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Objection 1: It would seem that the separated soul knows all natural
things. For the types of all natural things exist in separate
substances. Therefore, as separated souls know separate substances,
they also know all natural things.
Objection 2: Further, whoever understands the greater
intelligible, will be able much more to understand the lesser
intelligible. But the separated soul understands immaterial
substances, which are in the highest degree of intelligibility.
Therefore much more can it understand all natural things which are in a
lower degree of intelligibility.
On the contrary, The devils have greater natural knowledge than the
separated soul; yet they do not know all natural things, but have to
learn many things by long experience, as Isidore says (De Summo
Bono i). Therefore neither can the separated soul know all natural
things.
I answer that, As stated above (Article 1), the separated soul,
like the angels, understands by means of species, received from the
influence of the Divine light. Nevertheless, as the soul by nature
is inferior to an angel, to whom this kind of knowledge is natural,
the soul apart from the body through such species does not receive
perfect knowledge, but only a general and confused kind of knowledge.
Separated souls, therefore, have the same relation through such
species to imperfect and confused knowledge of natural things as the
angels have to the perfect knowledge thereof. Now angels through such
species know all natural things perfectly; because all that God has
produced in the respective natures of natural things has been produced
by Him in the angelic intelligence, as Augustine says (Gen. ad
lit. ii, 8). Hence it follows that separated souls know all
natural things not with a certain and proper knowledge, but in a
general and confused manner.
Reply to Objection 1: Even an angel does not understand all natural
things through his substance, but through certain species, as stated
above (Question 87, Article 1). So it does not follow that the
soul knows all natural things because it knows separate substances after
a fashion.
Reply to Objection 2: As the soul separated from the body does not
perfectly understand separate substances, so neither does it know all
natural things perfectly; but it knows them confusedly, as above
explained in this article.
Reply to Objection 3: Isidore speaks of the knowledge of the future
which neither angels, nor demons, nor separated souls, know except so
far as future things pre-exist in their causes or are known by Divine
revelation. But we are here treating of the knowledge of natural
things.
Reply to Objection 4: Knowledge acquired here by study is proper
and perfect; the knowledge of which we speak is confused. Hence it
does not follow that to study in order to learn is useless.
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