Suarezianism
Suarezianism
A school of philosophy and theology founded by Francisco Suarez, of the Society of Jesus, Spain, 1548-1617. His philosophic position is, in general, that of Christian Aristotelianism. The immediate background of his thought is to be found in Albertinism, Thomism, Scotism and Nominalism.
The Disputationes Metaphysicae (no Eng. translation) forms a complete exposition of Suarez general metaphysics, psychology, theory of knowledge, cosmology and natural theology. Basic is the rejection of the thomistic real distinction between essence and existence in finite things. Physical substances are individuated, neither by their matter nor their form, but by their total entities. Their components, matter and form, are individual entities united in the composite of physical substance by a “mode” (unio) which has itself no reality apart from the composite. Except in the case of the human form which is the soul, matter and form in the natural order cannot exist in isolation. Accidental “modes” are used to explain the association of accidents with their subjects. Spiritual creatures (angels and human souls) are not specific natures as in Thomism, but are individuals, constituted such by their own entities.
The soul is the principle of all vital actions and, though these vital operations on the biological, sensory and intellectual levels are attributed to various “faculties”, these faculties are not really distinct from the essence of the soul. In this life the human intellect cannot operate without the aid of images supplied by sense perception. An intellectual concept of a single individual thing may be formed directly and then a universal concept of the common nature of many sensible things within a class may be developed by the intellect through the process of abstraction. The will is the faculty of rational appetite, it is free in the ultimate choice of its object, which is called a “good.” Suarez emphasizes the psychological and moral supremacy of the will. The Suarezian theory of knowledge is what would be called naive realism today.
As a free creature, man is responsible for his freely performed actions. Man knows the basic principles of the Divine Law through the natural use of his intellect. Thus known, the Divine Law is called the natural moral law. It is immutable. Suarez’ ethics provides a rational justification for most of the accepted moral standards of Christianity. The individual has rights and duties in regard to other creatures and himself; he has duties toward his Creator. The political theory of Suarez is most noted for its opposition to the divine right of kings. He held that a ruler derives his authority immediately from the consent of the people, ultimately from God. Suarez maintained that there are several forms of political organizations in which social justice may be secured.
According to Suarez, theology is not a part of philosophy, but a supreme science having a supernatural justification and deriving its principles from Divine revelation. However, in his natural theology, Suarez examined the arguments for the existence of God. The attributes of God can be but dimly known by the unaided reason of man.
Suarezianism is systematic, orderly, easy to teach, it has become the framework of many Catholic text-books in philosophy, particularly of those by Jesuit authors. Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Leibniz and Descartes mention their reading of the Disputations. SeeGrab-mann, M., “Die Disp. Metaph. F. Suarez in ihrer methodischen Eigenart und Fortwirkung,” in Franz Suarez, S.J., (Innsbruck, 1917). (Pedro Descoqs, S. J., is an outstanding contemporary Suarezian).
Opera Omnia, ed. C. Berton, (Paris, 1856-1878), 30 vols. (not quite complete).
De Scorraille, R., F. Suarez, de la Compagnie de Jesus, 2 vols. (Paris, 1912).
A Symposium on Suarez (Five papers and a good bibliography by American Jesuit scholars), Proc. Jesuit Educat. Assoc., (Chicago, 1931) pp. 153-214.
Jesuit Thinkers of the Renaissance, ed. G. Smith, S.J., (Milwaukee, 1939). — V.J.B.