Dominic de Soto, the Dominican scholastic theologian, was born at Segovia, Spain, and died at Salamanca. He studied at Alcalá de Henares and became a professor of philosophy there after advanced studies at the University of Paris. Entering the Dominican order in 1524, Soto taught theology from 1525 onward at the University of Salamanca. He was very active in the deliberations of the Council of Trent. Soto's writings include two commentaries on Aristotle (In Dialecticam Aristotelis, Salamanca, 1543; In Libros Physicorum, Salamanca, 1545). Theological works containing some philosophical thought are Summulae (4 vols., Burgos, 1529); De Natura et Gratia (Venice, 1547); and the treatise De Justitia et Jure (Justice and the law; Salamanca, 1556).

One of the founders of the school of Spanish Thomism, Soto had his own opinions on many philosophical questions. Like John Duns Scotus, he denied the usual Thomistic distinction between essence and existence. In theory of...