Angel in “the Cartesian theatre” – Aquinas and the mind-body problem
Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne February 3, 2025 Tomasz Stępień
The article argues that Thomas Aquinas's account of how an immaterial angel assumes a human body closely parallels Descartes's dualistic view of the soul acting on the body, including a version of the 'Cartesian theatre.' For Aquinas, an angel in an assumed body only pretends to perform human actions because it operates bodily organs as a form not united with that body. By contrast, Aquinas's own explanation of the human soul-body relation emphasizes their unity as one substance, a view sometimes called 'biological' because of the body's role in human actions. The article suggests Aquinas's approach can overcome Cartesian dualism and resolve dilemmas tied to the traditional 'soul hypothesis.'