Thomas Aquinas's theory of self cognition in context

Whether self-cognition of the human mind is unmediated or mediated through cognition of extramental things is one of the most disputed questions among medieval philosophers. Thomas Aquinas made a great contribution to this debate, because he puts forward an innovative theory of self-cognition inspired by the Aristotelian tradition. Specifically, he believes that in its natural state, the human mind always cognizes itself through the mediation of cognizing extramental things. In this project, I will take a broader approach to Aquinas’s theory, since he discusses the human mind’s self-cognition in its disembodied condition and as resurrected too. Interestingly, Aquinas argues that when it comes to the supernatural state, the human mind is able to generate self-knowledge without mediation of cognition of extramental things, which rather affirms the Augustinian tradition. Even though Aquinas is often depicted as an Aristotelian regarding self-cognition in the natural state, we will see that he is probably an Augustinian with regard to other aspects, and this reading will give insight about the medieval debate on Self between Aquinas and his contemporaries.