Ethics

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The Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas

Module 8 The Philosophy of St. Thomas

Aquinas, Courage and Moral Courage

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain the concept of The Angelic Doctor
2. Discuss the meaning of The Natural Law
3. Analyze St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition of Happiness
4. Define the meaning of courage
5. Enumerate the types of courage
6. Cite examples of moral courage

St. Thomas Aquinas – The Angelic Doctor

St. Thomas Aquinas is also known as Doctor Angelicus or “Angelic Doctor” because of his
chastity that remained with him until he died. Angels are pure and being a Doctor of the Church he
was called as such. He was born on 1224 at Roccasecca, near Aquino, in Sicily where he got his
surname. He died on March 7, 1274 at Fossanova, Italy; and was canonized as saint on July 18,
1323. He was an Italian Dominican theologian and one of the leading Scholars of the Medieval
Period. He developed his own conclusions based on Aristotelian logic, notably in the study
of Metaphysics (the study of the existence of God) that personality, creation, and Providence. As
a theologian he was responsible for the masterpieces namley, the “Summa Theologica” – a
compendium, of church teachings for the laity and the “Summa Contra Gentiles” (Summary
against the Gentiles) which is a guidebook for missionaries who might debate Moslems and Jews
in the East. As a poet, he wrote some of the most gravely beautiful eucharistic hymns for church
services.
St. Thomas Aquinas on The Natural Law
What is the Natural Law: Do Good and Avoid Evil. Man is born intrinsically good and being
molded in the image and likeness of God this law is natural to every human being. St. Thomas
Aquinas based his doctrine on the aforementioned law being a prelate himself. Based on his
theory, the Natural Law is a reflection of the Eternal Law (in God). In order to explain the existence
of the Eternal Law, he gave a definition of all laws: Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated by
the one in charge of the society. Laws are dictated by reason and it is the reason or intellect of the
ruler that propels the creation of laws. The purpose of law is for a well-ordered function of
community under the sovereign’s care. (This political theory of St. Thomas Aquinas believed that
rulers rule for the sake of the governed. By well-being, we mean the good and betterment of his
subjects.) With his idea that God rules the world with his reason, Aquinas concludes that God has
an idea on how to govern the world. This Idea, in God, for the governance of things is the eternal
law.
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 The Natural Law, which is an extension of the Eternal Law applies to human beings,
requires greater precision because of the fact that we have reason and free will. It is the nature of
humans to act freely (by being free from outside intervention and coercion) by synchronizing our
acts and ends. Human beings must exercise our natural reason to discover what is best for us in
order to achieve the end to which their nature inclines. Natural Law tells us that it is natural for
humans to achieve their ends through reason and free will. In other words, the Natural Law is
humans' participation in the Eternal Law, through reason and will that helped them discern good
from evil thereby giving them a happy contented life.
The Philosophy of Happiness and The Universal Man
In relation to Human happiness, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas agreed that man is
constantly searching for happiness. But St. Thomas believed that with the immortality of Human
Soul happiness can be achieved and it can be found in God alone. The Universal Man, according to
Aristotle whom he also calls “The Whole Man” is a reasonable man. St. Thomas believed that while
man exists on earth he must possess an eternal and infinite perfection. Despite the presence of
material things, man is not perfectly happy. While man lives on earth his happiness is mortal finite
and perfect but upon the attainment of the Supreme Purpose man’s happiness is divine, immortal
and perfect.

The Virtue of Courage

Courage is defined as taking action even one doubts or questions about the consequences
of his actions. Courage is often a stereotype about soldiers giving their lives for the country;
sometimes is accepting defeat after a hard-fought struggle. Courage is on a daily basis because
everything that mattered to us require this trait. We feel deep courage and strength to protect our
children either from sickness or bodily harm that we risk our lives just to secure them. Courage
comes even to the most cowardly for it is innate in man. Mary Anne Radmacher, author of “Lean
forward into your life” mentioned in that poew “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage
is the silent voice at the end of the day that says ‘I will try again tomorrow’.”
Types of Courage
1. Physical Courage - This is the courage most people often subscribes to - bravery at the
risk of bodily harm or death. In order to attain this must develop his physical strength,
resiliency, and awareness.
2. Social Courage - This type of courage is common to most of us because it involves the
risk of social embarrassment or exclusion, unpopularity or rejection. It also involves
leadership. Adhering to socially-accepted norms is a mandate all members have to
follow to avoid being a social outcast.
3. Intellectual Courage - This talks about our willingness to engage in cerebral fitness by
raising questions on things we know and will know, as well as to avoid the risk of
making mistakes.
4. Moral Courage - This involves doing the right thing, particularly when risks involve
shame, opposition, or the disapproval of others. Details will be discussed in the next
topic.
5. Emotional Courage - This type of courage opens us to feeling the full spectrum of
positive emotions, at the risk of encountering the negative ones. It is strongly
correlated with happiness.
6. Spiritual Courage – Courage that deals with questions about faith, the purpose, and
meaning of life whether in a religious or nonreligious framework.
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The Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas

Moral Courage
Moral courage is the courage to take action for moral reasons despite the risk of
adverse consequences and it requires deliberation and careful thought. Moral courage entails a
person’s strength of character and must be willing to face risks in order to act according to his or
her values and beliefs. Moral courage is the strength to stand up to authority to protect his or her
soldiers’ welfare or defend his or her decisions. This virtue develop leaders that are followed by
their inferiors without any iota of doubt. Integrity is gained by leaders who perform their jobs
even if they do not want it because they knew their leader has their trust and confidence.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Montemayor, Felix; Ethics the Philippines; Navotas Metro Manila; National Book Store

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. St. Thomas Aquinas on the Natural Law;
http://www.aquinasonline.com/Topics/natlaw.html
2. Mary Ann Radmacher Inspires; http://www.maryanneradmacher.net/
3. The Real definition of courage; https://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-
perkins/the-real-definition-of-courage_b_6857068.html; December 6, 2017

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