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St. Thomas Aquinas

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Title: St. Thomas Aquinas


1
St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Politics and The Catholic Christian Tradition

2
Overview
  • Biographical Background
  • God and Justice
  • Property Obligations to the Poor

3
I. Biographical Notes
  • Born 1224 near Aquino, Italy into noble family
  • Entered University of Naples about 1236
  • Entered the Order of St. Dominic around 1240-1243
    and lived rest of life as a monk (against his
    familys wishes)

4
I. Biographical Notes
  • Rediscovery of Aristotle prompts Pope to reassess
    relation between theology and Greek philosophy.
  • Aquinas spends his life attempting to reconcile
    faith and reason into a synthesis
  • Dies at age 50, having authored some 60 works
  • On 4 August 1879 Pope Leo XIII declared his the
    official teaching of the Church
  • On 4 August 1880, same Pope designated him patron
    saint of all Catholic universities, academies,
    colleges, and schools throughout the world

5
God and Justice
  • Types of Law
  • Eternal Law
  • Divine Law
  • Natural Law
  • Human Law

6
God and Justice
  • Types of Law
  • Eternal Law
  • Divine Law
  • Natural Law
  • Human Law

7
Eternal Law
  • Unchanging reason of God.
  • Gods plan for the universe
  • Affects everything, including irrational
    creatures
  • Now it is evident, granted that the world is
    ruled by Divine providence that the whole
    community of the universe is governed by Divine
    Reason (Question 91, Article 1)

8
God and Justice
  • Types of Law
  • Eternal Law
  • Divine Law
  • Natural Law
  • Human Law

9
Divine Law
  • Applies to religion and church issues
  • Apprehended through revelation
  • since man is ordained to an end of eternal
    happiness which is inproportionate to mans
    natural faculty it was necessary that, besdies
    the natural and the human law, man should be
    directed to his end by a law given by God
    (Question 91, Article 4)

10
God and Justice
  • Types of Law
  • Eternal Law
  • Divine Law
  • Natural Law
  • Human Law

11
Natural Law
  • The eternal law etched upon the human mind
  • Uniquely human
  • Determines an individuals telos (end)
  • Helps you seek your essential human purpose

12
Natural Law
  • Now among all others, the rational creature is
    subject to Divine providence in the most
    excellent way, in so far as it partakes of a
    share of providence, by being provident both for
    itself and for others. Wherefore it has a share
    of the Eternal Reason, whereby it has a natural
    inclination to its proper act and end and this
    participation of the eternal law in the rational
    creature is called the nature law (Question 91,
    Article 2)

13
Natural Law
  • Operates in 2 ways

Appeal to ones reason to know how to act in
particular circumstances
Human Law
14
God and Justice
  • Types of Law
  • Eternal Law
  • Divine Law
  • Natural Law
  • Human Law

15
Human Law
  • Emulate natural law to promote justice and the
    will of God
  • Necessary to help us when our own reason fails
  • Guide community to serve justice and the common
    purposes of all its members

16
God Justice
  • To be true law, it must follow natural law
  • Purpose is to help one
  • Fulfill his/her telos
  • Fulfill ones function as a rational creature
  • Seek out the vision of God
  • If law deviates from natural law, it is
    non-binding
  • Implications?

17
God Justice
  • A tyrannical government is not just, because it
    is directed, not to the common good, but to the
    private good of the rule, as the Philosopher
    states. Consequently, thre is no sedition in
    disturbing a government of this kind

18
God Justice
  • unless indeed the tyrants rule be disturbed
    so inordinately, that his subjects suffer greater
    harm from the consequent disturbance than from
    the tyrants government (Question 42, Article 2)

19
God Justice
  • Indeed, it is the tyrant rather that is guilty
    of sedition, since he encourages discord and
    sedition among his subjects, that he may lord
    over them more securely for this is tyranny,
    being conducive to the private good of the ruler,
    and to the injury of the multitude (Question 42,
    Article 2).

20
God Justice
  • An unjust law is no law at all
  • An unjust ruler is no ruler
  • Human law as its own telos political authority
    and human law must obey God and natural law.
  • Both God and natural law act as external
    restrictions constraining what the ruler can and
    cannot do

21
God Justice
  • Aquinas provides 2 sets of checks on tyrannical
    rulers God/natural law and the threat of
    execution through insurrection

22
Property
  • Is property natural to the human species?
  • Yes
  • God has given man power over the other elements
    of His creation
  • This natural dominion of man over other
    creatures, which is competent to man in respect
    of his reason wherein Gods image resides, is
    shown forth in mans creation by the words Let
    us make man to Our image and likeness and let
    him have dominion over the fishes of the sea,
    etc. (Question 66, Article 1)

23
Property
  • Private Property?
  • Yes, necessary for human life for 3 reasons
  • 1. Human beings are selfish
  • every man is more careful to procure what is for
    himself alone than that which is common to many
    or to all since each one would shirk the labour
    and leave to another that which concerns the
    community (Question 66, Article 2)

24
Property
  • 2. Division of Labor/Specialization leads to
    greater productivity
  • Because human affairs are conducted in more
    orderly fashion if each man is charged with
    taking care of some particular thing himself,
    whereas there would be confusion if everyone had
    to look after one thing indeterminately
    (Question 66, Article 2)

25
Property
  • 3. Ensures tranquility
  • A more peaceful state is ensured to man if each
    one is contented with his own. Hence it is to be
    observed that quarrels arise more frequently
    where there is no division of the things
    possessed (Question 66, Article 2)

26
Property
  • Any limits on property? Any obligations?
  • Recall hierarchy of laws
  • Things which are of human right cannot derogate
    from natural rights or Divine right (Question
    66, Article 7)

27
Property
  • Further recall the idea of the natural order to
    the universe, its source, and its implications
  • Now according to the natural order established
    by Divine providence, inferior things are
    ordained for the purpose of succouring mans
    needs by their means. Wherefore the division and
    appropriation of things which are based on human
    law, do not preclude the fact that mans needs
    have to be remedied by means of these very
    things (Question 66, Article 7)

28
Property
  • Thus, the rich do not have unlimited entitlement
    to superabundance

29
Property
  • Whatever certain people have in superabundance
    is due, by natural law, to the purpose of
    succouring the poor. For this reason Ambrose
    says,and his words are embodied in the Decretals
    It is the hungry mans bread that you withhold,
    the naked mans cloak that you store away, the
    money that you bury in the earth is the price of
    the poor mans ransom and freedom (Question 66,
    Article 7)

30
Property
  • Upshot?
  • If the need be so manifest and urgent, that it
    is evident that the present need must be remedied
    by whatever means be at hand 9for instance when a
    person is in some imminent danger, and there is
    no other possible remedy), then it is lawful for
    a man to succour his own need by means of
    anothers property, by taking it either openly or
    secretly nor is this properly speaking theft or
    robbery (Question 66, Article 7)

31
Conclusion
  • Given hierarchy of laws, what political
    structure emerges?

32
Divine Power
Ecclesiastical Authority
Political Authority
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