summa-contra-gentiles

244 THE SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES
Esau, that when they were not yet horn, nor had done any
good or evil . . . it was said that the elder shall serve the
younger. Therefore, before this was said, their souls had
not committed any sin and : yet this was said after their
conception, as appears from Gen. xxv. 23.
When we were treating of the distinction of things,^ we
adduced against the position of Origen several arguments,
which may also be employed here. Wherefore, omitting
them, let us pass on to others.
Again. We must admit that the human soul either needs
the senses, or not. Now experience would seem to make it
clear that it needs the senses : because whoever lacks a
certain sense, has no knowledge of the sensibles that are
known through that sense : thus one born blind has neither
knowledge nor any understanding whatever of colours.
Moreover if the soul need not the senses in order to understand,
we should not find in man any relation between
sensitive and intellective knowledge. Yet we observe the
contrary for sensation leads to memories, and these lead
:
us to take observation of things, whereby we arrive at the
understanding of the universal principles of sciences and
arts.^ if
Accordingly, the human soul needs the senses in
order to understand; since nature fails no thing in what —
is
necessary for the accomplishment of its proper operation,
thus it
supplies with fitting organs of sense and movement
those animals which are animated with the powers of sense
and movement,— the human soul must not have been
fashioned without the necessary assistance of the senses.
But the senses are inoperative without corporeal organs, as
shown above. ^ Therefore the soul was not made without
the organs of the body.
If, however, the human soul does not need the senses in
order to understand, and for this reason is said to have been
created apart from the body we are compelled to :
say that
before being united to the body, it understood by
itself all
scientific truths. In fact the Platonists granted this,* when
«
Ch. xliv.
'
Ch. Ivii.
« Cf. ch. Ixxvi.
* Cf. Timceus, Meno, passim.