Physical Premotion
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In the theory developed by Spanish theologian Domingo Báñez and other
Thomists Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Thomas's disputed questions ...
of the 16th-century
second scholasticism Second scholasticism, also called Modern scholasticism, is the period of revival of scholastic system of philosophy and theology, in the 16th and 17th centuries. The scientific culture of second scholasticism surpassed its medieval source (Scho ...
, physical premotion () is a causal influence of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
into a secondary cause (especially into a
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
of a free agent) which precedes ( metaphysically but not temporally) and causes the actual motion of its causal power (e.g. a will): it is the reduction of the power from potency to act. In this sense, it is a kind of divine concurrence, the so-called advocated by the Thomists. More broadly, according to this Thomistic theory, physical premotion is the causal influence of any principal cause upon the respective instrumental cause (such as the influence of a scribe upon his pen) by which the instrumental cause is elevated so as to be capable of producing an effect which is beyond its natural powers (e.g., the pen is enabled to write a poem). In Thomism, the theory of physical premotion helps to explain
divine providence In theology, divine providence, or simply providence, is God's intervention in the universe. The term ''Divine Providence'' (usually capitalized) is also used as a names of God, title of God. A distinction is usually made between "general prov ...
(foreknowledge) and universal rulership; on the other hand, it is seen by its critics (chiefly
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
defending the alternative theory of
Molinism Molinism, named after 16th-century Spanish Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, is the thesis that God has middle knowledge (or ''scientia media''): the knowledge of counterfactuals, particularly counterfactuals regarding human action. It seeks to ...
) as leading to
theological determinism Theological determinism is a form of predeterminism which states that all events that happen are pre-ordained, and/or predestined to happen, by one or more divine beings, or that they are destined to occur given the divine beings' omniscience. Th ...
. Because the proponents of physical premotion are, as
Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, committed to the
freedom of will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choose between different possible courses of action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral responsibility, or (c) be the ulti ...
, their position can be viewed as a form of
compatibilism Compatibilism is the belief that free will and determinism are mutually compatible and that it is possible to believe in both without being logically inconsistent. As Steven Weinberg puts it: "I would say that free will is nothing but our consc ...
. Whether they really are
determinists Determinism is the metaphysical view that all events within the universe (or multiverse) can occur only in one possible way. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping mot ...
depends on how strictly the necessity of the connection between a divine decree, the resulting premotion, and the ultimate free act is conceived. The proponents of the theory generally try to avoid resorting to unqualified necessity, their term of choice being "infallibility". The theory of was applied 1) on the natural level, serving both as a theory of and as a theory of instrumental causality; 2) on the supernatural level, serving as a theory of
actual grace In Western Christian beliefs, grace is God's favor, and a "share in the divine life of God". It is a spontaneous gift from God – "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" – that cannot be earned. In the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
.


History

Although claimed by Báñez to have its roots in Aquinas, the theory was first explicitly formulated in Domingo Báñez's ''Apologia Fratrum Predicatorum'' (1595), in reaction to
Luis de Molina Luis de Molina (29 September 1535 – 12 October 1600) was a Spanish Jesuit Catholic priest, jurist, economist and theologian renowned for his contributions to philosophy and economics within the framework of the second scholasticism. A ...
's ''Concordia''; and it was further elaborated by Diego Álvarez in his ''De auxiliis''. A violent controversy ensued between the
Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
and the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, leading to a papal intervention). At first (1594) the Pope he simply enjoined silence on both parties so far as Spain was concerned; but ultimately, in 1598, he appointed the
Congregatio de Auxiliis The ''Congregatio de Auxiliis'' (Latin for "Congregation on help (by Divine Grace)") was a commission established by Pope Clement VIII to settle a theological controversy regarding divine grace that had arisen between the Dominicans and the Jesu ...
for the settlement of the dispute, which became more and more a party one. After holding very numerous sessions, the congregation was able to decide nothing, and in 1607 its meetings were suspended by
Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...
, who in 1611 prohibited all further discussion of the question ''De auxiliis'' and of discussions about efficacious grace, and studious efforts were made to control the publication even of commentaries on Aquinas . Several regent Masters of the Dominican College of St. Thomas, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (''Angelicum''), were involved in the controversy. Two Dominican proponents of physical premotion, Diego Alvarez and Tomas de Lemos, were given the responsibility of representing the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
in debates before
Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...
and
Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...
. In contemporary analytical philosophy, the opponents of Molinism (such as
Robert Merrihew Adams Robert Merrihew Adams (September 8, 1937 – April 16, 2024) was an American analytic philosopher. He specialized in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, ethics, and the history of early modern philosophy. Life and career Adams was born on Se ...
or
William Hasker R. William Hasker (; born 1935) is an American philosopher and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Huntington University. For many years, he was editor of the prestigious journal '' Faith and Philosophy''. He has published many jour ...
) typically do not subscribe to the Báñezian-Thomist theory of ''praemotio physica''; instead, they maintain libertarian freedom but insist that it excludes the possibility of Molinis
middle knowledge
The theory thus remains confined to the ranks of traditional Thomism.


Notable proponents

* Domingo Báñez (1528–1604) * Diego Álvarez (c. 1555–1632) * Tomas de Lemos (1540–1629) * John of St. Thomas (1589–1644) * Joseph Gredt (1863–1940)


References

{{reflist


Further reading

*https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/premotion-physical Catholic theology and doctrine Thomism