Thomas Aquinas Research Paper

Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who lived during the time of 1225-1274 AD. Aquinas was most known for his studies in faith and reason. Aquinas’ ethics relies on the idea that there is a God and that God is a perfect and loving being who is cares for his creation. But, Aquinas does not believe that God has a set of commands that distinguishes right from wrong for each individual to follow. A way to explain these rules is by the Divine Command Theory. To further explain, these rules are better defined as the moral status of an action determined by the will or commands of God. It seems that God created the distinction of right from wrong in order to aid human beings to act in a way that is morally correct according to his commands so that they could achieve perfect happiness. Aquinas’ tells us that perfect happiness is a perfect relationship with God. The Divine Command Theory is completely independent of whether or not anyone believes it and is applicable to anyone at any time. God has also wired all human beings in a certain way in which we have the ability to perform virtues in order to fulfill functions and acting in ways that are against virtues and functions would not be beneficial to the human as that is not how God has created us and commanded us to act. By understanding Thomas Aquinas’ ethical views, we are able to better understand the idea of the Divine Command Theory and why these two ideas go well together in discussing ethical decisions.

John Finnis is celebrated for his reworking of Aquinas’ natural law theory. Finnis’ is renowned for his ‘seven basic goods’, making reference to the question of ‘how is your life going’, an approximation of human flourishing. Furthermore, for a deeper analysis, nine methodological requirements of practical reasonableness, utilised to determine sound decision making, shall conclude the analysis. These two lists combined are said to create unchallengeable and universal principals of natural law. Finnis’ basic notions in regards to natural law are deemed best evident when intellectual creatures act in a rational manner. Practical reasons is at the core of natural law. Natural law is a reference to human’s rational and intellectual

Both Aristotle and Aquinas were prominent philosophers who wrote profound works that discussed the concept of the highest human good and how humans can achieve it. In Aristotle’s, Nicomachean Ethics, the highest human good is a state of constantly seeking knowledge as a way of achieving full capacity as a human. The writings of Aquinas are similar to Aristotle, but, in Treatise on Law, he discusses the type and elements of law. His discourse on law ultimately names the highest human good as being in the perfect community with God. Aquinas’s argument supports obedience to law, preexisting inclinations for the good, and a resolution. Aristotle requires that the person constantly seek knowledge and be at work, which can act as a positive force that drives humans to improve themselves.

Now that this paper has evaluated Aquinas’s Summa Contra Gentiles, it will move on to evaluate his next important work. In the years 1265–1274 Aquinas wrote what is considered one of his most prominent works, The Summa Theologiae. In Summa Theologiae (also known as Suma Theologica or simply Summa), Aquinas gave five proofs for the existence of God. This paper will first tell why these proofs are necessary then describe the proofs in themselves. These proofs are necessary because Aquinas believed that the existence of God is not self-evident. A self-evident proposition is one in which the predicate forms part of what is meant by the subject (PUT, 103). Meaning that “God exists” is not self-evident because we cannot grasp divine essence

Aquinas believed there are two ways in which we know Natural Law. Firstly, reason, this is the idea it is within us to know and distinguish between right and wrong. The other way is revelation, revelation is in the Bible and its teachings. An example of revelation is when St Paul found the Gentiles obeyed laws of the Torah without ever

Aquinas didn’t think about circumstances and situations as he said the primary precepts are objectively true for everyone and that using our reason we can find the answer in every situation by using this principle making this absolute. It has since been updated by implementing the doctrine of double effect. This is idea that in some situations you have to do a bad action in order to achieve a good consequence. For example if a woman has cancer but is pregnant as well it is fine to give her chemotherapy as it will save her life even though it will kill her unborn foetus as the action or intention isn’t meant to kill the baby but to save the life of the mother.

Aquinas wants to prove the existence of God through the natural theology. The natural theory seeks to prove that God exists by looking at our own human process. Natural theology speaks to our senses as human beings and not the supernatural examples often cited. Aquinas believed that if people could not understand faith they would not understand god. These people should find consolation

The world does not function in absolutes, therefore, I find myself aligning with St. Thomas Aquinas over Immanuel Kant. Aquinas’ Natural Law is based on God and the laws of nature. Aquinas identifies five primary precepts: reproduction, life, education, justice and worship. The primary precepts, then break down into secondary precepts that are flexible and realistic. Aquinas views the laws that affect man as coming from one of four areas. Eternal law is the mind of God and what he was thinking when he made us. Divine law is found in the Bible and acts as a guide for life. Natural law is our conscience and helps guide our daily actions. The final law is the human law which incorporates the laws written by man.

Thomas Aquinas argues that the natural law is a universal law, which morally binds all human beings. It is based on reason and the purpose is to promote common good. Aquinas wants to focus on the good over the evil, which is where the natural or moral law comes into place. Further, the natural law goes hand in hand with the eternal law. Aquinas divides his definition of law into four parts: reason, the general good, legitimate authority, and promulgated.

Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) was one of the world’s most influential philosophers. His book, the "SummaTheologiæ" is an incomplete piece of literature that Aquinas began to write but never finished due to his passing. Aquinas answers some of the world’s most abstract questions regarding faith and the existence of the human race. Aquinas’ view on natural law is structured strongly under the part of divine law, which includes the belief of God and a higher moral reasoning. The specific reading focuses on question 94 regarding the natural law. The main topics discussed are six articles: whether natural law is habit, whether the natural law contains several precepts or just one only, whether all acts of virtue are prescribed by natural law, whether natural law is the same in all men, whether natural law

In studying different time periods and parts of the world it is very interesting how many ideas and beliefs of one time or people are influenced by other ideas. In the texts read as a class in Cultural Perspectives, there has been a big focus on what makes a good person and what makes a person just or ethical. And though these two things are not really exactly the same, these topics go hand in hand. Therefore, I have chosen to focus on the relationship between justice, good, and happiness, specifically in Aristotle’s “Nichomachean Ethics” and Thomas Aquinas’ “On the Nature of Law.” And by examining these texts I wish to argue that even though they lived nearly 1000 years apart, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas share the same overall view

Thomas Aquinas can be best described as a merge of Aristotelianism eudaimonism and Christian theology. He is known for blending these two subjects, although he did not directly accept every notion that Aristotle believed in. Theology’s primary interest in a person is the principle of his actions, according to Hobbes. To judge these actions, he considers 3 topics: the object, the intention, and the circumstances that make up the three "sources" of the morality of human acts. The object chosen is a good toward which the will guides itself, it is the matter of a human feat. The object chosen morally specifies the act, and is judged if it is within the true good. Unbiased criterions of morality express the balanced order of good and evil, indicated

We begin with a quote from Thomas Aquinas,” the possession of all things in common and universal freedom are said to be of natural law ,because,namely,the distinctions…….for the benefit of human life” in this quote Aquinas is referring to natural law which is the law in nature. Natural law is different from human law as it

In order to proceed with further explanation, it is import to give a summary of Aquinas’s spirituality and theology, as Torrell does. The reason being, as Torrell puts it, “’Spirituality’ is one of the vaguest terms

Aquinas was a follower of Aristotle and believed in the common good over evil and his works were influenced by Aristotle but with a Christian twist to it. To Aquinas, moral goodness is the most important aspect of human nature and it is what leads human beings to act as they do, which is Aquinas’ view on the law of human nature. According to Pojman and Tramel (2009), Aquinas says that ”good should be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided” (p.21), which means that the common good is in everyone’s best interest and avoiding evil is as well. All humans ought to do what is best for nature. Nature is something that has not been modified by humans