Physical and Metaphysical Aspects of the Doctrine of Light in Saint Bonaventure

This article analyses the concept of “light” in its historical development between two possibilities of explanation: the physical view considers light as an accident, like a quality of substance; the second, metaphysical view, shows it as a source of divine influence. Specifically, in the case of Bo...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Cresta, Gerald
Formato: Artículo publishedVersion
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2009
Materias:
Luz
Acceso en línea:https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/petm/article/view/7812
https://repositoriouba.sisbi.uba.ar/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi?a=d&c=patris&d=7812_oai
Aporte de:
Descripción
Sumario:This article analyses the concept of “light” in its historical development between two possibilities of explanation: the physical view considers light as an accident, like a quality of substance; the second, metaphysical view, shows it as a source of divine influence. Specifically, in the case of Bonaventure the doctrine of light appears as a synthesis of Aristotelian and Neoplatonic elements. Bonaventure's option for the Aristotelian hylemorfism is the basis for a universal pluralism of substantial forms, in which light assumes later the role of a transcendental condition for certainty in our knowledge. Also, this certitudinalis cognitio is presented in Bonaventure's thought as a tendency to good. If the light of God has a fundamental inf1uence in the acquirement of truth and human knowledge tends to good as final cause, so there is a connection between good and light. In considering this, an attempt is made to propose the transcendental as essential part of Bonaventure's contribution to one –although not systematic– metaphysics.