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Summa Theologiae · I-II, q. 17

Question 17. Of the Acts Commanded by the Will

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, First Part of the Second Part. 9 articles.

Read in the reading room → This question at New Advent

Text: Summa Theologiae, Project Gutenberg #17897, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. The First Part of the Second Part of the Summa in the English Dominican translation (first printed 1911 to 1925; second and revised edition from 1920). A sample check on 2026-11-09 against pre-1931 printings at the Internet Archive (first printings of 1915 and 1916 and the second and revised edition of the 1920s) found that the article text matches, with no 1947 introduction, synopsis, or index. The phrase “From the Complete American Edition” in Gutenberg's catalog title is a provenance note only. Question and article numbers were added by the transcriber. Rights: Public domain (US)

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We must now consider the acts commanded by the will; under which head there are nine points of inquiry:

(1) Whether command is an act of the will or of the reason?

(2) Whether command belongs to irrational animals?

(3) Of the order between command and use;

(4) Whether command and the commanded act are one act or distinct?

(5) Whether the act of the will is commanded?

(6) Whether the act of the reason is commanded?

(7) Whether the act of the sensitive appetite is commanded?

(8) Whether the act of the vegetal soul is commanded?

(9) Whether the acts of the external members are commanded?

Articles

  1. Whether Command Is an Act of the Reason or of the Will?
  2. Whether Command Belongs to Irrational Animals?
  3. Whether Use Precedes Command?
  4. Whether Command and the Commanded Act Are One Act, or Distinct?
  5. Whether the Act of the Will Is Commanded?
  6. Whether the Act of the Reason Is Commanded?
  7. Whether the Act of the Sensitive Appetite Is Commanded?
  8. Whether the Act of the Vegetal Soul Is Commanded?
  9. Whether the Acts of the External Members Are Commanded?

Also online, linked only: the same translation at New Advent and the Latin text at Corpus Thomisticum. Neither is copied here.

Source: Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part. Project Gutenberg #17897. Project Gutenberg record. Public domain in the USA. Outside the U.S., check local copyright rules. Project Gutenberg notices retained. The full Project Gutenberg license is kept in the hosted text.