Mapping the Summit of Human Perceptual Experience: From St Augustine’s mansio to Thomas Aquinas’ habitatio

In this paper, I map the summit of Augustine of Hippo’s schema of human perceptual experience as laid out in his De Quantitate Animae (Lt. On the Magnitude of the Soul). As I analyse, Augustine uses Neoplatonist participatory metaphysics in his construction of the seventh gradus of the (human) soul. The gradus are degrees of functionalities the soul possesses. I go on to trace Augustine’s schema of the summit of human perceptual experience as the mansio (seventh gradus) to Thomas Aquinas’ schema as the habitatio. I argue that Aquinas’ schema of the summit of perceptual experience is also shaped by metaphysics of participation via his use of Augustinian theology. Whilst Augustine’s mansio takes us beyond this life into eternity, Aquinas’ habitatio is the summit of joy during one’s earthly life. Both Augustine’s ‘mansio’ and Aquinas’ 'habitatio' connote the concept ‘home.’ A concept which, I argue, is from Neoplatonist participatory metaphysics.