The Appetite of Man
Henri Renard – The Philosophy of Man, Chap. 7: The Appetites of Man Every human being has the natural urge to seek a good end, for the reason that is
desired and sought by the intellect of the soul alone. However, there is a continuous and
necessary order that we are follow to reach the end. Our obligation to reach an end is the
fundamentals of Metaphysics. The appetite of man can be divided into three parts; sensitive
appetite of men, the nature of intellectual will, and the nature and the need for habits. A former
professor of philosophy at Creighton University by the name of Henri Renard, expressed this
concept in his book The Philosophy of Men, which he dedicates a whole chapter to the appetite
of man though St. Thomas Aquinas’ theory.
The Sensitive appetite of men can be distinguished into the natural, the sensual, and
the intellectual appetites of man. Which contribute to the order of an ultimate perfect end? The
natural appetite of men means that without having the knowledge of an end we can still move
towards our end. This is possible because every form has thought of a natural inclination towards
an end. “All beings in act, because they have a form, have imprinted in them a natural appetite to
their end” (Renard 155). As human beings we tend to know the truth and the love of God. So to
know an end is natural because God is the author of nature which includes human beings. The
sensual appetite is another of our appetites as human beings, which is a desire for the good.
Helps distinguish between what is pleasurable and what’s not. An additional sense is the intellect
of man in which he seeks what is primarily both good and useful.
However, there is a distinction between the two types of sensitive appetites, which
include the concupiscible and the irascible. As a result the natural appetite has two direct ends
which are to
desired and sought by the intellect of the soul alone. However, there is a continuous and
necessary order that we are follow to reach the end. Our obligation to reach an end is the
fundamentals of Metaphysics. The appetite of man can be divided into three parts; sensitive
appetite of men, the nature of intellectual will, and the nature and the need for habits. A former
professor of philosophy at Creighton University by the name of Henri Renard, expressed this
concept in his book The Philosophy of Men, which he dedicates a whole chapter to the appetite
of man though St. Thomas Aquinas’ theory.
The Sensitive appetite of men can be distinguished into the natural, the sensual, and
the intellectual appetites of man. Which contribute to the order of an ultimate perfect end? The
natural appetite of men means that without having the knowledge of an end we can still move
towards our end. This is possible because every form has thought of a natural inclination towards
an end. “All beings in act, because they have a form, have imprinted in them a natural appetite to
their end” (Renard 155). As human beings we tend to know the truth and the love of God. So to
know an end is natural because God is the author of nature which includes human beings. The
sensual appetite is another of our appetites as human beings, which is a desire for the good.
Helps distinguish between what is pleasurable and what’s not. An additional sense is the intellect
of man in which he seeks what is primarily both good and useful.
However, there is a distinction between the two types of sensitive appetites, which
include the concupiscible and the irascible. As a result the natural appetite has two direct ends
which are to