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    Natural Law: St. Thomas Aquinas

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    Jane Cresthyl Lesaca
    St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Catholic priest and philosopher known for his theories on natural law. According to Aquinas, there are four types of law: eternal law, natural law, divine law, and human law. Natural law refers to man's participation in eternal law through reason. Aquinas believed that reason reveals to humans certain natural laws, like self-preservation and marriage, and enables us to understand what is evil. For Aquinas, ethics is based on the principle that good is to be done and evil avoided. He defined conscience as an intrinsic element in the human soul that guides us to do right and wrong and praises or condemns our actions.

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    Natural Law: St. Thomas Aquinas

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    Jane Cresthyl Lesaca
    43 views8 pages
    St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Catholic priest and philosopher known for his theories on natural law. According to Aquinas, there are four types of law: eternal law, natural law, divine law, and human law. Natural law refers to man's participation in eternal law through reason. Aquinas believed that reason reveals to humans certain natural laws, like self-preservation and marriage, and enables us to understand what is evil. For Aquinas, ethics is based on the principle that good is to be done and evil avoided. He defined conscience as an intrinsic element in the human soul that guides us to do right and wrong and praises or condemns our actions.

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    St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Catholic priest and philosopher known for his theories on natural law. According to Aquinas, there are four types of law: eternal law, natural law, divine law, and human law. Natural law refers to man's participation in eternal law through reason. Aquinas believed that reason reveals to humans certain natural laws, like self-preservation and marriage, and enables us to understand what is evil. For Aquinas, ethics is based on the principle that good is to be done and evil avoided. He defined conscience as an intrinsic element in the human soul that guides us to do right and wrong and praises or condemns our actions.

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    43 views8 pages

    Natural Law: St. Thomas Aquinas

    Uploaded by

    Jane Cresthyl Lesaca
    St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Catholic priest and philosopher known for his theories on natural law. According to Aquinas, there are four types of law: eternal law, natural law, divine law, and human law. Natural law refers to man's participation in eternal law through reason. Aquinas believed that reason reveals to humans certain natural laws, like self-preservation and marriage, and enables us to understand what is evil. For Aquinas, ethics is based on the principle that good is to be done and evil avoided. He defined conscience as an intrinsic element in the human soul that guides us to do right and wrong and praises or condemns our actions.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 8

    NATURAL LAW: ST.

    THOMAS AQUINAS

    Group 2:
    Arrope, Dean Kyle
    Dalagan, Raina E.
    Emia, Mary Angelie
    Estose, Gay Loiza
    Sarenas, Daisy Jane
    ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
    born on 1225 and died on March 7, 1274
    an Italian Catholic priest from the Order of
    Preachers or Dominicans
    became the Master of Theology in University in
    Paris where he spent 18 years as a lecturer and an
    instructor
    INTRODUCTION TO THE
    FOUR LAWS
    1. Eternal Law - the unchanging law since prior to the
    beginning of time
    2. Natural Law - man’s participation of eternal law
    through the imprint of the will of God in man
    3. Divine Law – found in Scriptures, Church’s teachings
    4. Human Law – law of State like Constitutions,
    Legislation in pursuit for the will of God
    NATURAL LAW
    “The light of reason is placed by nature and thus by
    God in every man to guide him in his acts.”
    Therefore, human beings, alone among God’s
    creatures, use reason to lead their lives. The master
    principle of natural law according to Aquinas was
    that “good is to be done and pursued and evil is to
    be avoided.”
    NATURAL LAW
    St. Thomas Aquinas stated that REASON reveals
    particular natural laws that are good for humans such as
    self-preservation, marriage and family, and the desire to
    know God. Reason, also enables humans to understand
    things that are evil such as adultery, suicide, and lying.
    To add, “man is created in God’s image and likeness.”
    Human freedom is the imprint of divine will.
    RELATION TO ETHICS
    The ethics starts from the principle “good is to be
    done and evil is to be avoided.” This principle is the
    basis for the rest of the ethical precepts concerning
    on how to live and behave in this world.
    WHAT IS CONSCIENCE AND
    HOW IS THIS DEFINE BY
    NATURAL LAW?
    Conscience is an intrinsic element in the human soul that
    continually guides and pushes us to do what is right and wrong,
    and praises or condemns us after the action. For this reason,
    conscience is the mouthpiece or voice of God in us.
    According to St. Thomas, the good is prior to the right. This
    means that a right action is logically posterior to the good that is
    primarily intended by practical reason. If an action leads us to the
    good, then it is right, but if it diverts us, then it is evil.
    WHAT IS CONSCIENCE AND
    HOW IS THIS DEFINE BY
    NATURAL LAW?
    For Aquinas, a right action should be “spotless” because it
    is the path towards the good. He, however did not give a
    master list of all the intrinsically spotless actions man
    should take. But, he gave us criteria to evaluate the
    rightness of the action. This includes objects of our
    actions, their ends, the circumstances surrounding them,
    and the intension of the agent. Every individual act must
    conform to these criteria for it to be right. A single flaw in
    the action will render it at once wrong.

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