A Renaissance Reading of Aquinas: Thomas Cajetan on the Ontological Status of Essences

摘要: Aristotelian philosophers have been always puzzled by the ambiguous status of essences: it is not clear whether an should admit that essence, taken in itself, real, even though essences do exist over and above particular things, as Platonists posit; furthermore, endorse view a certain unity, if they are themselves, namely, abstracting from individuals which essences. I tackle Thomas Cajetan’s analysis this problem: more sophisticated than developed Aquinas—whose texts had commented upon Cajetan. Cajetan distinguishes two senses “real” “unity,” order to speak reality unity essences, endorsing Platonist’s ontology. suggest his solution appealing for contemporary debate about problem.