Principles

Majority

K Majority

Definition: Majority is the image of the greatness, immensity, goodness, eternity etc. of God.

Clarification: Now we must consider both substantial and accidental majority, since some substances are greater than others in the goodness, etc. that constitute substance, for instance, the substance of heaven is greater than the substance of fire, and the substance of the soul is greater than the substance of heaven. And there is majority of substance over accident, since substance is simply greater than accident on account of the goodness, etc. from which substance and accident come into being. However, by reason of their purpose, some accidents have majority over some substances, for instance: understanding and loving are greater in goodness, etc. of purpose, than a donkey or a stone. And as some substances are greater than others, as we said, likewise, some accidents are greater than others on account of their goodness, greatness etc. For instance: understanding is greater than seeing, and seeing is less than hearing and so forth.

Distinctions: In substances, there is an ascent through successively greater majorities all the way to the immense majority of substance, to which all other majorities are subject, which necessarily have being, lest majority be greater in the privation of substance than in its being, and therefore simply greater in accident than in substance, which is false. Now this supreme substance, through its immensity, on account of its immense goodness, etc. stands above all other substance and beneath no other and all others substances stand beneath it. And this supreme substantial majority rules all other majorities that exist as images and likenesses in which the human intellect reflects on the supreme majority.

Why majority is included in the principles: majority must be a principle of this Art because the artist needs to know its conditions and successive combinations with all the other terms of the Art to investigate issues and to reach conclusions by judging each thing in terms of majority and minority. In accordance with difference, concordance and contrariety, beginning, middle and end, majority, minority and equality he attributes major goodness, greatness, etc. to whatever is major in the said principles, whether the topic of the question or investigation be substantial or accidental, so that majority is preserved in each principle as well as the conditions of all the other principles. The way to do this will be taught in the solutions to the questions.

Without majority, nothing has any likeness to the prime being and consequently nothing can be, because all beings are likenesses of the prime being.

Nature: the natural fullness of majority is in the augmentor, the augmentable and their augmenting that give rise to augmented or major being.