Naturalne poznawanie aniołów konsekwencją ich ontycznej struktury – zarys ujęcia Tomasza z Akwinu

In the 13th century metaphysics gained quite innovative shape. It resulted in boost of interest in angelology, which has become scientific science. The famous debate between Thomas Aquinas and Avicebron finished with Aquinas’s theory of angelic ontological structure. He has proved that angels are not composed of matter and form, but their composition should be rather regarded in the categories of essence and existence, whereas act of existence plays primary role. The new account of angelic nature let Thomas to show perfection of higher separated substances’ cognition. It is, of course, the consequence of their ontological structure – Angelic cognition is abstracted from the matter, because angels are immaterial, so there is no possibility of processes of abstraction, which belongs only to the bodily beings. Aquinas’ conclusion is simple: angels do not achieve the truth, so there is no process of deduction in their cases, because they are immaterial, which brings about intellectuality of their cognition.