La causalidad educativa del maestro

Abstract

The author poses the twofold problem of if the teacher becomes a truly efficient cause in education and to which class this causality belongs. Grounded on St. Thomas Aquinus' «De Veritate» (I. q. XI) he analizes the concept of efficient cause in its various forms, principal, instrumental, perfective, preparatory, auxiliary, consilient and besides he tries to find out to which of them the action of the teacher on the pupil corresponds. It is not a perfective causality since the pupil is free to assimilate or not the influence of his teacher but it is above the «per accidens» cause and also above the dispositive one. It is the coadjuvant cause of the pupil s genuine activity. The peculiar notes of this causality of the teacher are both the use of signs as instrumental, intermediate causes and purpose.