Part I (Prima Pars) Part 175 (2/2)

Hence Augustine says (De Civ. Dei v, 1): ”If anyone ascribes human affairs to fate, meaning thereby the will or power of G.o.d, let him keep to his opinion, but hold his tongue.” For this reason Gregory denies the existence of fate: wherefore the first objection's solution is manifest.

Reply Obj. 2: Nothing hinders certain things happening by luck or by chance, if compared to their proximate causes: but not if compared to Divine Providence, whereby ”nothing happens at random in the world,”

as Augustine says (QQ. 83, qu. 24).

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SECOND ARTICLE [I, Q. 116, Art. 2]

Whether Fate Is in Created Things?

Objection 1: It would seem that fate is not in created things. For Augustine says (De Civ. Dei v, 1) that the ”Divine will or power is called fate.” But the Divine will or power is not in creatures, but in G.o.d. Therefore fate is not in creatures but in G.o.d.

Obj. 2: Further, fate is compared to things that happen by fate, as their cause; as the very use of the word proves. But the universal cause that of itself effects what takes place by accident here below, is G.o.d alone, as stated above (A. 1). Therefore fate is in G.o.d, and not in creatures.

Obj. 3: Further, if fate is in creatures, it is either a substance or an accident: and whichever it is it must be multiplied according to the number of creatures. Since, therefore, fate seems to be one thing only, it seems that fate is not in creatures, but in G.o.d.

_On the contrary,_ Boethius says (De Consol. iv): ”Fate is a disposition inherent to changeable things.”

_I answer that,_ As is clear from what has been stated above (Q. 22, A. 3; Q. 103, A. 6), Divine Providence produces effects through mediate causes. We can therefore consider the ordering of the effects in two ways. Firstly, as being in G.o.d Himself: and thus the ordering of the effects is called Providence. But if we consider this ordering as being in the mediate causes ordered by G.o.d to the production of certain effects, thus it has the nature of fate. This is what Boethius says (De Consol. iv): ”Fate is worked out when Divine Providence is served by certain spirits; whether by the soul, or by all nature itself which obeys Him, whether by the heavenly movements of the stars, whether by the angelic power, or by the ingenuity of the demons, whether by some of these, or by all, the chain of fate is forged.” Of each of these things we have spoken above (A. 1; Q. 104, A. 2; Q. 110, A. 1; Q. 113; Q. 114). It is therefore manifest that fate is in the created causes themselves, as ordered by G.o.d to the production of their effects.

Reply Obj. 1: The ordering itself of second causes, which Augustine (De Civ. Dei v, 8) calls the ”series of causes,” has not the nature of fate, except as dependent on G.o.d. Wherefore the Divine power or will can be called fate, as being the cause of fate. But essentially fate is the very disposition or ”series,” i.e. order, of second causes.

Reply Obj. 2: Fate has the nature of a cause, just as much as the second causes themselves, the ordering of which is called fate.

Reply Obj. 3: Fate is called a disposition, not that disposition which is a species of quality, but in the sense in which it signifies order, which is not a substance, but a relation. And if this order be considered in relation to its principle, it is one; and thus fate is one. But if it be considered in relation to its effects, or to the mediate causes, this fate is multiple. In this sense the poet wrote: ”Thy fate draws thee.”

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THIRD ARTICLE [I, Q. 116, Art. 3]

Whether Fate Is Unchangeable?

Objection 1: It seems that fate is not unchangeable. For Boethius says (De Consol. iv): ”As reasoning is to the intellect, as the begotten is to that which is, as time to eternity, as the circle to its centre; so is the fickle chain of fate to the unwavering simplicity of Providence.”

Obj. 2: Further, the Philosopher says (Topic. ii, 7): ”If we be moved, what is in us is moved.” But fate is a ”disposition inherent to changeable things,” as Boethius says (De Consol. iv). Therefore fate is changeable.

Obj. 3: Further, if fate is unchangeable, what is subject to fate happens unchangeably and of necessity. But things ascribed to fate seem princ.i.p.ally to be contingencies. Therefore there would be no contingencies in the world, but all things would happen of necessity.

_On the contrary,_ Boethius says (De Consol. iv) that fate is an unchangeable disposition.

_I answer that,_ The disposition of second causes which we call fate, can be considered in two ways: firstly, in regard to the second causes, which are thus disposed or ordered; secondly, in regard to the first principle, namely, G.o.d, by Whom they are ordered. Some, therefore, have held that the series itself o[f] dispositions of causes is in itself necessary, so that all things would happen of necessity; for this reason that each effect has a cause, and given a cause the effect must follow of necessity. But this is false, as proved above (Q. 115, A. 6).

Others, on the other hand, held that fate is changeable, even as dependent on Divine Providence. Wherefore the Egyptians said that fate could be changed by certain sacrifices, as Gregory of Nyssa says (Nemesius, De Homine). This too has been disproved above for the reason that it is repugnant to Divine Providence.

We must therefore say that fate, considered in regard to second causes, is changeable; but as subject to Divine Providence, it derives a certain unchangeableness, not of absolute but of conditional necessity. In this sense we say that this conditional is true and necessary: ”If G.o.d foreknew that this would happen, it will happen.” Wherefore Boethius, having said that the chain of fate is fickle, shortly afterwards adds--”which, since it is derived from an unchangeable Providence must also itself be unchangeable.”

From this the answers to the objections are clear.

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FOURTH ARTICLE [I, Q. 116, Art. 4]

Whether All Things Are Subject to Fate?

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