Little Question Six of Principal Question Three
The response of theologians to those who think badly concerning fate
It is asked how theologians respond to the reasons, authorities, and examples of the philosophers who thought badly concerning fate in Little Question Three above.
To this it is answered that theologians resolve the subtleties, authorities, and examples of the philosophers as follows.
First, to the argument placed at the beginning, they say that celestial bodies are the cause of inferior effects by means of inferior particular causes which can fail in the lesser number of cases, as has been said.
And to the proof of the minor premise they say that all those things which Boethius touches upon there are understood to be done by God through secondary causes and are therefore contained under the series of fate. But the same account does not apply to all other things, as Thomas says in Part I, question 116, article 4, reply to the first.
To the authorities of the philosophers, astronomers, orators, and poets, they respond by denying them if those authors take fate for the connection of secondary causes without divine providence, for secondary causes do nothing except by the power of the first cause.
Damascene and Ptolemy, however, understand that celestial bodies constitute bodily habits and complexions in us inclinatively, not necessarily.
To the example of the two twin brothers, Hippocrates answers by saying that this occurred because, according as the parents were disposed in body while they lay together, so the beginnings of those conceived could have been formed. Then the same disposition of air and place—that is, of the house—similar nourishment, and the course of waters, which possess very great power for bodies to be conceived well or badly, as medicine attests and also the same excitations could have fashioned such similar bodies that they were likewise moved toward becoming ill at one time by the same causes.
These things are from Augustine.
To the example of Lord John of Lignano, it is also said that he could not conquer fate because, for the sake of ruling, he did not reasonably repress his passion for ruling temporally or spiritually.
To the claim that astronomers very often predict true things, Augustine answers that this happens by chance, by art, or by the hidden prompting of spirits which are not good, whose concern it is to introduce and confirm false and harmful opinions concerning astral fates in human minds.