NATURAL LAW: ST.

THOMAS AQUINAS
 WHO IS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

• St. Thomas Aquinas was born in Roccasecca, Italy during the

medieval period. He studied liberal arts at the University of
Naples, and in 1249, he became a Dominican Friar. He is known
as the Doctor of the Church because of his immense contribution
to the theology and doctrine of the Catholic Church. 
 WHO IS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

• is most important works are the “Summa Theologica”

where he expounded on the five proofs of the existence of
God and the “Summa Contra Gentiles” or the “Book on
the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the
unbelievers”. 
 NATURAL LAW

• Thomas Aquinas begins his explanation of virtue ethics by

grounding on natural law. He discusses the natural law
along with eternal law. By linking the two laws he shows
that it has theological underpinning because his
philosophy is theistic or belief in God as the highest of all
beings and the highest of all goods.
• Aquinas insists that the natural law expresses moral requirements. It contains
rules, commands, and action-guiding requirements. But if we ask where to find it
or discover it, it is not outside of us, that is, located somewhere. The natural law
is found within us, his rational creatures. But there is the condition, that is, only
insofar as the rational creatures share in the divine providence. It implies that we
adhere to the will and plan of God who shares his love and goodness to us, His
creature. In that, we live up to the expectation of God – to be His moral creature,
and with obedience to the law.
• There are two groups of adherents who are God’s creatures to natural law:

1.The rational creatures. It refers to us, human beings, who are gifted with rationality
and freedom. Because we are thinking beings, it is we who can understand and
analyze the content of the moral requirements, and since we are free beings, it is
we who can either show obedience to the moral requirement or not. 
2.The irrational creatures. It refers to animals, plants and other nonliving creatures
without rationality and freedom. Though they are without the gifts of reasoning and
free will, their actuations are governed by the natural law.
 THE NATURAL AND ITS TENET

• Reverend Msgr. Paul J. Glenn made a distinction of natural law in broad sense and in
the narrow sense. For rational and irrational creatures the narrow sense, for rational
creatures, it is already given above that natural law is already present in us who are
rational beings. All we have to do is to recognize that we are his creatures, and that we
are called to participate in the divine life of the highest being in order to have a fullness
of being. In the language of religious people, this is our divine vocation where we are to
realign our moral life, our thinking, and our being with that of God.
• For irrational creatures, the way they exist and the way their actions tend toward
something that seems to be good are all guided by this natural law. When
animals are hungry, they tend to look for food to eat, or they tend to look for a
comfortable place to lay their tired bodies when sleepy. These are all instances of
how they are governed by the natural law. 
• In the broad sense, the natural law guides both the rational and irrational
creatures in their own respective tendencies towards the realization of their
beings.
 HAPPINESS AS CONSTITUTIVE OF MORAL AND
CARDINAL VIRTUES
• The moral and cardinal virtues of Aquinas has special meaning in this moral
philosophy. Virtues consist of human actions that are frequently carrying out, so
much so that such human act becomes easily executed. 
• Virtues are special kind of human acts that are moral. It means that such moral
act is carried out in accordance with the dictates of reason. This dictate of reason
is also called conscience, which is the proximate norm of morality.
• That is why we see the definition of virtue as moral frequent
act. The opposite is the immoral frequent act or vice. This
proximate norm of morality is patterned after the divine reason
called eternal law that is established by God from all eternity.
 FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES

1.Prudence. This virtue is an exercise of understanding that helps us

know the best means in solving moral problems in which we
encounter in the concrete circumstance. Knowing the best means,
and without acting carelessly without thinking, will incline us to apply
them immediately with certainty.
• Justice. This habit is an exercise of the will to give or
render the things, be it intellectual or material, to anyone
who owns it. If a thing belongs to you, then everyone
should respect it and not own it, or if it belongs to
someone, then we must not treat it as ours.
•  3.  Fortitude. This habit is an exercise of courage,
to face any dangers one encounters without fear,
especially when life is at stake. 
• 4.  Temperance. This habit is an exercise of control
in the midst of strong attraction to pleasures. The
key word here is moderation.