Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What is Physical Premotion?

In this case, it's a blog title that nobody else has taken. The blog, if I keep up with it, will be about various things sub specie aeternitatis, with a special interest in the theology of grace--and, that, particularly in relation to nature.

For the record, though, physical premotion is a kind of divine causality. The root idea is that no created nature (nature=physis, hence "physical") moves unless it is moved by the First Mover. And, yes, this holds true even for creatures who move themselves to action (hence pre-motion.) An awful lot of trouble in the theology of grace comes from neglect of this principle. 

3 comments:

  1. I have been reading Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP on the subject of physical premotion in his book Predestination. Any insights/thoughts/comments on this subject would be most welcome!

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  2. It's a marvelous book. Last week I finished evaluating a graduate thesis on Physical Premotion, by Br Justin Brophy OP, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. Hmmmm. What kinds of insights or thoughts or comments were you looking for? I could blabber on about this all day.....

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  3. I'd be most interested in the relationship between physical premotion and sufficient and efficacious grace.

    If we accept that man's cooperation with sufficient grace always remains in potency if he is not given an efficacious grace how, then, can we understand man's culpability in resisting sufficient grace when no efficacious grace to cooperate with it is granted?

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