Comparing Scotus's 'Will And Its Inclinations'

A. In Section Five: "The Will and its Inclinations", Scotus discusses the two affections of the will. In other words, these affections are the two basic inclinations of the will. One he identies as the affection for the advantageous, or affectio commodi. The second is affectio iustitiae; affection for justice. The affectio commodi correlates to intellectual appetite. This is noteworthy, because according to Aquinas' theory of will, intellectual appetite and will are interchangeable terms. For Scotus, however, intellectual appetite is only a part rather than the whole. Scotus accepts that intellectual appetite is undeniably a part of the will, but he cannot agree with Aquinas. For Scotus, he does not believe that intellectual appetite can be free. He views the affectio commodi as a purely natural appetite. If we had nothing but the affectio commodi, we could not help will the commodum as soon as we had intellectual cognition of it. …show more content…
Section Seven's "Happiness" is built on top of his feelings about the lack of freedom within the intellectual appetite. The intellectual appetite, in his opinion, is focused on happiness. However, the affectio iustitiae must play a role in the will as well in order for the will to be free. Scotus, overall, objects to Aquinas' former ideas about morality being driven by happiness.
C. No, Scotus' ideas are not like Aquinas'. In fact, Scotus disagrees with key aspects of Aquinas' theory of morality. Scotus' theory of morality aligns much more closely with that of