the literal name and its meaning

Having a Wife #

• Albert the Great notes this is a mutual possession: husband has wife, wife has husband
• In the marriage ceremony, each gives themselves to the other
• Different from having property (one-directional) or having clothing (accidental adhesion)
• Shows how “having” extends to the most intimate human relationships

The Book of Life (Metaphor Analysis) #

• Thomas Aquinas distinguishes three senses in which God “has” a Book of Life:
  1. The Bible as the book of instruction on how to live (by way of teaching)
  2. Christ himself as the exemplar of how to live (by way of exemplar), connected to The Imitation of Christ
  3. God’s knowledge of the predestined (metaphorically like names written in a book)
• Shows how the same metaphor can operate at different levels with different meanings
• Demonstrates the care required in understanding metaphorical language about God

Notable Quotes #

“It is here and here only indeed that one opposite needs must be two, but the other must always be… False.” — Aristotle, on contradictories

“You’re there and I’m here.” — Berquist’s student, on why self and other are distinct

“God is whatever he has.” — Thomas Aquinas, on the identity of essence and attributes in God

“In the first sense, he came before Mozart in time. No. But not in the fourth sense.” — Berquist, on Haydn and Mozart

“The most obvious reason why I’m not you: because you’re spatially apart.” — Berquist, on the foundation of distinction in place

Questions Addressed #

How are the different senses of before and after related? #

• All derive from the continuous (time as the primary instance)
• They share a common structure: one thing precedes another in some respect
• Understanding any one sense helps clarify the others
• Order (before and after together) presupposes distinction

Why does together (hama) come after before and after in Aristotle’s order? #

• Because together is defined by the negation of before and after
• Things are together when neither is before or after the other
• The definition requires understanding before and after first
• This shows how later concepts depend on earlier ones

How do we distinguish the different senses of having? #

• By observing what is being possessed and the nature of the relationship
• The first three relate to categories (quality, quantity, position/dress)
• The fourth (parts) stands somewhat apart
• The last three emphasize increasing distinctness between haver and had
• Albert the Great highlights the sixth (possession) as most proper

What is the relationship between having and being in God? #

• In creatures: to have something implies it is other than oneself (I have wisdom but am not wisdom)
• In God: there is no such distinction (God is wisdom itself, not having wisdom)
• Yet we must speak as if God has goodness (following Scripture and reason) while also affirming God is goodness
• This is not contradiction but the necessary limitation of creature-based language applied to pure being
• The solution is to hold both truths: God is good AND God is goodness itself

What does it mean to have a name? #

• One receives a name given by others (parents, community, or religious order)
• The name is a vocal sound, yet we speak of possessing it
• Having a name is essential for discourse and logical thought (everything discussed must have a name)
• The meaning of the name relates to knowledge of the thing named
• Names can be equivocal by reason, expressing multiple related meanings