Pearl of Scholasticism

If you have ever read the Summa Theologiae, you know that almost all articles in it follow the same pattern. First, the problem is posed:

“Some say that A is B.

But on the contrary, others state that A is not B but C.

What shall we do? I respond…”

Then comes the answer, either:

“Nothing prevents A from being both B and C, considered under the aspect X.”

Or, most commonly:

“A is B in case X, and is C in case Y.”

Or:

“A is neither B nor C in the strict sense, but with the remark Z we may say that…”

This very method that scholastics used to process complex, seemingly contradictory questions is called distinction.

1. So what is it?

Distinction (Latin distinctio) is the act of adding a modus, or a modality, to a statement.

From the point of view of logic, all statements in the world, be it a simple “I’ll go buy some bread” or a perplexing “time is a quantum iterator of causality”, have the same structure: A is B, the subject is the predicate.

Distinction clarifies this by saying:

A is B inquantum X – that is, “in the measure / in the case / under the condition / with the proviso that X.”

In other words, distinction is the act of identifying the ways in which a predicate can belong to a subject.

This method is the cornerstone of scholasticism. It allows many diverse ideas to be arranged into a beautiful, coherent picture.

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The closest analogue in the modern arsenal is modal logic. “In all worlds where A is possible, B is necessary.” See also quantifier notation: ∀x ∈ A (X(x) → B(x)) – “B is true for all A that are X.”

No wonder the similarities: laws of logic remain the same in every age, only the way we phrase them differs. Still, the parallel is not perfect. Modern methods are syntactic in essence and operate on variables, while distinction is ontological and operates on meanings.

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It may seem that distinction is the easiest thing ever. After all, it is merely a clarification.

We have used it since childhood every time we asked “wait, what do you mean?” It comes to the mind as naturally as forming statements in the first place.

Why, then, do we need a fancy word for such an everyday phenomenon? Why even bother writing an entire article about distinction?

2. Usefulness

The answer is: because people have completely forgotten how to use it. The very ability to distinguish is waning; society forces binary choices.

Distinction is not merely an instrument of logic, it is an all-encompassing method, or even an art of thinking.

It is extremely useful to train your mind to view any statement through the prism of distinction, until it comes as naturally as breathing. Then, if someone poses a complex question to you, such as:

“What happens if an ordained priest enters matrimony? Can he ever celebrate again, or nevermore?”

– a metronome will immediately start ticking inside your head, swinging from “in what cases might this be true” to “when can it not be?”

You will notice how quickly the mind, once given the direction, can slice uncertainty into precise pieces of “yes when…” and “no when…”, sort them, and produce a clear, well-informed answer.

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Distinction is the natural predator of false dichotomies. When it becomes your second nature, you will be astonished by how many of them surround us and how poorly people handle them.

So, when someone in the parish asks you, “Are you a trad or a modernist?”, the skill of distinction will help you form the response instantly:

“I believe traditional views may hold truth in these aspects, while modern ones do in those.”

This works in daily life as well.

“Will you take the garbage out, or must I do it?”

Another false dichotomy, trying to suggest that only one of the two can be true and nudging you into making the trip. The distinction method allows to voice the unpresented third option, for example: “Let’s go together, we can stop by the shop on the way.”

Dichotomies are always suspicious. Every time one is posed before you, a warning signal should flare up in your mind.

Almost always a dichotomy turns out to be false, meaning the real range of choice is wider than it offers. And almost always it bears a manipulative intent: to force you into one of its alternatives, or to pin you to a clique and attach a label.

The skill of distinction enables you to see such logical landmines from afar and disarm them swiftly.

3. In Practice

A few examples.

“Are you on the side of science or religion?”

Answer: distinguo (I make a distinction). Science deals with the material and the measurable, and its question is “why” or “how”. Religion deals with the metaphysical, and its question is “what for”. Science without faith is lame; faith without science is blind. The two do not contradict but complement each other.

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One more:

“Are you for a market economy or for social justice?”

Answer: distinguo. A market economy is good inquantum (to the extent that) it encourages initiative and subsidiarity, in accordance with the Church’s social teaching.

Justice is obligatory inquantum it protects the dignity of the person and the common good.

Verdict: I am for a socially responsible market economy.

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And yet another:

“Are you for gender equality or for traditional roles?”

Answer: distinguendum est (one must distinguish)! Equality in dignity – yes, for both man and woman are created in the image of God. Differences in vocation and physiology – yes as well, for material order of nature is objective.

Verdict: I affirm both, each according to the divine order.

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Note: not all contradictions can be resolved. Some are simply incompatible.

For example, the job requirement “Age: not older than 25; work experience: no less than 30 years” cannot be saved by distinction.

It exists to untangle complex meanings, not to overthrow the law of non-contradiction.

4. In Matters of Faith

Distinction preserves us from heresies, for almost every heresy was born from the inability to perceive doctrine in its proper precision.

All central dogmas of Christianity rely on careful and subtle distinctions:

• Christ is one Person, yet He possesses two natures;
• God is one in essence, yet three in Persons;
• Grace acts in the mutable human being, yet proceeds from the immutable God.

Without distinction, all these formulas cease to function.

It can also bring divergent theological views and theories closer together, for its very task is to reconcile statements that appear contradictory.

It may well be that the answer to some of the Church’s current problems will lie in a set of intricate, firm, and very precise dogmatic distinctions.

5. Finale

Distinguo ergo sum – “I distinguish, therefore I am”.

Distinction is the instrument that allows us to be strict without becoming harsh, and flexible without becoming vague.

In an age when “things fall apart, the center cannot hold”, the realm of human thought is a vast, storm-tossed sea. Easy to lose oneself in, Easy to lose oneself in, although hiding plenty of treasures to loot.

New ideas are hurled into society every day, rarely reflected upon or refined, and upon them ever rougher notions are immediately piled.

In such times, clarity of mind is essential. Someone must take up the chisel and shape this mass of meanings properly, so that from the chaos a new and beautiful edifice may emerge.

Distinction is precisely this chisel.

Think distinctly. May the Almighty God, the Creator of logic and the living Logic Himself, aid us in this work. Amen.