367- Upon joining the body, does a spirit identify itself with matter?
“Matter is no more than the spirit’s envelope, as clothing is the body’s envelope. Upon joining the body, a spirit preserves the attributes of its spirit nature.”
368- Does a spirit exercise its faculties with full liberty after its union with a body?
“The exercise of its faculties depends on the organs serving as their instruments. They are weakened by the density of matter.”
– Then accordingly, would the material envelope be an obstacle to the free manifestation of the spirit’s faculties, like an opaque glass is an obstacle to the free emission of light?
“Yes, and exceedingly opaque.”
One may further compare the action of the body’s matter upon a spirit to that of sludgy water, which hinders the free movement of an object immersed in it.
369- Is the free exercise of the soul’s faculties subordinate to the development of the bodily organs?
“The organs are the instruments for the manifestation of the soul’s faculties. This manifestation depends on the degree of the respective organs’ development, just as the excellence of a piece of work depends on the excellence of the tool.”
370- Could one infer from the influence of the organs a connection between the development of the cerebral structure and the moral and intellectual faculties?
“Do not confuse the effect with the cause. The spirit always possesses the faculties that are proper for it. Thus, it is not the organs that give it its faculties, but rather the faculties that stimulate the development of the organs.”
– According to this view, does the diversity of aptitudes among individuals stem solely from the condition of their spirit?
“Solely is not the exact term. The qualities of the spirit, who may be more advanced or less so, are the basis for this diversity; however, we must take into account the influence of matter because it hinders to a greater or lesser degree the exercising of these faculties.”
When the spirit incarnates, it brings certain predispositions with it, and if we accept the idea that there is a corresponding area in the brain for each one of them, then the development of these areas will be seen as an effect and not a cause. If the faculties had their origins in the organs themselves, humans would be machines without free will and without any responsibility for their actions. We would have to accept the fact that the greatest geniuses – scientists, poets, artists – owe their talents to chance, which has given them a special brain structure. Consequently, without this structure, they would not be geniuses; the least simpleton could have been a Newton, a Virgil or a Raphael if he had been provided with a certain brain structure. This assumption becomes even more absurd when applied to moral qualities. Thus, according to this theory, if Saint Vincent de Paul had been gifted by nature with a particular brain structure, he might have been a scoundrel, whereas the greatest scoundrel would only lack a certain brain structure in order to be someone like Saint Vincent de Paul. On the other hand, if we accept the idea that such special structures, if they exist, are effects developed by exercising the faculties – like the muscles by moving them –then nothing seems unreasonable. Let us make a trivial comparison, albeit a truthful one. By certain facial traits you recognize that a person is addicted to alcohol. Do these traits make the person an alcoholic or is it alcoholism that produces the traits? Therefore, one may safely state that the organs receive the imprint of the faculties.
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