Aristotle, Augustine, and Duns Scotus on the Rationality’s Transcendent Aspect

Abstract

This article explores the transcendent aspect of rationality—viewed as the imago Dei in humanity—in the philosophies of Aristotle, Augustine, and Duns Scotus. Although rooted in a theological context, the development of this idea led to distinctly philosophical questions. The analysis shows how Augustine and Duns Scotus fundamentally reformulated the Aristotelian view on the relationships between subject and object, cognition and volition, and theory and practice. Considering rationality through this transcendent perspective is essential not only for philosophical anthropology. Because it involves transcendent reality and the first principles of being, this approach lays the groundwork for building an ontological framework. The difference between these ontological perspectives is found in their identification of the imago Dei: Aristotle locates it in the intellect, Augustine in memory, intellect, and will, and Duns Scotus solely in the will.