Francisco Suárez war ein spanischer Jesuitenseelsorger, Philosoph und Theologe, eine zentrale Figur der Schule von Salamanca. Sein Werk stellt einen Wendepunkt in der Geschichte der Spätscholastik dar und markiert den Übergang von ihrer Renaissance- zu ihrer Barockphase. Sein Einfluss war so tiefgreifend, dass Denker, die so unterschiedlich waren wie Leibniz, Grotius und Heidegger, ihn als Inspirationsquelle zitierten.
In der Fünften metaphysischen Disputation untersucht Suárez die Definition der Individualität sowie die metaphysischen und physischen Individuationsprinzipien von Substanzen und Akzidentien. Die Analyse bezieht sich auf die zeitgenössische Literatur und spiegelt die Schulphysik des späten 16. Jahrhunderts wider.
In seiner Vorlesung "Uber das Willentliche und das Unwillentliche" unternimmt Suarez, der als Autor der Fruhen Neuzeit in seinem Werk wie nur wenige andere Autoren seiner Zeit die mittelalterliche Philosophie und Theologie systematisch aufnimmt und neu verarbeitet, den Versuch, die Willenstheorien der Patristik, der Hochscholastik und der fruhneuzeitlichen Aristotelesrezeption miteinander zu verknupfen. Das Werk entstammt einer Vorlesungsreihe, die Suarez zwischen 1578 und 1585 am Collegium Romanum auf Einladung von Papst Gregor XIII. abhielt. In der Diskussion der Willensfreiheit, der Rolle von Zwang oder Gewalt und den verschiedenen Arten des Willentlichen legt Suarez den Grundstein fur seine spatere Moralphilosophie.
The question of war and peace has accompanied Christian theology since its initial stages. Each attempt to answer it had to be conceptualized within the framework of biblical revelations, human rationality and practical actions (decision-making). This is also true for the draft of the Spanish Jesuit Francisco Suárez (1548–1617), whose thoughts are highly valued to this day, not least due to their influence on the philosophy on law and politics. To the same extent, Suárez can also be considered as a theologian par excellence, one who did not detach the application of natural reason from its purpose or origin: the divine law (lex divina). Therefore, he cannot be considered a ›secular‹ thinker dispensing with religious principles. This also applies to Suárez’ personal evaluation of war as against God’s will, particularly regarding its consequences.
Francisco Suárez was a principal figure in the transition from scholastic to modern natural law, summing up a long and rich tradition and providing much material both for adoption and controversy in the seventeenth century and beyond. Most of the selections translated in this volume are from 'On the Laws and God the Law-Giver (De legibus ac Deo legislatore, 1612)', a work that is considered one of Suárez' greatest achievements. Working within the framework originally elaborated by Thomas Aquinas, Suárez treated humanity as the subject of four different laws, which together guide human beings toward the ends of which they are capable. Suárez achieved a double objective in his systematic account of moral activity. First, he examined and synthesized the entire scholastic heritage of thinking on this topic, identifying the key issues of debate and the key authors who had formulated the different positions most incisively. Second, he went beyond this heritage of authorities to present a new account of human moral action and its relationship to the law. Treading a fine line between those to whom moral directives are purely a matter of reason and those to whom they are purely a matter of a commanding will, Suárez attempted to show how both human reason and the command of the lawgiver dictate the moral space of human action.
This volume presents a detailed and comprehensive study of the philosophy of law, based on the works of the Spanish Jesuit theologian Francisco Suarez. Edited by Conrad Vogler, this volume provides an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of legal philosophy, and the development of natural law theory. Whether you are a scholar, a philosopher, or simply seeking to deepen your understanding of the nature of law, this book is sure to inform and inspire.
Francisco Suárez's treatise on metaphysics offers a deep dive into questions of being, essence, and existence. This Latin philosophical work is a must-read for anyone interested in classical theological and philosophical debates.