Angelicum Thomistic Institute Le Hibou, les Bains et la Petite Vieille | François-Xavier Putallaz
Nov 24, 2025
François-Xavier Putallaz, a Swiss Catholic scholar, delves into Thomas Aquinas's insights on intellect and faith. He discusses Aristotle's owl metaphor, illustrating how our intellect struggles with knowledge due to its limitations. The conversation explores the balance between philosophy and theology, emphasizing the importance of humility in grasping divine truths. Putallaz critiques modern utilitarianism's focus on pleasure, illustrating how physical comforts can soothe grief but not provide true consolation. The session culminates in a deep reflection on faith as a pathway to understanding what reason alone cannot.
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Essence Versus Sensible Appearance
- Even familiar material essences remain only partially known because we apprehend them via sensible properties, not their inner substance.
- The intellect can grasp essences yet cannot perfectly know even a single individual thing's full nature.
Human Soul: Potency And Progress
- The human soul is ontologically low among spirits and remains in potency regarding its act of existence.
- Our intellectual and moral growth requires time, senses, and bodily experience rather than instant infused knowledge.
Bodily Limits Are Adaptive
- For Thomas, our embodied condition and limited 'owl' intellect are adaptations that allow gradual knowledge and perfection.
- Bodily dependence and effort are virtues enabling growth rather than defects to be lamented.
