Lawrence Dewan and Stephen Brock: about the Real Distinction between Form and Esse

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to address the well-known issue, in the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas, of the real distinction between form and esse in caused things. To achieve this, we present the approaches to the subject offered by Lawrence Dewan on the one hand, and Stephen Brock on the other. The first step is to highlight once again Fr Dewan’s discussion about form as a cause of being, a premise which is shared by Professor Brock. The second consists of showing how Fr Dewan and Brock start from different perspectives to base their arguments for this distinction. Thus, the article is divided into two parts, one part for each of the above items. As a result, we hope to clarify Aquinas’s real distinction between form and esse in caused things, due to the luminous contributions of these distinguished Thomists.