Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 48 (1/2)
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FIFTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 29, Art. 5]
Whether a Man Can Hate the Truth?
Objection 1: It would seem that a man cannot hate the truth. For good, true, and being are convertible. But a man cannot hate good.
Neither, therefore, can he hate the truth.
Obj. 2: Further, ”All men have a natural desire for knowledge,” as stated in the beginning of the _Metaphysics_ (i, 1). But knowledge is only of truth. Therefore truth is naturally desired and loved. But that which is in a thing naturally, is always in it. Therefore no man can hate the truth.
Obj. 3: Further, the Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 4) that ”men love those who are straightforward.” But there can be no other motive for this save truth. Therefore man loves the truth naturally. Therefore he cannot hate it.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Gal. 4:16): ”Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” [*St. Thomas quotes the pa.s.sage, probably from memory, as though it were an a.s.sertion: ”I am become,”
etc.]
_I answer that,_ Good, true and being are the same in reality, but differ as considered by reason. For good is considered in the light of something desirable, while being and true are not so considered: because good is ”what all things seek.” Wherefore good, as such, cannot be the object of hatred, neither in general nor in particular.
Being and truth in general cannot be the object of hatred: because disagreement is the cause of hatred, and agreement is the cause of love; while being and truth are common to all things. But nothing hinders some particular being or some particular truth being an object of hatred, in so far as it is considered as hurtful and repugnant; since hurtfulness and repugnance are not incompatible with the notion of being and truth, as they are with the notion of good.
Now it may happen in three ways that some particular truth is repugnant or hurtful to the good we love. First, according as truth is in things as in its cause and origin. And thus man sometimes hates a particular truth, when he wishes that what is true were not true.
Secondly, according as truth is in man's knowledge, which hinders him from gaining the object loved: such is the case of those who wish not to know the truth of faith, that they may sin freely; in whose person it is said (Job 21:14): ”We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.”
Thirdly, a particular truth is hated, as being repugnant, inasmuch as it is in the intellect of another man: as, for instance, when a man wishes to remain hidden in his sin, he hates that anyone should know the truth about his sin. In this respect, Augustine says (Confess. x, 23) that men ”love truth when it enlightens, they hate it when it reproves.” This suffices for the Reply to the First Objection.
Reply Obj. 2: The knowledge of truth is lovable in itself: hence Augustine says that men love it when it enlightens. But accidentally, the knowledge of truth may become hateful, in so far as it hinders one from accomplis.h.i.+ng one's desire.
Reply Obj. 3: The reason why we love those who are straightforward is that they make known the truth, and the knowledge of the truth, considered in itself, is a desirable thing.
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SIXTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 29, Art. 6]
Whether Anything Can Be an Object of Universal Hatred?
Objection 1: It would seem that a thing cannot be an object of universal hatred. Because hatred is a pa.s.sion of the sensitive appet.i.te, which is moved by an apprehension in the senses. But the senses cannot apprehend the universal. Therefore a thing cannot be an object of universal hatred.
Obj. 2: Further, hatred is caused by disagreement; and where there is disagreement, there is nothing in common. But the notion of universality implies something in common. Therefore nothing can be the object of universal hatred.
Obj. 3: Further, the object of hatred is evil. But ”evil is in things, and not in the mind” (Metaph. vi, 4). Since therefore the universal is in the mind only, which abstracts the universal from the particular, it would seem that hatred cannot have a universal object.
_On the contrary,_ The Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 4) that ”anger is directed to something singular, whereas hatred is also directed to a thing in general; for everybody hates the thief and the backbiter.”
_I answer that,_ There are two ways of speaking of the universal: first, as considered under the aspect of universality; secondly, as considered in the nature to which it is ascribed: for it is one thing to consider the universal man, and another to consider a man as man.
If, therefore, we take the universal, in the first way, no sensitive power, whether of apprehension or of appet.i.te, can attain the universal: because the universal is obtained by abstraction from individual matter, on which every sensitive power is based.
Nevertheless the sensitive powers, both of apprehension and of appet.i.te, can tend to something universally. Thus we say that the object of sight is color considered generically; not that the sight is cognizant of universal color, but because the fact that color is cognizant by the sight, is attributed to color, not as being this particular color, but simply because it is color. Accordingly hatred in the sensitive faculty can regard something universally: because this thing, by reason of its common nature, and not merely as an individual, is hostile to the animal--for instance, a wolf in regard to a sheep. Hence a sheep hates the wolf universally. On the other hand, anger is always caused by something in particular: because it is caused by some action of the one that hurts us; and actions proceed from individuals. For this reason the Philosopher says (Rhet.
ii, 4) that ”anger is always directed to something singular, whereas hatred can be directed to a thing in general.”
But according as hatred is in the intellectual part, since it arises from the universal apprehension of the intellect, it can regard the universal in both ways.
Reply Obj. 1: The senses do not apprehend the universal, as such: but they apprehend something to which the character of universality is given by abstraction.