Thomas Aquinas

Nutsa Tavartkiladze
Political Philosophy
 Table of contents

01 02
Life and environment Influences

03 04
Main works Political Philosophy and
Classification of law
Life
 1224 – 1274
 Aquino, Near Naples
 1245 – member of Dominican order
 University of Paris
 Albert Magnus
 His philosophy began its rise to prestige two
centuries later (1567)
 Pope Pius V proclaimed St. Thomas Aquinas a
doctor of the church
 Environment

Golden Works of
period of Aristotle
Scholasticism available
 Influences

Christian
Aristotle
Theology
✣ Theological discourse begins with ✢ Introduced at University of Paris
what God has revealed about the world ✢ 12 commentaries on Aristotle
✣ World is understood in that light ✢ Integrated his arguments into
✣ Human wisdom Christian teachings
✣ Sciences of ethics and politics – base ✢ Reached limits of philosophy without
✣ Philosophy divine revelation
✣ Theology – apex
 Summa Theologica

1st 2nd 3rd

part part part
God and his Ethics Jesus Christ
creation
Since God is the first cause of The way that leads to God –
Faith and reason could guide
everything, he is the cause of Christ.
the human mind in its desire
even the free acts of men Sacraments – instruments
for God and for truthful
through predestination through which this process
knowledge about the world
takes place.
 On kingship
 His only exclusively political
work
 Kingship best form of
government
 Tyranny is the worst and the
“most unjust form of
government”
 View on politics
Christian belief + thought of Aristotle

Blending knowledge, reason and

faith

St. Thomas Reason – ability to think and

aquinas understand

God implanted reason in human

beings
 State

Reason alone can

Man – social and State is natural to
not fulfill all
political animal man
human needs

The state should The best should

be organized upon rule under the
justice constraints of law
 Government
May delegate their authority to a monarchial,
aristocratic, or republican government
People
People under god are sovereign

Main promote virtue among men to enable

God objective them to achieve eternal salvation.

universe is governed by one God - a clear

model of the best government.
Monarchy
Gave the state important advantages of
unity, and regularity analogous to divine
rule.
 Monarchy

Rule justly
For the
common good
Rulers
No authority in
religious matters The pope –
obeyed by
everyone
 Classification of law

Eternal law Natural law

- reason existing in the mind - Basic principles that
of God by which the whole humans inherently
universe is governed. understand through their
- human can not fully grasp nature
- guidebook to how - foundation for
everything operates understanding what’s right
or wrong

Divine law Human law

- rules created by humans
- Specific rules given by god;
based on natural law
found in the scripture
- aim: common good
- Seen as special gift from
- law of nations
God
- Civil law
 Attributes of human law
1 2 3
Common
Standard rule Origin
A guideline for human good
Designed to benefit Arises from the reasoning
behavior based on everyone in the of the community or its
reasoning. community leader

4 5 6
Promulgation Conformity Scope
Must be officially Should follow the Governs worldly matters
announced to be binding principles of Natural Law and actions, not the
spiritual aspects, which
are under Divine Law.
 Church-State
relationship
● Church – matters of faith
○ Most important
● Church completes the state
● Secular rulers should work
with and be guided by the
church
Legacy and personal
opinion
 Discussion point

1
How can we use St. Thomas Aquinas's ideas about keeping the
church and state separate but working together for the
common good in today's world?

2
How can schools use St. Thomas Aquinas's idea of combining
faith and reason in the way they teach? And how might this
help students understand different subjects better?