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Aquinas (On Natural Law)

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Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy

Introduction

In presenting the natural law theory of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), primary attention shall be given to its most mature formulation, which is contained in Questions 90–97 of the First of Second Part of the Summa theologiae (Aquinas 1947; for the evolution of this theory cf Vendemiati 2011). However, the Treatise on Law shall not be separated from the context in which is inserted. Law is only one aspect of a broader design concerned with studying human actions where man is deemed to be the principle having free-will and control of his action (I–II, Prologue). In this context, the structural part concerns the definition of the ultimate end and of the actions that lead to it, while the dynamic part deals with the principles of human action, which in turn are intrinsic (habits) and extrinsic (law and grace). The Treatise on Law is therefore functional to a general theory of human action. This must never be forgotten. For Aquinas, natural law is not a separate theme.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Francesco Viola

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  1. Francesco Viola
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Correspondence to Francesco Viola .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International & Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, University of Salzburg, Austria, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. Law, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy

    Pierluigi Chiassoni

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Viola, F. (2019). Aquinas (On Natural Law). In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_364-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_364-1

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