Must Humans Be Sexed?
When one looks around the world, we see that animals are sexed. Dogs, cats, chickens, and humans. And we are able to pick out what it means to be sexed, which is basically the mode of reproduction. Male dogs, cats, and humans are all male in a univocal way. But need this be so? Could it be that an animal could be of no sex whatsoever? This is difficult to maintain for the simple reason that to be non-sexed is to be able to reproduce. And to be of the kind that does not reproduce means you will not exist. So, it seems like all animals must be sexed. I mention this because I've come across an interesting passage from St. Thomas on whether Christ needed to be sexed. He says, "Yes." In Volume 3 of his commentary on the Sentences , distinction 12, question 3, he writes, "Christ came to restore (or redeem) human nature by his very assumption; and for this reason it was necessary that he assume everything following upon human nature, namely, all the properties and parts o...