Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 235 (1/2)

Now the knowledge of truth pertains, not to the irascible but to the rational faculty. Therefore pride is not in the irascible.

Obj. 2: Further, Gregory says (Moral. xxiv, 8) that ”the proud observe other people's conduct not so as to set themselves beneath them with humility, but so as to set themselves above them with pride”: wherefore it would seem that pride originates in undue observation. Now observation pertains not to the irascible but to the rational faculty.

Obj. 3: Further, pride seeks pre-eminence not only in sensible things, but also in spiritual and intelligible things: while it consists essentially in the contempt of G.o.d, according to Ecclus.

10:14, ”The beginning of the pride of man is to fall off from G.o.d.”

Now the irascible, since it is a part of the sensitive appet.i.te, cannot extend to G.o.d and things intelligible. Therefore pride cannot be in the irascible.

Obj. 4: Further, as stated in Prosper's _Liber Sententiarum,_ sent.

294, ”Pride is love of one's own excellence.” But love is not in the irascible, but in the concupiscible. Therefore pride is not in the irascible.

_On the contrary,_ Gregory (Moral. ii, 49) opposes pride to the gift of fear. Now fear belongs to the irascible. Therefore pride is in the irascible.

_I answer that,_ The subject of any virtue or vice is to be ascertained from its proper object: for the object of a habit or act cannot be other than the object of the power, which is the subject of both. Now the proper object of pride is something difficult, for pride is the desire of one's own excellence, as stated above (AA. 1, 2). Wherefore pride must needs pertain in some way to the irascible faculty. Now the irascible may be taken in two ways. First in a strict sense, and thus it is a part of the sensitive appet.i.te, even as anger, strictly speaking, is a pa.s.sion of the sensitive appet.i.te.

Secondly, the irascible may be taken in a broader sense, so as to belong also to the intellective appet.i.te, to which also anger is sometimes ascribed. It is thus that we attribute anger to G.o.d and the angels, not as a pa.s.sion, but as denoting the sentence of justice p.r.o.nouncing judgment. Nevertheless the irascible understood in this broad sense is not distinct from the concupiscible power, as stated above in the First Part (Q. 59, A. 4; I-II, Q. 82, A. 5, ad 1 and 2).

Consequently if the difficult thing which is the object of pride, were merely some sensible object, whereto the sensitive appet.i.te might tend, pride would have to be in the irascible which is part of the sensitive appet.i.te. But since the difficult thing which pride has in view is common both to sensible and to spiritual things, we must needs say that the subject of pride is the irascible not only strictly so called, as a part of the sensitive appet.i.te, but also in its wider acceptation, as applicable to the intellective appet.i.te.

Wherefore pride is ascribed also to the demons.

Reply Obj. 1: Knowledge of truth is twofold. One is purely speculative, and pride hinders this indirectly by removing its cause.

For the proud man subjects not his intellect to G.o.d, that he may receive the knowledge of truth from Him, according to Matt. 11:25, ”Thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent,” i.e. from the proud, who are wise and prudent in their own eyes, ”and hast revealed them to little ones,” i.e. to the humble.

Nor does he deign to learn anything from man, whereas it is written (Ecclus. 6:34): ”If thou wilt incline thy ear, thou shalt receive instruction.” The other knowledge of truth is affective, and this is directly hindered by pride, because the proud, through delighting in their own excellence, disdain the excellence of truth; thus Gregory says (Moral. xxiii, 17) that ”the proud, although certain hidden truths be conveyed to their understanding, cannot realize their sweetness: and if they know of them they cannot relish them.” Hence it is written (Prov. 11:2): ”Where humility is there also is wisdom.”

Reply Obj. 2: As stated above (Q. 161, AA. 2, 6), humility observes the rule of right reason whereby a man has true self-esteem. Now pride does not observe this rule of right reason, for he esteems himself greater than he is: and this is the outcome of an inordinate desire for his own excellence, since a man is ready to believe what he desires very much, the result being that his appet.i.te is borne towards things higher than what become him. Consequently whatsoever things lead a man to inordinate self-esteem lead him to pride: and one of those is the observing of other people's failings, just as, on the other hand, in the words of Gregory (Moral. xxiii, 17), ”holy men, by a like observation of other people's virtues, set others above themselves.” Accordingly the conclusion is not that pride is in the rational faculty, but that one of its causes is in the reason.

