Chapter 2

Can sensitive souls cease to exist?

663. What has been said before about the nature of sensitive souls leads us to distinguish them into what we call elementary souls, whose term is the elementary continuum, and organic souls, whose term is the organated continuum, agitated internally and stimulated by continual movements. The second kind of souls springs forth in great number from the former of which they are actuations and individuations but from which they differ. The former, however, have everything needed to be called 'souls', that is, they have:

1. a sentient principle, which is the essence of the soul; and

2. an extended term, which is the essential condition for the soul itself.

The general question, 'Do souls annihilate themselves?', deals properly speaking with elementary souls. The fusion of organic souls into elementary souls through the dissolution of the organated body transforms souls, but does not deprive them of existence. This opinion is a middle way between that which requires the annihilation of the souls of beasts and that which declares them immortal.

664. I think that the impossibility of the annihilation of elementary souls through natural agents can be demonstrated by several arguments, two of which run as follows:

I. If sensitive souls, that is, sentient principles, could separate from the continuum, they would certainly annihilate themselves because their natural condition and essential relationship would be lacking. But what we have said about the nature of matter, whose existence cannot be conceived except as term of the sentient principle, shows that in such a case matter would be annihilated with them (Anthrop.). But it is admitted by all that matter, which can experience various changes, cannot be annihilated by causes acting in nature. The same must apply to sensitive principles, which are essentially relative to matter.

II. There is a direct conjunction between sensitive principle and its term, that is, with matter. No natural agent which acts as mediator in bringing about or assisting the conjunction forms part of the concept of this conjunction, which is brought about through the reciprocal actions and passions of the unextended, sentient principle and the extended, felt term. If, however, every other agent is extraneous to this conjunction, nothing can act on it, nothing can remove it. The dissolution of the bond can only come about either through the work of the sensitive principle itself or through that which can act upon it; or through the work of matter or that which can act upon it. But the sensitive principle and matter which are joined cannot spontaneously divide because no ens can annihilate itself. Their conjunction is natural to them, and their natural activity is directed to actuating and maintaining it. No other activity is present in them. If disunion is possible, it must arise therefore from some extraneous activity on the sensitive principle, or directly on matter. But these actions also are impossible.

It is impossible for a natural agent which operates on the sensitive principle to disunite them. Nothing acts on the sensitive principle except the intellective principle. But the intellective principle has no power over the sensitive principle except that of moving it to its operations (cf. 291-305). These operations do not, however, include that of self-destruction by disuniting itself from matter. Disjunction is not obtained in this way. Nor through the other because nothing acts on matter directly (with the exception of the sensitive principle) except matter itself. But material forces applied to matter have no other power than that of dividing it or uniting it in itself through motion. But dividing it or uniting its parts does not influence the conjunction that the sensitive principle has with matter. There is no agent in nature, therefore, which can make elementary souls cease to exist.

Will these souls be destroyed by direct action on the part of the Creator?

665. Natural theology offers us this proposition (confirmed by Revelation): 'Nothing created is annihilated by God.' Indeed, it is not fitting for the Creator to annihilate his own work which, precisely because it is his, is respected and loved because of the respect and love that he has for himself.

Sensitive souls, therefore, do not perish in any way.

666. At this point we can see that the hypothesis of feeling connected with the primal elements of bodies receives new support. If life were separable from bodies, it would perish. This, however, would contradict the thesis that nothing is annihilated of all that has come into existence through the hand of the Creator.

On the contrary, if it is true that 1. every material element has a sentient principle essentially joined with it, and 2. several sentient principles identify as a single principle when a number of elements unite in virtue of the continuum and of other laws (some of which we have explained), it remains true that created feeling never perishes. All that occurs through the decomposition and recomposition of bodies is continual, varied modification expressed in countless different forms. These changes, foreseen and preordained by the sublime wisdom of Providence, have to be directed to bringing the spirit of life, which animates the world, to an ever better state and condition, to ceaseless perfection.

667. The thesis, 'nothing is annihilated' strengthens the hypothesis of the animation of the elements of matter. In the same way, the identical thesis receives new probability from the theory of animal generation. If it is true that animals are multiplied by division of the felt continuum according to certain laws, it is clear that the contrary must also be true; that is, life is simplified when appropriate union takes place between several felt continua. This is simply the inverse activity of generation. If one is admitted, the other cannot be excluded.