Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 105

Chap.

BETWEEN SUBJECT AND OBJECT

I]

taken by

itself

can be made the object of investigation, in

which case the element always thinks,

subject

81

lies

in

the

subject that

independently of the fact whether this any A or B, or the general subject man, angel, But in whatever way they work, the purpose

entirely is

or

God.

of

both actions in

and of thinking,

is

my

consciousness,

that of

perception

always to make me know something,

or,

meaning of fiSelv, to make me see something. The perception makes me know the element, the thinking makes me know the relations of this element. And by the united actions of these two I know what the object, and the manner of its existence, is. after the original

To prevent misunderstanding we should

say, moreover,

that this critical analysis, both of the elements and their relations,

and

of the perception

and the thinking,

is

only valid

when the object in hand is absolutely elementary. As soon as we proceed from entirely elementary to complicated phenomena, the elements and relations are found constantly interwoven, in consequence of which the perception and the thinking work in unison. The difference between the element and the relation is clearly indicated by an atom and its motion. For though I think that I clearly perceive the motion of the atom, I see, in fact, nothing but the same atom, but constantly in a different relation. If, on the other hand, I examine a drop of water, I deal with a very complicated object, in which numberless elements and relations intermingle. The glitter, form and peripheral atoms can be perceived, but I cannot know that this morphological phenomenon is a drop of water until, not by my perception, but by ni}' thinking (cogitatio), I obtain the knowledge of the relations. Through its perception a child notices something glisten and a certain form, by which it knows that something is near, but it does not know that it is water. When it sees fire, it puts out its hands towards it. But when, by means of thinking, the knowledge of relations develops itself, the child knows by sight that the drop of water is wet and that fire burns. This complicated state of the

phenomena gives

rise to the

morphological elements of a

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