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Objection 1: It would seem that no pleasure is not natural. For
pleasure is to the emotions of the soul what repose is to bodies. But
the appetite of a natural body does not repose save in a connatural
place. Neither, therefore, can the repose of the animal appetite,
which is pleasure, be elsewhere than in something connatural.
Therefore no pleasure is non-natural.
Objection 2: Further, what is against nature is violent. But
"whatever is violent causes grief" (Metaph. v, 5). Therefore
nothing which is unnatural can give pleasure.
Objection 3: Further, the fact of being established in one's own
nature, if perceived, gives rise to pleasure, as is evident from the
Philosopher's definition quoted above (Article 1). But it is
natural to every thing to be established in its nature; because natural
movement tends to a natural end. Therefore every pleasure is natural.
On the contrary, The Philosopher says (Ethic. vii, 5,6) that
some things are pleasant "not from nature but from disease."
I answer that, We speak of that as being natural, which is in accord
with nature, as stated in Phys. ii, 1. Now, in man, nature can
be taken in two ways. First, inasmuch as intellect and reason is the
principal part of man's nature, since in respect thereof he has his
own specific nature. And in this sense, those pleasures may be called
natural to man, which are derived from things pertaining to man in
respect of his reason: for instance, it is natural to man to take
pleasure in contemplating the truth and in doing works of virtue.
Secondly, nature in man may be taken as contrasted with reason, and
as denoting that which is common to man and other animals, especially
that part of man which does not obey reason. And in this sense, that
which pertains to the preservation of the body, either as regards the
individual, as food, drink, sleep, and the like, or as regards the
species, as sexual intercourse, are said to afford man natural
pleasure. Under each kind of pleasures, we find some that are "not
natural" speaking absolutely, and yet "connatural" in some respect.
For it happens in an individual that some one of the natural principles
of the species is corrupted, so that something which is contrary to the
specific nature, becomes accidentally natural to this individual: thus
it is natural to this hot water to give heat. Consequently it happens
that something which is not natural to man, either in regard to
reason, or in regard to the preservation of the body, becomes
connatural to this individual man, on account of there being some
corruption of nature in him. And this corruption may be either on the
part of the body---from some ailment; thus to a man suffering from
fever, sweet things seem bitter, and vice versa---or from an evil
temperament; thus some take pleasure in eating earth and coals and the
like; or on the part of the soul; thus from custom some take pleasure
in cannibalism or in the unnatural intercourse of man and beast, or
other such things, which are not in accord with human nature.
This suffices for the answers to the objections.
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