Tomás De Aquino: The Natural Law

Tomás de Aquino: The Natural Law

Catholic theologian and philosopher belonging to the Order of Preachers, is considered one of the greatest representatives of medieval scholastic philosophy, defined as a theoretical movement that dominated much of the Middle Ages and uses the reason to understand the religious revelations of Christianity,He brilliantly addressed a deep and lasting reformulation of Christian theology, which had barely received relevant contributions since the time of St. Augustine of Hippo, that is, during the previous eight centuries.

Son of Count Landulf and the Countess Teodora de Theati, one of the most influential aristocratic families in southern Italy, was born in 1225 at Rociecca Castle and studied in Montecassino, in whose Benedictine monastery his parents wanted him to follow the ecclesiastical career. Subsequently he moved to Naples, where he studied arts and theology and came into contact with the order of the preachers brothers. In 1243 he expressed his desire to enter that order, but his family firmly opposed, and even his mother got the permission of FedericGiovanni for a year. After a complaint by Juan the Teutonic, general of the Dominicans, to Federico II, he agreed that Tomás be released. After the confinement, he entered the Dominican school in 1244 and in 1245 the University of Paris, where he trained in philosophy and theology.

During these years he was in the care of San Alberto Magno, with whom he filed a lasting friendship.

I joined them – in addition to the fact of belonging to the Dominican order – an open and tolerant vision, although not exempt from criticism, of the new Grecoárabe knowledge, which by those dates came massively to the universities and centers of Western culture. After a doctorate, he occupied one of the chairs reserved for the Dominicans, a task that compatible with the writing of his first works, in which he began to move away from the majority theological current, derived from the teachings of San Agustín de Hipona. At 31 years of age, in 1256 he exercises as a professor of Theology at the University of Paris, it is at this time where his academic, literary and public life begins.

In 1259 he returned to Italy, where he remained up to 1268 at the service of the Pontifical Court as an instructor and consultant of the Pope, whom he accompanied on his trips. During these years he wrote several comments to the Pseudo-Dionisio and Aristotle, the sum against the Gentiles ended, a work in which he critically reviewed the philosophies and theologies present throughout history, and began the writing of his capital work, the theological sum, in which he was occupied between 1267 and 1274 and that represents the ultimate compendium of all his thinking.

Tomás de Aquino knew how to resolve the crisis produced in Christian thought because. Averroism highlighted the independence of understanding guided by the senses and raised the problem of double truth, that is, the contradiction of the truths of understanding and those of revelation.

In opposition to this thesis, defended at the University of Paris by Siger de Brabante, he affirmed the need for both of them to be compatible, then, coming from God, they could not enter into contradiction;Both truths should also be complementary, so that those of supernatural order should be known for revelation, while those of natural order would be accessible by understanding;Philosophy and theology are, therefore, different and complementary, both being rational, since theology deduces rationally from the revealed premises.

Halfway between Augustinian spiritualism and the emerging naturalism of Averroism, it defended a moderate realism, for which universals (abstract concepts) exist fundamentally in re (in things) and only formally post REM (in understanding). Ultimately, Tomás de Aquino found a way to reconcile the revaluation of the material world that was lived in the West with the dogmas of Christianity, through an intelligent and well -locked interpretation of Aristotle.

Tomás died making an energetic profession of faith on March 7, 1274, near Terracina. Subsequently, on January 28, 1369, his mortal remains were transferred to Tolosa de Languedoc, date on which the Catholic Church celebrates it.

After his death, some thesis of Tomás de Aquino, confused among the Averroists, were included in a list of 219 theses convicted by the bishop of Paris, Etienne Tempier, at the University of Paris in 1277. Despite this, after several prophecies and miracles documented with numerous testimonies, Tomás de Aquino was canonized almost 50 years of his death, on January 18, 1323. The sentences of 1277 were immediately raised in regards to Tomás de Aquino on February 14, 1325.

Tomistas ethics and politics show some influence of Aristotelian thinking as well as Neoplatonic and Augustinian ideas. Sto’s ethics. Tomás retains the teleological character of Aristotle: the determination of the man’s own end will condition all moral norms and concepts. However, this teleology is complemented by an Augustinian idea: "The end of the human being is his good, which is none other than God himself". All Thomistic ethics can be understood as the ordination of creatures towards God. In fact, Thomistic ethics incorporates other Platonic concepts such as the participation and imitation of divine goodness, to the extent that beings depend on God must also participate in their goodness, although obviously in a limited and imperfect degree. In addition, Sto’s ethics. Tomás is intellectualist since the aspiration of man is the knowledge of God. This can remind us of the superiority of theoretical life in Aristotle, but also has Platonic references, when I. Tomás complements this idea with the doctrine of Augustinian lighting, taking all its ethics a clearly religious dye.

