Liber II, Pars III — Quod possessio est homini quodammodo naturalis, et abrenuntiantes possessionibus quodammodo non vivunt ut homines, sed sunt hominibus meliores. Cap. V.

Liber II, Pars III — Quod possessio est homini quodammodo naturalis, et abrenuntiantes possessionibus quodammodo non vivunt ut homines, sed sunt hominibus meliores. Cap. V.

Having discussed the buildings according to the order outlined above, we now turn to the topic of possessions. We can pursue the idea that the possession of things is in some way natural through three different approaches. The first approach is based on the necessity of life. The second is based on human dignity. The third is based on the action of nature. For if people live naturally, and political society is in some way natural to humans, as was more broadly established in the first part of this second book, then it is necessary for there to be natural things that are essential in political life. However, according to the Philosopher in the first book of Politics, the possession of things is necessary for the governance of a household if anyone is to live politically. Therefore, since possession of things serves the necessity of life, it is in a way natural for humans. The second way to investigate this is taken from human dignity. For indeed, since man is the most dignified of all creatures in relation to the corporeal and sensible world, he has a natural dominion over them. And because this is in a way to possess them, their possession is natural for him. Hence, as the Philosopher states, I. Politic. where he proves that the possession of such things is natural, he says that it is just for humans to wage war against beasts: for indeed, since beasts are naturally subject to man, they ought to be ordered for his service; if they refuse to serve man, he fights against them as if against those over whom he will naturally have dominion. Just as a person naturally rules over animals, so too does he naturally rule over external things. This would not be the case if the possession of things were not in some way natural. The third way to understand this is derived from the action of nature. For if nature does not fail animals in their first generation, but naturally provides them with the necessary nourishment, it is fitting that it should not fail those who are already perfect. If indeed the perfect are more worthy than the imperfect, and the imperfect animals are provided with the necessary nourishment by nature, much more will this be provided to those who are already perfect. Some animals lay eggs, while others give birth to live young. In animals that lay eggs, such as birds, nature has arranged that the egg contains both the white and the yolk, so that from the white a bird is generated, while the yolk serves as its nourishment. For a bird that exists within the shell of the egg does not lack the provision of necessary nourishment. Similarly, nature does not fail the animals born through generation in terms of nourishment, because it is immediately attentive to provide milk in the mother's breasts, so that the newborn animals can be nourished from it. Therefore, if nature prepares nourishment and the necessities of life for imperfect animals, much more does it do this for perfect animals. Thus, the philosopher says in the first book of Politics. This means that these things, namely the resources from which we receive nourishment, have been given to us by nature. It is therefore natural for us to have external possessions. Thus, having dominion over external things is in a sense natural for man, because nature produced such sensible things for man. For we are, in a sense, the end of all things, as it is said in the second book of Physics. Therefore, whoever renounces such things and proposes to live without dominion over external possessions does not propose to live as a man, but chooses for himself a heavenly life, which is above that of man. Just as it's natural for a person to marry and produce offspring through generation, many choose to renounce marriage in order to pursue a greater good. Such people, as was mentioned earlier, do not live as humans do, nor are they part of society; instead, they choose a life that transcends humanity and are considered better than other people. It is therefore natural for a person to exist as a human being, as the philosopher states in the first book of Politics. To have possessions and dominion over certain external things is necessary for the sustenance of life. Nature, therefore, just as it gave humans the ability to live, also created animals, plants, and herbs so that humans might have dominion over them, possess them, and receive the necessary nourishment from them, without which our life cannot endure.