Natural Law
St Thomas Aquinas:
• 13th Century Italian Catholic Theologian
• ‘Summa Theologica’ - most influential work
• Aquinas went against his family’s plans for his future, he wanted to learn
for the sake of learning.
Ideas and Thought:
• Thomism, the idea that truth can be seen in any source.
• Heavily influenced by Aristotle. Thus to properly understand Aquinas,
need to go back to Aristotle.
Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics:
• Aristotle emphasised the importance of human progression and
continual development towards excellence.
• He believed once we develop our character we will develop our conduct -
meaning good people do good actions. Not - good actions make people
good.
• In Nicomachean Ethics, he writes about how the man who possesses good
character does the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.
• Once character/virtue is developed in this way Aristotle believed that a
human is truly good and happy, he calls this Eudaimonia = “human
flourishing”.
• Aristotle always argued that the good is done, not just thought. It’s
practical.
Aristotle’s Philosophy into Aquinas’ ethics:
• Aristotle argued that everything in the world has a telos or purpose. This
was its goal that, when achieved, the nature of the thing is fulfilled. This
features heavily in Aquinas’ ethics.
• For Aquinas, everything still has a purpose, but the purpose is given by
God and we can learn about the purpose He has for us by understanding
the reality around us.
• Truth can be seen in any source.
• Aquinas believed in the prime mover idea (cosmological argument),
but his idea of God was one of a God that gave everything a purpose
because the world was designed as such.
How do we understand our purpose?
• Aquinas has no doubts about our purpose. He tells us where to start
looking first in his 4 laws:
1. Eternal Law - the greatest “law”. The Law of God. He understands
this as the conditions of God’s creation, it is impossible and eternal
but transcends our deeper understanding of it.
, 2. Divine Law - The law of God interacting with man. The teachings of
the Bible are a glimpse into the Eternal Law. When God speaks to
humans, popes etc.
3. Natural Law - We are naturally inclined to know what’s right. This
is supported by religious teachings, but it is inherent within us. Aquinas
ultimately thinks that we are good. This = Natural Law and can be
derived into the human laws we create.
• Natural Law Precepts:
RECAP: Aristotle believed we could understand our purpose in the
world by observing the world. Aristotle and Aquinas believed that we
had to cultivate virtues in order to be good. Aquinas believed there
were 4 kinds of law: eternal law, divine law, natural law and human
law.
Aquinas’ Precepts:
• Aquinas believed there were 5 things we are directed towards, these are
intentionally vague so the person has to do the work. It encourages you
to think about how to be a good person, instead of being told exactly what
to do in order to be a good person.
• Aquinas calls these 5 directions the “Primary Precepts”, they are absolute
and universal principles that are self-evident.
• All human action gravitates towards fulfilling these goals.
• The primary precept is the goal but we achieve/meet these by forming
secondary precepts. These are not the same, they are unique to us.
1. To live in an ordered society.
2. Preservation of Life.
3. To Reproduce.
4. Education of the Young.
5. To Worship God.
• He believed that these general goals are for everyone and they promote
human flourishing, so if we can achieve all of them we reach a state of
eudaimonia.
• The primary precepts are descriptive about our nature. Describe what
we want, however the secondary precepts = prescriptive, what we
ought to do.
Applying the Precepts:
• Aquinas believed that all life comes from God and therefore all life is
sacred - The Sanctity of Life.
St Thomas Aquinas:
• 13th Century Italian Catholic Theologian
• ‘Summa Theologica’ - most influential work
• Aquinas went against his family’s plans for his future, he wanted to learn
for the sake of learning.
Ideas and Thought:
• Thomism, the idea that truth can be seen in any source.
• Heavily influenced by Aristotle. Thus to properly understand Aquinas,
need to go back to Aristotle.
Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics:
• Aristotle emphasised the importance of human progression and
continual development towards excellence.
• He believed once we develop our character we will develop our conduct -
meaning good people do good actions. Not - good actions make people
good.
• In Nicomachean Ethics, he writes about how the man who possesses good
character does the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.
• Once character/virtue is developed in this way Aristotle believed that a
human is truly good and happy, he calls this Eudaimonia = “human
flourishing”.
• Aristotle always argued that the good is done, not just thought. It’s
practical.
Aristotle’s Philosophy into Aquinas’ ethics:
• Aristotle argued that everything in the world has a telos or purpose. This
was its goal that, when achieved, the nature of the thing is fulfilled. This
features heavily in Aquinas’ ethics.
• For Aquinas, everything still has a purpose, but the purpose is given by
God and we can learn about the purpose He has for us by understanding
the reality around us.
• Truth can be seen in any source.
• Aquinas believed in the prime mover idea (cosmological argument),
but his idea of God was one of a God that gave everything a purpose
because the world was designed as such.
How do we understand our purpose?
• Aquinas has no doubts about our purpose. He tells us where to start
looking first in his 4 laws:
1. Eternal Law - the greatest “law”. The Law of God. He understands
this as the conditions of God’s creation, it is impossible and eternal
but transcends our deeper understanding of it.
, 2. Divine Law - The law of God interacting with man. The teachings of
the Bible are a glimpse into the Eternal Law. When God speaks to
humans, popes etc.
3. Natural Law - We are naturally inclined to know what’s right. This
is supported by religious teachings, but it is inherent within us. Aquinas
ultimately thinks that we are good. This = Natural Law and can be
derived into the human laws we create.
• Natural Law Precepts:
RECAP: Aristotle believed we could understand our purpose in the
world by observing the world. Aristotle and Aquinas believed that we
had to cultivate virtues in order to be good. Aquinas believed there
were 4 kinds of law: eternal law, divine law, natural law and human
law.
Aquinas’ Precepts:
• Aquinas believed there were 5 things we are directed towards, these are
intentionally vague so the person has to do the work. It encourages you
to think about how to be a good person, instead of being told exactly what
to do in order to be a good person.
• Aquinas calls these 5 directions the “Primary Precepts”, they are absolute
and universal principles that are self-evident.
• All human action gravitates towards fulfilling these goals.
• The primary precept is the goal but we achieve/meet these by forming
secondary precepts. These are not the same, they are unique to us.
1. To live in an ordered society.
2. Preservation of Life.
3. To Reproduce.
4. Education of the Young.
5. To Worship God.
• He believed that these general goals are for everyone and they promote
human flourishing, so if we can achieve all of them we reach a state of
eudaimonia.
• The primary precepts are descriptive about our nature. Describe what
we want, however the secondary precepts = prescriptive, what we
ought to do.
Applying the Precepts:
• Aquinas believed that all life comes from God and therefore all life is
sacred - The Sanctity of Life.
