Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the angel does not love himself both with natural love and a love of choice. For, as was said (Article 2), natural love regards the end itself; while love of choice regards the means to the end. But the same thing, with regard to the same, cannot be both the end and a means to the end. Therefore natural love and the love of choice cannot have the same object.

Objection 2: Further, as Dionysius observes (Div. Nom. iv): "Love is a uniting and a binding power." But uniting and binding imply various things brought together. Therefore the angel cannot love himself.

Objection 3: Further, love is a kind of movement. But every movement tends towards something else. Therefore it seems that an angel cannot love himself with either natural or elective love.

On the contrary, The Philosopher says (Ethic. ix, 8): "Love for others comes of love for oneself."

I answer that, Since the object of love is good, and good is to be found both in substance and in accident, as is clear from Ethic. i, 6, a thing may be loved in two ways; first of all as a subsisting good; and secondly as an accidental or inherent good. That is loved as a subsisting good, which is so loved that we wish well to it. But that which we wish unto another, is loved as an accidental or inherent good: thus knowledge is loved, not that any good may come to it but that it may be possessed. This kind of love has been called by the name "concupiscence" while the first is called "friendship."

Now it is manifest that in things devoid of knowledge, everything naturally seeks to procure what is good for itself; as fire seeks to mount upwards. Consequently both angel and man naturally seek their own good and perfection. This is to love self. Hence angel and man naturally love self, in so far as by natural appetite each desires what is good for self. On the other hand, each loves self with the love of choice, in so far as from choice he wishes for something which will benefit himself.

Reply to Objection 1: It is not under the same but under quite different aspects that an angel or a man loves self with natural and with elective love, as was observed above.

Reply to Objection 2: As to be one is better than to be united, so there is more oneness in love which is directed to self than in love which unites one to others. Dionysius used the terms "uniting" and "binding" in order to show the derivation of love from self to things outside self; as uniting is derived from unity.

Reply to Objection 3: As love is an action which remains within the agent, so also is it a movement which abides within the lover, but does not of necessity tend towards something else; yet it can be reflected back upon the lover so that he loves himself; just as knowledge is reflected back upon the knower, in such a way that he knows himself.

Articulus 3

Argumentum 1

Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod Angelus non diligat seipsum dilectione naturali et electiva. Dilectio enim naturalis est ipsius finis, sicut dictum est; dilectio autem electiva, eorum quae sunt ad finem. Sed idem non potest esse finis et ad finem, respectu eiusdem. Ergo non potest esse eiusdem dilectio naturalis et electiva.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, amor est virtus unitiva et concretiva, ut dionysius dicit, IV cap. De div. Nom..

Sed unitio et concretio est diversorum in unum reductorum.

Ergo non potest Angelus diligere seipsum.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, dilectio est quidam motus. Sed omnis motus in alterum tendit. Ergo videtur quod Angelus non possit amare seipsum dilectione naturali, nec electiva.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod philosophus dicit, IX ethic., quod amicabilia quae sunt ad alterum, veniunt ex amicabilibus quae sunt ad seipsum.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, cum amor sit boni, bonum autem sit et in substantia et in accidente, ut patet I ethic., dupliciter aliquid amatur, uno modo, ut bonum subsistens; alio modo, ut bonum accidentale sive inhaerens. Illud quidem amatur ut bonum subsistens, quod sic amatur ut ei aliquis velit bonum. Ut bonum vero accidentale seu inhaerens amatur id quod desideratur alteri, sicut amatur scientia, non ut ipsa sit bona, sed ut habeatur.

Et hunc modum amoris quidam nominaverunt concupiscentiam, primum vero amicitiam. Manifestum est autem quod in rebus cognitione carentibus, unumquodque naturaliter appetit consequi id quod est sibi bonum; sicut ignis locum sursum. Unde et Angelus et homo naturaliter appetunt suum bonum et suam perfectionem. Et hoc est amare seipsum. Unde naturaliter tam Angelus quam homo diligit seipsum, inquantum aliquod bonum naturali appetitu sibi desiderat.

Inquantum vero sibi desiderat aliquod bonum per electionem, intantum amat seipsum dilectione electiva.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod Angelus aut homo non diligit se dilectione naturali et electiva secundum idem; sed secundum diversa, ut dictum est.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut plus est esse unum quam uniri, ita amor magis est unus ad seipsum, quam ad diversa quae ei uniuntur.

Sed ideo dionysius usus fuit nomine unitionis et concretionis, ut ostenderet derivationem amoris a se in alia, sicut ab uno derivatur unitio.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod, sicut amor est actio manens in agente, ita est motus manens in amante, non autem tendens in aliquid aliud ex necessitate; sed potest reflecti super amantem, ut amet seipsum, sicut et cognitio reflectitur in cognoscentem, ut cognoscat seipsum.