Forthcoming from Oxford University Press:

The Philosophy of Francisco Suárez

Date of Publish: ?
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Book Content: 11 Chapters

Abstract: Chapter 7 [pdf download]
Author: James South (Marquette University)

Suárez , Immortality, and the Soul’s Dependence on the Body

This paper provides a close reading of Suárez’s two significant arguments for the immortality of the soul present in his early commentary on the De Anima. It shows that he is cognizant of a metaphysical argument for immortality, which he inherits from Aquinas. While he states that this argument is sufficient, he nonetheless devotes most of his discussion to another argument, which seems designed to shore up a perceived, and crucial, weakness present in the metaphysical argument. This second argument relies on an account of the soul’s dependence on the body that is decidedly non-thomistic. In providing a reading of his argument, the paper notes that the premises are set forth in language borrowed from the 16th century Italian philosopher Pietro Pomponazzi and that what is at stake is providing an understanding of three crucial passages in Aristotle’s De Anima. These three passages are especially problematic in that they suggest a dependence of the soul on the body that would call into question the strength of the metaphysical argument. In tracing out Suárez’s subtle account of the varying senses of “dependence,” the paper shows that the commitment he has to a certain view of the soul’s dependence on body underwrites several other non-thomistic elements of his account of human cognition. In conclusion, the paper also notes the importance of recognizing that Suárez’s philosophical thought is shaped by currents of thought prevalent in the 15th and 16th centuries.