現實與潛能的交響－托馬斯．阿奎那論不朽受造物的存在必然性

The Symphony of actus and potentia: Thomas Aquinas on the Necessity of Existence of Incorruptible Creatures

尹智鶴(YIN Zhihe)

《道風：基督教文化評論》 59期 (2023/07) Pp. 95-122

摘要

托馬斯．阿奎那主張不朽受造物具有存在的必然性，這個觀點會遭遇嚴峻的「模態難題」：受造世界的偶在性如何能夠與不朽受造物所具有的那種存在的必然性相容？本文將圍繞阿奎那的這一觀點及相關的模態難題展開論述。阿奎那區分了「本有必然」和「依序必然」，不朽受造物的必然性便屬於後者。他使模態概念奠基於存在者的潛能－現實狀況，繼而借助對不朽受造物的潛能－現實狀況的澄清證明了它們的存在必然性，並化解了模態難題。通過這一理論，阿奎那改造了亞里士多德的實體形上學，並彰顯了不朽受造物的超時間性存在地位。

關鍵字

托馬斯．阿奎那 ； 必然性 ； 模態難題 ； 不朽受造物 ； 潛能與現實

並列摘要

Aquinas' assertion of the necessity of the existence of incorruptible creatures runs up against a severe "modal problem": how can the contingency of the created world be compatible with the necessity of the existence of incorruptible creatures? This article focuses on Aquinas' point of view and the related modal problem. Aquinas distinguishes between "necessity per se" and "necessity of order", in which the necessity of incorruptible creatures belongs to the latter. His concepts of modality are based on the potentiality/actuality states of existents, he then proves the necessity of the existence of incorruptible creatures through clarifying their potentiality/ actuality states and thus solved the modal problem. With this theory, Aquinas reforms Aristotle's metaphysics of substances and demonstrates the super-temporal existence of incorruptible creatures.

並列關鍵字

Thomas Aquinas ； Necessity ； Modal Problem ； Incorruptibility ； Potentiality and Actuality