Žmogus, kaip dvasinė ir kūniška substancija, Tomo Akviniečio antropologijoje

Parodėme, kad žmogus yra esaties hierarchijos jungiančioji materialaus ir dvasinio pasaulio grandis. Bet kadangi jis pats yra materialaus ir dvasinio prado vienovė, todėl ir jame turi būti vienijanti grandis. Akivaizdu, kad ji turėtų būti ten, kur idealusis pradas susiliečia su kūniškuoju. Grynas idealus žmogaus pradas yra intelektas. Tai aukščiausias ir svarbiausias žmogaus pradas, todėl, cituodamas Aristotelį, Tomas sako, kad žmogus yra intelektas arba, didžiąja dalimi intelektas'35. Parodėme, kad intelektas yra atsietas nuo kūno, nes neturi organo ir gali egzistuoti atskirai, ir kad jis yra žmogaus kūno forma ir pirmasis aktas, be to, kūnas yra jo individualizacijos pradas. Intelektas yra ir atskirtas nuo kūno, ir su juo susietas. Susietas ne tiesiogiai, o per žemesniąsias sielos dalis. Žemiau intelekto yra juslinė sielos dalis. Kiekviena juslė turi savo kūnišką organą. Jas visas vienija vaizduotė, kuri irgi turi savo organą - smegenis.

In her article the author tries to explain the main function of man in Thomas Aquinas' metaphysical picture of the Universe. This picture shows us a well-structured hierarchy, which is divided into two main parts: spiritual and material. These parts are essentially different. Nevertheless, they are connected, and man is the connecting link. In the Universe he is placed exactly between purely spiritual beings or, in Aquinas, separated substances and material beings or embodied forms. He is a transition from the first to the latter, and vice versa. This is so because of his unique soul. According to Aristotle as well as Aquinas, the soul in general is an internal principle of movement. Because of it plants grow, and therefore we speak about a nutritive or vegetative soul. In addition to growth, animals change location and react vividly to smell, sound, light, etc: therefore, we speak about a sensitive soul. These souls are inseparable forms of material bodies: they come into being together with the bodies, and perish together with them. The hierarchical structure of beings is such that a lower being constitutes the possibility of higher perfection, i.e. it can accept the higher forms. Therefore, it is possible to add to a material body a vegetative soul, then a sensitive soul and intellect. But intellect is perfection, which is proper to immaterial beings or separate substances. So, how is it possible that it is joined to what is material? To this, Thomas explains that the lowest in the higher part of the hierarchy touches upon the highest in the lower part of the hierarchy: intellective soul is the lowest in the hierarchy of pure spiritual beings and the human body is the highest in the hierarchy of material beings. The soul has so much potency that it involves a perfect body in its own existence, and man as a connecting link of the Universe comes into being.