human will

• Tendency


  Natural inclination toward their own fundamental vital good (survival, reproduction, growth) specific to all living beings
• Sense tendency


  Spontaneous inclination toward the vital good as apprehended via the senses, in those endowed with sensitive knowledge
• Instinct


  Inclination, or sense tendency, that in animals is called instinct, possessing an aspect of tendency and an aspect of knowledge
• Instinctive tendency


  Activated, or reinforced, by reality as perceived through sense experience, and, in particular, through the two internal senses of estimative power and memory
• Rigidity in animals


  • Plasticity in man
• Plasticity in man


  Response to the tendencies is not fixed or rigidly determined because he is endowed not only with sensitive knowledge but also with intellectual knowledge through which he knows the universal aspects of reality and, hence, understands what is good over and above the particular contingent aspects of the things he perceives
• Man has tendencies other than those of the aforementioned instinctive type, deduced from our everyday experience of conflict between what we desire with the senses and what we want rationally
• Will


  The intellectual appetite or the rational appetite (tendency), inclines us to the good that we grasp with our mind
• Good


  Not yet understood in the moral sense of good, but it means whatever is appropriate for us
• Will


  Acts simultaneously with the intellect, one wants what one knows and one knows well what one wants
• Voluntary act


  An act that originates in the will and it therefore properly belongs to the person, where the person is aware that he is acting, and that they want the action
• Voluntariness


  Leads to responsibility, a person can be asked an account of what he has done because he did something willingly and freely
• Act of the will

  1. Rational desire (inclination of the will towards the good apprehended by the mind)

  2. Choice (person decides what means to employ and how to achieve the end)
• Instinctive Tendency


  Inherent inclination or predisposition towards a particular behavior or action that occurs naturally, without conscious intention.
• Estimative Power


  The ability to judge or evaluate the potential good or harm of a situation, idea, or action.
• Memory


  The recall of past experiences, events, or knowledge that helps shape an individual's perception of reality and influences their behavior.
• Estimative Power and Decision-Making


  Estimative power influences decision-making by assessing risk, introducing biases, shaping alternative perception, and evaluating options.
• Risk Assessment


  Estimative power helps evaluate potential risks and consequences of a decision, leading to more cautious or daring choices.
• Biases and Judgment


  Estimative power can introduce preconceptions, emotions, or personal experiences that influence an individual's judgment and decision-making.
• Perception of Alternatives


  Estimative power shapes the way an individual views available options, making some more attractive or unfavorable than others.
• Preconception


  A pre-existing belief, thought, or idea that can influence an individual's judgments and decision-making.
• Logical Reasoning


  The process of using rational and systematic thinking to make a conclusion or arrive at a decision.
• Estimative Power


  The ability to estimate or forecast the likelihood of an event or outcome; a crucial component in decision-making.
• Bias


  A fixed or systematic error in perception, thought, or judgment; can be introduced during the Estimative Power process.
• Clarity


  The ease of comprehension and understanding of information; refers to the clarity of information, not directly related to Estimative Power.
• Tendence


  A internal drive or inclination that motivates behavior
• Instinctive type


  A universal, innate, and automatic drive (e.g., breathing, avoiding harm)
• Desire with the senses


  The immediate response to a stimulus, often driven by emotions and impulse
• Want rationally


  A deliberate and thoughtful inclination, often driven by long-term goals and values
• Conflict


  The tension or clash between sensual desires and rational wants
• Sense knowledge


  Cognitive activity that relies on bodily organs and is hylomorphic (form and matter)
• Sense faculties


  • Receive forms through the physical alteration of their organs, leading to knowledge of individual and accidental forms rather than universal or substantial ones
  • Lack specific organs, unlike intellectual faculties
• Sense knowledge


  1. Physical stimulation of an organ by an external form

  2. Organ passively receives this form

  3. Sense faculty actively actualizes and knows it

  4. Knowledge is instantaneous and cannot be reduced to mere physiological processes
• External senses


  Directly interact with reality, distinguishing superficial aspects
• Traditional five external senses

  • Sight
  • Hearing
  • Smell
  • Taste
  • Touch
• Touch


  • Most basic and material sense, requiring direct physical contact and material participation in the object's qualities
  • Present in all sentient beings, highly developed in humans, particularly in areas with concentrated nerve endings
• Taste


  • Requires direct contact and material acquisition of the quality perceived
  • Has higher immateriality than touch due to its localised organ (taste buds) and specificity of qualities
  • Moisture is essential for taste perception
• Smell


  • Operates at a distance, perceiving forms without material acquisition
  • Has a high degree of immateriality and immanence
  • Crucial for animals in basic functions and has evocative capacity in humans
  • Olfactory organ is compact and closely connected to the brain
• Hearing


  • Shares high immateriality with smell and sight, functioning at a distance through physical, not chemical, interaction
  • Perceives sound qualities sequentially over time
  • Ear's structure, with outer, middle, and inner parts, relies on air for sound transmission
• Sight


  • Most immaterial and immanent sense, perceiving qualities without significant alteration in reality
  • Requires light but not material change in the object seen
  • Light's speed makes visual perception nearly simultaneous, aligning sight closely with intellectual faculties