Selection from An Introduction to the Philosophy of Animate Nature | Henry Koren, CSSp

(St. Louis: Herder, 1955), 61-62.

Actions Are Diversified by the Nature of Their Objects. The reason is that any action is essentially directed to its object. Sight, for instance, is essentially directed to the colored, growth to quantity, etc. An action which would not be directed to an object would be an action without a final cause. But according to the principle of finality, every agent acts for an end. Therefore, actions are diversified by their objects, because the object is the end of the action.

It is to be noted, however, that not every diversity of objects will result in a diversity of actions. Objects which are accidentally different, such as a white flower and a white swan, as objects, do not result in a diversity of actions, because as objects of sight they are not formally different. For this reason the thesis states that a diversity of nature of the objects as objects diversifies actions. Or, as it is usually expressed, different formal objects diversify actions. With respect to that to which the act of sight is immediately directed, there is no difference between a white flower, a white man, and a white swan. Sight is essentially directed to the colored and not to the material objects which are colored.

Now that we have found the criterion of the diversification of operative potencies, it will not be difficult to answer the first question--does the soul have one or many operative potencies? Obviously, our answer will have to remain somewhat vague, because we are speaking about the soul in general and not about he human or the animal soul. The reply is: There will be as many operative potencies as there are formally different objects to which the activity of the soul is directed.