Reply Obj. 3: Pride is in the irascible, not only as a part of the sensitive appet.i.te, but also as having a more general signification, as stated above.

Reply Obj. 4: According to Augustine (De Civ. Dei xiv, 7, 9), ”love precedes all other emotions of the soul, and is their cause,”

wherefore it may be employed to denote any of the other emotions. It is in this sense that pride is said to be ”love of one's own excellence,” inasmuch as love makes a man presume inordinately on his superiority over others, and this belongs properly to pride.

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FOURTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 162, Art. 4]

Whether the Four Species of Pride Are Fittingly a.s.signed by Gregory?

Objection 1: It seems that the four species of pride are unfittingly a.s.signed by Gregory, who says (Moral. xxiii, 6): ”There are four marks by which every kind of pride of the arrogant betrays itself; either when they think that their good is from themselves, or if they believe it to be from above, yet they think that it is due to their own merits; or when they boast of having what they have not, or despise others and wish to appear the exclusive possessors of what they have.” For pride is a vice distinct from unbelief, just as humility is a distinct virtue from faith. Now it pertains to unbelief, if a man deem that he has not received his good from G.o.d, or that he has the good of grace through his own merits. Therefore this should not be reckoned a species of pride.

Obj. 2: Further, the same thing should not be reckoned a species of different genera. Now boasting is reckoned a species of lying, as stated above (Q. 110, A. 2; Q. 112). Therefore it should not be accounted a species of pride.

Obj. 3: Further, some other things apparently pertain to pride, which are not mentioned here. For Jerome [*Reference unknown] says that ”nothing is so indicative of pride as to show oneself ungrateful”: and Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xiv, 14) that ”it belongs to pride to excuse oneself of a sin one has committed.” Again, presumption whereby one aims at having what is above one, would seem to have much to do with pride. Therefore the aforesaid division does not sufficiently account for the different species of pride.

Obj. 4: Further, we find other divisions of pride. For Anselm [*Eadmer, De Similit. xxii, seqq.] divides the uplifting of pride, saying that there is ”pride of will, pride of speech, end pride of deed.” Bernard [*De Grad. Humil. et Superb. x, seqq.] also reckons twelve degrees of pride, namely ”curiosity, frivolity of mind, senseless mirth, boasting, singularity, arrogance, presumption, defense of one's sins, deceitful confession, rebelliousness, license, sinful habit.” Now these apparently are not comprised under the species mentioned by Gregory. Therefore the latter would seem to be a.s.signed unfittingly.

_On the contrary,_ The authority of Gregory suffices.

_I answer that,_ As stated above (AA. 1, 2, 3), pride denotes immoderate desire of one's own excellence, a desire, to wit, that is not in accord with right reason. Now it must be observed that all excellence results from a good possessed. Such a good may be considered in three ways. First, in itself. For it is evident that the greater the good that one has, the greater the excellence that one derives from it. Hence when a man ascribes to himself a good greater than what he has, it follows that his appet.i.te tends to his own excellence in a measure exceeding his competency: and thus we have the third species of pride, namely ”boasting of having what one has not.”

Secondly, it may be considered with regard to its cause, in so far as to have a thing of oneself is more excellent than to have it of another. Hence when a man esteems the good he has received of another as though he had it of himself, the result is that his appet.i.te is borne towards his own excellence immoderately. Now one is cause of one's own good in two ways, efficiently and meritoriously: and thus we have the first two species of pride, namely ”when a man thinks he has from himself that which he has from G.o.d,” or ”when he believes that which he has received from above to be due to his own merits.”

Thirdly, it may be considered with regard to the manner of having it, in so far as a man obtains greater excellence through possessing some good more excellently than other men; the result again being that his appet.i.te is borne inordinately towards his own excellence: and thus we have the fourth species of pride, which is ”when a man despises others and wishes to be singularly conspicuous.”