“Those Two Roads” at Thomistica

At Thomistica.net an essay of mine is now available: “Those Two Roads: How a Natural Philosophical Solution to a Difficulty about Motion Serves Thomistic Theology.” It was given at one of the Sacra Doctrina Project’s satellite sessions at the most recent conference of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. The essay discusses the Aristotelian idea that motion, action, and passion are the same actuality in the subject of motion, yet action and passion are still really different realities (teaching isn’t learning).

I dedicate the paper to Dr. Ralph M. McInerny. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but his work—and particularly his work on translating and editing the Writings of Charles De Koninck—inspired much of my graduate studies. The title is also taken from an anecdotal remark of his, reported to me by one of my teachers. Observing my teacher and a fellow student debating some philosophical topic, McInerny asked what it was about. The reply came that it was Aristotle’s Physics III.3, and the distinction of action and passion. Aristotle famously uses the example of the road between Athens and Thebes to illustrate both sameness and difference in a single thing—in a way, it is the same road, and in a way, there are two roads. And that was McInerny’s reply upon hearing the subject of debate: “Ah—those two roads!”