MODULE 9

Ethical Framework:
Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law

Module 9 tackles the moral philosophy of one of the greatest philosopher-theologican in the
middle ages, Saint Thomas Aquinas. In this module, we will trace the influence of Aristotle in
St. Thomas’ philosophy and point out what is “new” in it. As you come to understand Saint
Thomas’ concepts on morality and his method in knowing what is good, it is hoped that you
will come to appreciate him as the one who taught us that divine union with God is not
simply a matter of faith, but also a matter of using the gift of reason.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of Module 9, you should be able to:
1. trace the connections between the Eternal Law and Natural Law;
2. compare and contrast Aristotle and Saint Thomas’ concept of happiness and
goodness;
3. differentiate the cardinal virtues from the theological virtues; and
4. argue for the possibility or impossibility of “synderesis.”

ENGAGE

SCENARIO: You know that you are failing in one of your subjects. Is it better to cheat during
exam than to fail in that subject?

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 EXPLORE

Access and watch the following short videos for additional knowledge on Saint Thomas’
moral philosophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJvoFf2wCBU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpVfd6oCF5M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_UfYY7aWKo

EXPLAIN

 9. Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law

9. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD)
Acclaimed as the greatest theologian of mankind and well known as angelic doctor,
Thomas Aquinas teaches us that moral life is guided by God through our conscience, known
as “the little voice of God” in us. Through our conscience, we are directed towards happiness
which ultimately to attain perfection with God. Through our conscience, we are naturally
called to do good and avoid evil. This is referred to be St. Thomas as synderesis. This natural
tendency to do good and avoid doing wrong is God’s will for man. Through the wise use of
human freedom and intelligence (which are regarded as Godly gifts), man is led to enjoy
the fullness of life. This comes to pass by following an ethical life.
This “conscience” resides in the human heart, where God speaks to the person.
Thomas Aquinas believes that God gives every person an angel to protect him/her in order
to follow God’s will. This divine will, again, is complied with by doing good and avoiding evil.
To note, the Church acknowledges and gives St. Thomas Aquinas the title “Angelic Doctor”,
for his contributions to the doctrines and inclusions of the faith.
St. Aquinas followed the fundamental teachings of his great predecessor, Aristotle,
whom he honored with the exclusive title, “The Philosopher”. It can be commented,
however, that St. Thomas saw farther and beyond the vision of Aristotle who relied only on
the natural powers of human reason and experience in his search for truth. Like Aristotle,
Aquinas proclaimed the supremacy of reason in man, and maintained that man can know
the truth with certainty through the use of his reason. However, Aquinas also stressed that
there are some truths which cannot be known by human reason alone; and for these truths,
the aid and ‘light’ of divine revelation is needed. It should be noted that the two truths, i.e.,
those known through reason, and those known through divine revelation, can never
contradict each other, because they emanate from the same source: God, who is the
TRUTH itself.
To illustrate, let us take up Aristotle’s concept of “God”. Take note that Aristotle lived
centuries before the Christian faith, and thus, here, St. Thomas can be seen as appropriating
and validating Aristotle’s descriptions into his own and into the Christian faith.
Man can know and validly prove God’s existence by reasoning, as shown in the
conclusions of Aristotle’s arguments to prove the existence of God. For Aristotle, god is: Prime

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 Mover, First Cause, Perfect Good, Final Cause and Good of all Things. St. Thomas Aquinas
upheld these arguments as valid and true, and in fact adopted these proofs in his Quinque
Viae (Five Ways) to prove God’s existence. Yet, he saw their limitations: they do not reveal
the nature of God as we know Him from the Bible and Christian Teaching – as a Personal
God, our loving Father, Redeemer and Benefactor to whom we pray. The same limitation in
knowledge is obtained in Aristotle’s philosophy of man, particularly on the ultimate destiny
of man. For instance, while there are hints of the immortality of the soul of man in his writings,
Aristotle never proved the immortality of the soul as this lies beyond the comprehension of
human reason.
Man has the natural inclination to be happy, but more than Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas
proposes that man seeks ultimate happiness in God, the Greatest Good (Summum Bonum).
Thus, faith and reason go together in seeking the truth of God. We can come to know God
through our conscience, through the “voice of God” in us. Obedience to Natural Law is
rational participation in the Eternal Law of God. Humans follow their conscience in caring for
themselves and for their fellow humans.
Here is a partial list of the virtues that a person can live for (Rachels, 176):

benevolence fairness patience

civility friendliness prudence
compassion generosity reasonableness
conscientiousness honesty self-discipline
cooperativeness industriousness self-reliance
courage justice tactfulness
courteousness loyalty thoughtfulness
dependability moderation tolerance

These character traits foster the development of a human person, fitting for the person
to have. It is always believed that virtues cannot be bought by any means because they are
carried through life, they cannot be bought by money but they can be taught to children,
and through constant practice, they can be learned and developed overtime. They are
inherent in a person. It is noticeable that a person is good by his actions, words, and ways of
doing things, and relating to people.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, we need to follow the law which is “a rule or body of rules that
tells individuals what they may and may not do.” Nevertheless, man has the gift of reason
and freedom to obey that which is good and just. The law is legislated by those given
authority for the sake of the common good; thus, the law is a human positive law because
it is crafted by the human mind. The human positive law is derived from the natural law,
which is a “pattern of necessary and universal regularity and universal moral imperatives, a
description of what ought to happen in all human relationships.”. Now, the natural law, in
turn, is reflective of the eternal law, which, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, “is God’s
decree for the governance of the universe.”
As human beings, it is not our nature to go against what nature provides. We do not
need to go against it; and we can be satisfied with what it provides us. This is because “the
natural law, in its universal character, can in no way be blotted out from men’s hearts.”

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 Epictetus has said it, “Do not seek the good in external things; seek the good in yourselves: if
you do not, you will not find it.”
For Thomas Aquinas, the natural law is the order of nature. Like Aristotle, he taught
that the purpose of human life is happiness and that the goodness or badness of an action
would depend on this relation to that purpose. To follow human nature, i.e., to be rational,
means that the person should use his/her conscience to do good and to avoid evil. It is thus
in the nature of the person to understand so he or she can believe. (In the medieval times of
philosophy, notable philosophical figures teach/believe one of, or both of these two notions,
which might as well be understood as complementaries of each other: credo ut intellegam
and intelligo ut credam. The first translates as “I believe so that I may understand, while the
second states “I understand so that I may believe”. In these notions, one can find the blend
and intertwining of theology and philosophy).

ELABORATE

“Can I still be good or capable of doing what is good even if I do not believe in God?”
Assuming you were Saint Thomas, what would your answer be? Elaborate.

EVALUATE

For the evaluative part of the module, Please refer to the Google Form uploaded to the
Google classroom. Please answer the Google form quiz diligently. Do your Best!

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means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly prohibited. 4