St. Thomas Aquinas

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St. Thomas Aquinas

• Politics and The Catholic Christian Tradition

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Overview

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

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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)

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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

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God and Justice

• Types of Law
• Eternal Law
• Divine Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law

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God and Justice

• Types of Law
• Eternal Law
• Divine Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law

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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)

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God and Justice

• Types of Law
• Eternal Law
• Divine Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law

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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)

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God and Justice

• Types of Law
• Eternal Law
• Divine Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law

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Natural Law

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

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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)

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Natural Law

• Operates in 2 ways

Appeal to ones reason to know how to act in
particular circumstances
Human Law
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God and Justice

• Types of Law
• Eternal Law
• Divine Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law

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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

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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?

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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

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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)

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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).

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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

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God Justice

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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Property

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

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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)

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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)

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Conclusion

• Given hierarchy of laws, what political
  structure emerges?

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Divine Power
Ecclesiastical Authority
Political Authority