For Saint Thomas Aquinas, morals begins with the analysis of the ultimate end, which in man is the scope of bliss or happiness. This ultimate goal is essentially in the love vision of God, which can only be given by grace in eternal life. Man, for being the image of God, has the ability to go to that bliss through his free actions. The analysis of human acts, their moral value, and their internal principles, then constitutes an important part of the study of morals.

The good for man is what is convenient for its nature, what has a natural inclination as being rational, so that moral law is nothing other than natural law, that is, that which emanates from its nature. However, since God is the creator and the person responsible for the world government there is an eternal law that is the origin and source of natural law. Saint Thomas defines this eternal law as the reason that governs the entire universe and that exists in the divine mind. This general ordination of the universe does not regulate human behavior and that of other natural beings. The behavior of these other beings is regulated through physical laws whose compliance cannot be subtracted, since they lack freedom. Man, on the contrary, is a being owned by freedom, so his behavior is not ordered by physical laws, but by a moral law.

Since man is not a being who lives individually but in community, his coexistence within a society demands certain norms. Thus, natural law brings with it the demand of positive law, which governs life in society and that natural law is subordinated.

Existence of natural law

Like any other natural being, man has certain tendencies to his nature, that is, his behavior is aimed at a specific purpose. However, unlike other natural beings, the person can identify these inclinations and through reason can deduce rules of acting in accordance with the demands of their nature.

Content of natural law

Natural law is based on the notion of good that is all appetizing by man as soon as good must be done and avoid evil.

The content of natural law is derived from the tendency of human nature:

• Meanwhile, man is substance, tends to conserve, therefore, he has the moral duty to conserve it.
• Meanwhile it is animal, tends to procreate, therefore has a duty to take care of their children.
• As soon as it is rational, it is oriented to know the truth and live in society, therefore it has the obligation to seek the truth and respect justice.
• Properties of natural law.

1. Obvious: their precepts must be easily cognizable by all men since it is aimed at being a guiding norm of men.
2. Universal: Valid for all men whatever their culture since we all have the same nature
3. IMMUTABLE: Valid forever because human nature remains constant and is not affected by historical, economic, political, etc.

Moral virtue as an elective act

Saint Thomas Aquinas defines virtue as good operational habit. It is worth highlighting its Augustinian influence: "Virtue is a good quality of the soul by which one lives rightly, that no one uses badly, and that God works in us without us" and of Aristotelian origin: "disposition of perfect to better," "Virtue is what makes it good to the one who possesses it and makes its work good », as well as“ it is the virtue an elective habit that consists of a medium term related to us, and that is regulated by the right reason in the way that would regulate itThe truly prudent man ».

For man to fulfill the moral law, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas it is necessary that the person can develop good or virtuous habits. He classifies virtues according to Aristotelian theory:

• Ethical virtues: they are those that perfect the appetitive part of the soul as sensitive appetite and will. These virtues include strength, temperance, justice and prudence.
• Intellectual virtues: They perfect the intelligence of man.

It is assumed that the position of the Church is to unconditionally host those who enter the country, either legally or illegally. However, Santo Tomás points out: “The relations of man with foreigners are double: peaceful and hostile;And when dealing with both types of relationship, the law contains adequate precepts ”. From this, it is affirmed that not all immigrants are equal. Each country has the right to decide which immigrants are beneficial, that is, "peaceful", for the common good. The State can reject, for a matter of legitimate defense, whom they consider harmful or “hostile” to its citizens.

It also recognizes the fact that foreigners deserve to be treated with charity and respect;what is due to any human being of good will. In these cases, the law must protect them from being mistreated. Similarly, it establishes two conditions for the acceptance of immigrants in a given country: the desire to fully integrate into what is considered the culture and life of the nation, and that the granting of citizenship is not immediate. The latter refers to the fact that the integration process takes time;namely;People need to know the problems that affect the nation and adapt to it. Those who are familiar with the long history of their nation are in the best position to make long -term decisions about their future. It is harmful and unfair to put the future of a place in the hands of newcomers who, although they do not have their own fault, have little idea of what is happening or has happened in the nation. Such policy could lead to the destruction of the nation.

Immigration must take into account: the unity of the nation;and the common good. Its objective is integration, that is, the immigrant must not only want to assume only the benefits, but also the responsibilities of joining the complete communion of the nation. By becoming a citizen, a person becomes part of a large family through a long period that not only seeks only their individual interest. With respect to the common good, Santo Tomás explains that immigration cannot destroy or overwhelm a nation. This explains why so many Peruvians experience the discomfort caused by mass and disproportionate immigration. Such politics artificially introduces a situation that destroys common points of unity and recharges the ability of a society to organically absorb new elements in a unified culture. In this case, the common good is no longer considered.

A proportional immigration represents a healthy development into a society, since it injected new life and qualities into a social body. But when it loses that proportion and undermines the purpose of the State, threatens the welfare of the nation. When this happens, the nation would do well to follow the advice of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the biblical principles. The nation must practice justice and charity towards all, including foreigners, but must above all safeguard the common good and its unity.