Why did John Duns Scotus think Aristotle could not fully understand the human condition?
Blessed John Duns Scotus argued that Aristotle could not fully understand the human condition because he lacked the benefit of Christian revelation. Specifically, Duns Scotus believed that Aristotle was ignorant of the Fall of Man and the subsequent human need for grace and redemption.12
Because of this ignorance, Duns Scotus contended that Aristotle mistakenly identified humanity's current, fallen stateāin which all knowledge is acquired through the sensesāas its natural condition. In the view of Duns Scotus, the natural condition of humanity would have allowed for knowledge coextensive with all being, including the being of God. By failing to account for the impact of the Fall, Aristotleās philosophy remained limited and insufficient to satisfy the human desire for knowledge, leading Duns Scotus to emphasize the necessity of divine revelation alongside philosophical inquiry.12