In reply to that second link, animals do not have intellect and will (these are spiritual powers and belong solely to humans). There seems to be a confusion of the terms brain and intellect – the brain is not our mind, the intellect (spiritual) uses the brain (material). However, animals have material sensitive souls (not intellectual souls) and are able to have sensations and sensible memories.
For the intellect has no corporeal organ: “But in the intellect, which has no corporeal organ, nothing but what is intelligible exists.”[1] The animal is a material being and cannot know concepts, as concepts are immaterial. An animal does not possess the capability to have true knowledge. Simple apprehension only gives one a tree, judgment joins that term to another term. Both concepts have to be in the mind to make a judgment.
It must be noted, that it is not degrading to animals to say this…it shows the order of creation. We are stewards of creation and therefore, we are to care for animals.
[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica I Q 79
First, this article is not about “intellect” or “will”. I did not offer this link as anything other than the viability of the idea that animals are “conscious”. Totally different subject.
You are correct in that “brain” (a physical item) does not equal “mind” (does not have physical form), but again, the article was not a treatise on this subject.
Now “intellect” can be defined a couple of different ways, i.e., the way Aquinas meant it—“the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively, esp. with regard to abstract or academic matters”–and the real-world definition, which would be “the faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels or wills; capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge”. With the latter definition in mind (no pun intended), animals do indeed have “intellect”.
I do not know what it means to “know concepts”, so I’d have to have your definition before I can comment on whether or not an animal is capable of them. The same is true of “true knowledge”. What is your definition of this, because in my understanding, animals do indeed possess knowledge. They are capable of learning.
I don’t think you meant to use the term “apprehension” in your post. Again, I did not offer the article to endow animals with the power to “judge”. I don’t really understand the last two sentences of your second paragraph, anyway.
My understand of an animal’s “soul”—at least in accordance with Catholicism—is that it is not “immortal” and therefore unequal to that of man. Moreover, because of this inequality, the souls of animals will not be in Heaven. When you speak of the “sensitive” vs. the “intellectual” soul, you are getting into an area of Summa, of which I know nothing and on which I cannot comment.
To date, there is no scientific evidence that animals “feel” or have emotions. In my heart, I know they do, but again, no demonstrable evidence. That being said, since we are just sticking our toe into the waters of animal consciousness, is it too hard to believe that animals can “feel” also? And as far as the Church’s opinion—speculation, not proof—that there are no animals in Heaven, if that’s true, I don’t wanna go there. :nope:
I’ll check it out. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the link to your blog!
Have trust! Whatever is best will be! :aok:
