Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgements ix -- A Note on the Texts and Citations xix -- Abbreviations xxi -- Works of St. Thomas Aquinas xxi -- Other Works and General Abbreviations xxii -- Foreword xxiii -- Introduction 1 -- Chapter 1 Historical Background 5 -- A. Sophists. Plato. Aristotle 5 -- A.1 Global View of Sophists on the First Principles 5 -- A.2 Plato (427-347 BCE) 8 -- A.2.1 A Synopsis of Plato's Philosophical Enterprise 9 -- A.2.2 An Overview of Plato on First Principles 10 -- A.3 Aristotle (384-322 BCE) 14 -- A.3.1 A Global View of the First Principles in Aristotle's Works 15 -- A.3.2 Aristotelian Presentation of the First Principles in the Sciences, particularly in the Analytics 17 -- a. On Axioms 22 -- b. Intrinsic Quality of the First Principles 23 -- c. Natural Priority and Independence of the Principles 24 -- d. Status of Principles of Science 25 -- e. Justification for the First Principles of Sciences 26 -- f. The Scientific Principles' Autonomy 27 -- A.3.3 Aristotle's Notion of the First Principles in Physics 28 -- A.3.4 The Centrality of the First Principles in Metaphysics 30 -- A.3.5 The Aristotelian First Principles in Protological and Theological Discourse and Relation of First Principles to Final Ends 33 -- A.3.6 The Possibility of the Knowledge and Elusiveness of the First Principles in Aristotle 34 -- A.3.7 The Principle of Non-Contradiction as Case Study 35 -- A.3.8 The Unresolved Problem of the First Principles in Aristotelian Works 37 -- B. Augustine 41 -- B.1 The Knowledge of the First Principles in Saint Augustine 41 -- B.2 The Possibility of the Principles in Augustine's Epistemology 42 -- B.3 Augustine's Theology of God 43 -- C. Modern Approach to the First Principles 44 -- C.1 Nominalism and Empiricism 44 -- C.2 Rationalism 48 -- C.3 Idealism and Kant 49 -- C.4 Modern Axiomatism 51.

C.5 Popper and the Problem of Induction 53 -- D. Conclusion 57 -- Chapter 2 The First Principles in the Works of Saint Thomas Aquinas 59 -- A. St. Thomas Aquinas 59 -- A.1 The Aristotelian Import on Thomas Aquinas' Works (First Principles) 60 -- A.2 A Cursory Glance at the Theory of the First Principles in Aquinas 64 -- B. An Overview of the First Principles in Saint Thomas Aquinas' Works 66 -- B.1 Thomistic Principles: Identification and Structural Précis 70 -- B.2 Recurrent Principles in the Works of Thomas Aquinas 72 -- B.2.1 Ontological Principles: Being 72 -- a. First Principles of Being as Such 73 -- b. The First Principles in Substances and Accidents 75 -- c. Operations, Actions 77 -- B.2.2 Ontological Principles: Causality 79 -- a. Potency, Act 79 -- b. Matter, Form 82 -- c. Efficiency 83 -- d. Final Cause 85 -- B.2.3 First Principles Involving Participation 87 -- B.2.4 God as the Prime Principle of Being 91 -- B.2.5 Moral Principles 94 -- a. Some Principles on the Good 94 -- b. On the Moral Principles of Reason 95 -- c. Principles Pertaining to the End 96 -- d. Natural Principles and Virtue 96 -- C. The Role of the Principles in Thomistic Philosophy 98 -- C.1 General Notion of the Use of the Principles 98 -- C.2 The Role of the Principles in Being 101 -- D. Conclusion 103 -- Chapter 3 The Knowledge of the First Principles 105 -- A. Conceptual Apprehension and Primitive Judgment 106 -- A.1 The Starting Point of Knowledge 107 -- A.1.1 Sensation and Experience 110 -- A.1.2 Sensory Knowledge and Truth 116 -- A.2 Simplex Apprehensio: Intellectus (Nous) vs Ratio (Logos) 119 -- A.2.1 An Epigrammatic on the Thomistic Analysis concerning the two Intellective Powers 120 -- A.2.2 Nous considered as Judgment in Aquinas 123 -- A.2.3 The Thomistic Intellectual Operations and the First Cognitive Act 126.

