THE HUMAN POWERS (given to us by God Himself) [also called THE POWERS OF THE SOUL] Reference: St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae Prima Pars Q’s  The VEGETATIVE POWERS ( THE MOST BASIC POWERS)  Nutrition – faculties that sustain life through use of nutrients in food.  Growth – faculties that increase the strength and size of the body  Reproduction – faculties that transmit life  The Locomotive Powers - faculties for moving oneself/parts of oneself.

The Intellective Power (the Intellect) The Intellective Appetite (the Will) The Sensitive Powers – faculties for perceiving external world  External Sensitive Powers – the 5 senses  Internal Sensitive Powers – sense memory, imagination… The Sensitive Appetite – faculties that deal with reacting to the external world  Concupiscible Appetite  Irascible Appetite

The Intellective Appetite relies upon the Intellective Power. Without information it receives from the Intellective Power, it cannot act. *NOTE * The Sensitive Appetite relies upon The Sensitive Power

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As a result, ALL HUMAN PERSONS, possess an equal dignity, because all human persons possess a complete human soul. What holds all of these powers together? What allows these powers to form a single whole? The Human Soul

In both cases the person simply lacks the bodily wholeness/perfection that allows him to exercise the power. So we can assert: A person who is blind is not less a person. He still has the power of sight within his soul. A child who is mentally challenged is not less a human person than a child of average intelligence. He has the same powers of the soul as the other.

OBJECTS AND ACTS Each power aims at particular objects. Sight object we call color. Locomotion object we call movement. Hearing object we call sound. Touch object we call pressure, texture, temperature... Intellect object we call truth

ACTS MOVE POWERS TO OBJECTS There are 2 types of acts: An ORDERED ACT moves a power to its PROPER OBJECT. A DISORDERED ACT moves a power to an IMPROPER OBJECT.

Examples of OA & DA OA = Listening to a lecture given in class, reading the Scriptures (the power is being used to help my whole self.) DA = Listening to gossip or a dirty joke, reading pornographic magazine (the power is being used to hurt my whole self and even others.)

VIRTUE AND VICE Virtue is the habit of performing ORDERED ACTS. (a virtue perfects a human power) Vice is the habit of performing DISORDERED ACTS.

A bit of language study “Virtue” is derived from the word ”vir” – man. (to possess virtue is to be true to your nature as a human person.) “Virtue” also derived from “virtus” – strength. (to possess virtue is to possess a strength of soul, an integrity.) To possess virtue is *TO LIVE IN TRUE FREEDOM.*

LANGUAGE CONT. The word “vice” is derived from a word meaning “to twist”, as from a root; “to distort” (To possess “vice” is to distort your own nature and personhood;) it is a rejection of the beauty which you are called to create within your soul. TO LIVE IN VICE IS TO LIVE IN SLAVERY TO SIN AND SELFISHNESS.

(THEY ARE ALL UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE Intellect.) the Sensitive Appetites, What do the Intellective Power, the Intellective Appetite have in common? They all are capable of possessing virtue… because

EACH ONE OF MY ACTIONS SHAPES MY BEING, MY SOUL. …we can’t control our Nutritive Power better, so that we can digest more nutrients more efficiently …we can’t learn to control our Growth Power better so that our diseased cells will die more quickly and be replaced by new cells just as quickly. The development and the sustaining of virtue is a CHOICE! Only man is capable of possessing TRUE FREEDOM which is the ability to know the truth and to choose the good.

TO POSSESS VIRTUE IS TO POSSESS TRUE FREEDOM Important adages: “Pretty is as pretty does” “As a being acts, so it is.” “By acting, I shape WHO I AM.” (…a liar, a cheater, an adulterer, a perfectionist, a gentleman, a real Christian, a sincere and honest person…)

I remained silent. The Sensitive Appetite Concupiscible/Irascible Appetites We are very familiar with how they work. We call these powers, these “forces within us,” our “emotions” or our “passions”. Many times we have acted according to what our Sensitive Appetites have “told” us. I saw chocolates… so I went over and ate 3 or 4. I were sad because of the way someone treated me… so I went and took an extra-long nap I was in a very uncomfortable situation and I knew I should have said something, but, out of fear …

The more virtuous I am, the more free I am to more truly love my true self (not my selfish self), my neighbor, and my God. I realized a person had a romantic interest in me, but I found that person unattractive, so I avoided the person going out of my way not to meet the person. The truth stated below is so very important!

EMOTIONS are reactions of the soul to the world around us or to our own inner world.** Studies conducted by neurologists show that the first part of our brain that external stimuli hit is the part of our brain that is the seat of emotions. Our first reactions are emotional… NOT REASON-BASED. The world of our imagination is our own version of what is really going on**

STEPS WE GO THROUGH BEFORE ACTING The following are the steps we go through before acting: 1. Our External and Internal Sensitive Powers (the Sensitive Power) obtain information from these worlds. These powers perceive the things or beings. 2. The Sensitive Appetite receives the thing or being and reacts to it by giving it value as: a.) Having goodness or a lack of goodness for us b.) Having usefulness or harmfulness for us c.) etc.

STEPS WE GO THROUGH BEFORE ACTING…CONTINUED. 3. The Sensitive Appetite then causes us “to move” or “to be moved”. 4. The Sensitive Appetite then influences the Will, trying to move it to act in one way or another. (Usually, to strive to obtain the thing that has goodness for us or to strive to avoid the thing that has harmfulness for us, etc.) *Recall that, due to original Sin, the Sensitive Appetite suffers from disorder. Not all of its impulses should be acted upon.

STEPS WE GO THROUGH BEFORE ACTING…CONTINUED. 5. The Will does not choose a course of action until it first “checks” with the Intellect. The Will “asks” the Intellect if the thing it is moved toward/away from by the Sensitive Appetite is good. *Note: The Will seeks to conform to the rational good (the reasonable good, the truth.)

STEPS WE GO THROUGH BEFORE ACTING…FINISHED. 6. The Intellect assesses the situation and then gives direction to the Will. The Intellect presents the Will with a good to be chosen. 7. The Will then should choose the good presented to it by the Intellect, putting the emotion (the impulse from the Sensitive Appetite) in line with the rational good.