This class we talked about all of Avicenna’s causes. Anything that can cause another thing, causing agents and their classes. Avicenna distinguishes 8 different modi of agents. 1. knowledgable agent, knows of the effect he causes. Agent #1 splits into different groupings, 1.1. a willed agent 1.2. an agent by coercion. Then, 1.1.1. agent by agreement and 1.1.2. knowledgable agent, with preceding knowledge of effect. 1.1.2.1 agent by intention, has motive, 1.1.2.2. willful, knowledgable by without motive. 1.1.2.2.1. agent by manifestation, knowledge is additional to agent and 1.1.2.2.2. agent by foreknowledge, not additional to agent but like intuition. Then there’s agent 2. who is not knowledgable about the effect of his actions. 2.1. agent of nature, having no knowledge of effect is in accordance to his nature. 2.2. agent by constraint, knowledge does accord with its nature, but is not accessed and known. The third and additional agent is the agent by subjugation, whose agency is overpowered, this agent can be knowledgable of the effect but is not willed, nor has he got motive.
These agents are supposed to span all possible situations of cause. To show this, I will go through some exemplary scenarios. A rock falls off a mountain, causing agent is the wind. The wind is an agent of nature, having no knowledge of its actions is part of its nature. An executioner executes a prisoner. Knowing what kind of agent the executioner is becomes more complicated now. We know that the executioner is a willful agent, because he could quit his job, he’s knowledgable because he has executed people before. The executioner has no motive to kill the prisoner except that a judge ruled that the prisoner ought to die, so the executioner is an agent like 1.1.2.2.
Knowing what kind of agent caused an effect is not only important in metaphysics but it can be applied to real life fairly well. Whenever you feel wronged, it is important to know the intentions of the person who wronged you. Assessing their involvement according to the list of agents Avicenna presents seems like a good strategy to be fair in situations where you’re the affected person.
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