A.2.4 The Complementarity between Simplex apprehensio and Compositio/Divisio 132 -- A.3 Abstractive Intuition 137 -- A.3.1 The Comprehensive Nature of Second Intellectual Act 138 -- A.3.2 A Concise Appraisal of the Problem of Abstractive Intuition of the First Intellectual Concepts 143 -- A.3.3 A Brief Look at the Thomistic Notion of Separatio 145 -- A.4 Précis on a few Thomists' Views on the Grasp of Being in Act 153 -- A.4.1 Maritain on the Intuition of Being 153 -- A.4.2 A Quick Glance at the Existential Judgment of Gilson 155 -- A.4.3 Fabro's View on Ontological Unity between Abstraction and Intuition 159 -- A.4.4 An Evaluative Résumé on the Primum Cognitum 161 -- B. Transcendental Notions 165 -- B.1 Transcendental Foundations 165 -- B.2 Derivation of the Transcendentals 168 -- B.2.1 A Note on Multitudo as a Transcendental 169 -- B.2.2 A Synopsis on Verum and Bonum as Transcendentals 172 -- a. Aquinas' Transcendental Notion of Verum 173 -- b. The Transcendental Bonum 175 -- B.3 The Primacy of Ens 176 -- B.4 Relationship between the First Principles and Transcendentals 179 -- C. Conclusion 183 -- Chapter 4 Habits of the First Principles 185 -- A. An Overview of the Habits in the Realistic Context 186 -- A.1 What are the Habits? 186 -- A.1.1 Briefs on Hexis, the Aristotelian Perspective 188 -- A.1.2 Aquinas' General View on Habitus 189 -- a. Habitus as Quality 190 -- b. Habitus as Disposition 191 -- c. Habitus considered from Entitative and Operative Dimensions 192 -- d. The Natural Position of Habitus amid Faculty and Operations 193 -- e. Habitus as Second Nature 195 -- f. Habitus and Dynamism 197 -- A.2. General Categorisation of Habits 198 -- A.2.1 The Intellectual and Moral Habits (Virtues) 198 -- A.2.2 A Glance at the Classification of the Intellectual and Moral Virtues 199 -- B. Habits of the First Principles 204.

B.1 A Brief Survey on the Nature of Habitus Primorum Principiorum 205 -- B.1.1 Intellectus Principiorum and its Interactive Character 206 -- B.1.2 The Object of Intellectus Principiorum and its Operational Modality 211 -- B.1.3 The Scientific Totality of Intellectus Principiorum 213 -- B.2 PNC an Expression of Intellectus Principiorum 215 -- B.2.1 Structure of the PNC in Thomistic Perspective 215 -- a. Formulation of the PNC: Paradigm of Realistic Judgment 216 -- b. Kant's Hypotheses and Formulation of the PNC 220 -- B.2.2 Analytical Aspects of the PNC 223 -- a. PNC and the Principle of Identity 223 -- b. Unity and Division 225 -- c. Non-Ens and Plurality 227 -- B.2.3 An Appraisal of the PNC 233 -- B.3 Synderesis the Scintilla Rationis 234 -- B.3.1 Synderesis as Practical Habitus Principiorum 238 -- B.3.2 Contents of Synderesis 242 -- B.3.3 The Practical Mode of Operation of Synderesis 245 -- B.3.4 An Evaluative Synopsis on the Thomistic Notion of Synderesis 249 -- C. Aquinas and the Problem of Innatism 253 -- C.1 The Origin of Habitus Principiorum: the Inception of the Problem of Innatism 254 -- C.2 Aquinas' Notion of Innateness 256 -- a. Illumination and Participation 257 -- b. Non-Existence of Innate Species 259 -- c. Human Intellect's Original State of Tabula Rasa 260 -- d. Brief Assessment 261 -- D. Conclusion 262 -- Chapter 5 Evidence and Indirect Demonstration of the First Principles 265 -- A. Indirect Demonstration of the First Principles 267 -- A.1.1 Sample Thomistic Texts on Indirect Demonstration 268 -- A.1.2 Some Interpretations on the Indirect Proof of the First Principles 272 -- a. Berti's Dialectical Method 273 -- b. Livi's Interpretation with the PNC 275 -- c. Briefs on Sanguineti's Illustration on diverse Philosophical Positions 279 -- d. The Place of Dialectic in the Demonstration of the Principles 281.

B. Aquinas and the Per se and Per se notum 283 -- B.1.1 A Glance at the Thomistic Notion of the Per se 284 -- B.1.2 The Per se notum Principle 286 -- B.1.3 The Different Domains of the Per se nota Principles 290 -- a. A Brief Survey of the Speculative Principles as Per se nota 294 -- b. A Synopsis of the Practical Precepts in Relation to the Per se nota 299 -- c. A Concise Assessment of the Connaturality Debate 304 -- d. A Glance at God as the Principle Per se notum secundum se 308 -- e. Précis on the Principle of Love as Per se nota quoad nos 310 -- f. An Evaluative Résumé 313 -- C. Truth, the Self-Evident and Rational Judgment 314 -- C.1.1 Truth, Intelligibility and the Self-Evident 314 -- C.1.2 A Quick Look at Necessity and Intelligibility 317 -- C.1.3 A View on the Mind's Resolutio 319 -- a. Précis on Resolutio ad sensum in Natural Sciences 324 -- b. A Brief Appraisal on Intellectus-Ratio concerning Resolutio 325 -- D. From Intellectus towards Wisdom 326 -- D.1.1 Rationality and Resolutio in Knowledge towards Wisdom 329 -- D.1.2 An Overview on the Real Principles ad Sapientiam 333 -- D.1.3 The Bipartite Resolutio-Compositio Intellectual Climax in Sapientia 335 -- D.1.4 Towards Practical Sapientia 339 -- E. Conclusion 341 -- General Conclusion 343 -- Select Bibliography 351 -- Index Locorum 367 -- A. Index Thomisticum (Aquinas' Works) 367 -- B. Aristotle and other Ancient/Classical Works 368 -- Index Nominum 369 -- General Index 372.