ST.

THOMAS’S NATURAL LAW ETHICS

Introduction
It is important, first of all, to understand Aquinas’s worldview before we
go into his ethics. The very important question is that: What are the ethical
principles we can derive out of his cosmological view?
Thomas’s Kosmos (κόσμος)

The Participants The Participated

- The Stars (heaveny bodies) CREATION

- Humans
- Animals
- Plants
- Minerals

Here lies the insight and genius of Aquinas

How did Aquinas get into the insight of the Act of Existence?

By going into the depths of existence (act of existence) the insight into
being is the “isness” before “whatness.”
Existence is theoretically different from essence. But in experience,
what we actually see is essence and so, existence and essence are not separate
because existence contains everything and cannot be contained exhaustibly in
essence. Aquinas’s cosmology is viewed from the viewpoint of God. Hence
what ethics can be developed out of this worldview?
Aquinas’s Ethical Principles
The insight into being and the movement of being provides Aquinas’s
ethical principles. Existence is the unifying principle of all beings. For
Aquinas, existence acts, although the question is that “in what way?” Beings
acts according to its nature. It shows itself in a particular way. This is the very
meaning of existence. All being shares themselves, diffuses themselves. Thus
the ethical principle is derived from the movement of beings or the
dynamisms of being.
The Movement of Beings

1. to live – Once you exist you can. Life overflows, diffuses, although there
is self-preservation; life shares, diffuses, takes care. This is part of the
natural law
2. to share – express and give yourself in order to fulfill itself. For Aquinas,
there is a corresponding intentionality = being diffuses as a dual
intentionality
3. to know the truth – we search for truth as an intelligent being but, if your
search for truth is absurd and it has no end, telos or purpose then, what
is the final goal of the movement of being. For Aquinas, the final goal of
the movement of being is the fullness of the acts of existence (all beings
shall go back to its creator). Since ethics is about good, where would be
the good of the schema?
The Principle of Existence
By the principle of existence, everything is already good. But for man,
how are we going to look at it? Humans are, by nature, rational. This is seen
and expressed in our actions. The intensity of moral responsibility is in man
because of his/her rationality. Thus the intensity of moral principle belongs to
man as an intellectual being. Aquinas interest is to show how a human person
ought to act morally.
Human Intensity for Moral Principles
Intelligence Truth
Humans
Free will Good
Aquinas’s interest is the human intellect and will framework that interplays in
the very act of moral reasoning. The more you know the more you will for the
good.
Man naturally acts rationally. This is part of the natural law plus the
dynamic existence to make the natural law dynamic. The dynamism of being
can only be fulfilled when it returns to the most perfect being.
Intellect = to know more so that knowing more
Will = the more we desire for the good
Hence, decision is affected by what you know; intellect becomes the key to
human development. The more we know the more we have alternatives to do,
extend our freedom. Thus, the more knowledge we have the more responsibility
we have.

Finding the Truth

truth = good

Finding the truth deliberation means to achieve the object

Choice
Freedom is important prior to truth. Deliberation and choice means that it is
your decision to pursue the above three processes Freedom works before the
process begins. Free will is emphasized.
Cultivation of the Will
There is no freewill, only free won’t. The radical experience of freedom
is free won’t if free won’t is to become something for the sake of something
else. To be a human person is to oppose the reality that contradicts the
connaturality of the movement of the intellect that searches the truth and
goodness. From this, deliberation comes in the selection of possibilities
expressed in an emphatic no of the freedom’s free won’t. New experiences, in
deliberation process, can only be stimulated externally. It is necessary in
creating nex axons that extend our neural connections. Our knowledge of our
brain will allow us to direct the future trajectory of human evolution. Am I
going to progress or regress?
Ignorance
Applying Aquinas’s ethical principle, it is dangerous to say that “I do not
know” and so I have to follow what others would say or what the Government
says, what the Church says or what the institution says. And so, we should go
to argue using reason that is oriented to the good—reason is naturally
oriented to the good—ignorance cannot be given a space in the act and
potency like arguing cloning, abortion, divorce, same sex marriage, euthanasia,
LGBTQ/Sogie, artificial contraceptives, death penalty, and other issues and
concerns confronting us in the contemporary world.
Reflection of the Triadic Brain
Secondary reflection of the above presentation of human’s triadic brain
will lead us to ask: how is this related to my life? The future of the cosmos lies
in the future choices that we are going to make, i.e., to become a consumer or
to become a producer/to become a developer or a destroyer?
Human moral imperative
Mammals social imperative
Reptile Survival instincts
Necessary Human Disposition
I need to create a disposition (right character/virtues) in order for me to
do good work easier because it becomes a part of me. On the other hand, It
determines me in a way. Freedom is to decide or not to decide. In relation to
our effort for development, it is very important to allow our rationality to
solve our problem. God is an exemplar being but metaphysically a being
among beings. The unity of the whole cosmos is important to move
philosophically.
Law and Common Good
Because of the intellect that searches for the truth and the will for the
good, man can transcend not only horizontally and but also vertically. The
intellect evaluates the will whether it is good in the light of truth. This is
called a process of deliberation. Law making is for the common good because
the deliberation process is not individual but social. The common good is
ultimately connected to the ultimate good and truth so that it can go back to
the whole process of the dynamism of beings in participation towards the
fullness of the acts of existence. This is the process wherein we can have
progress. The deliberation process of law making is intended for the common
good and, as a social process, it seeks counsel to avoid bias. But there are
biased legislators thus, we need to connect to the common good and the
bigger perspective of the infinite good and truth so as to return to the
dynamism of being in progress.
Human Law/Positive Law
Why need to submit ourselves to law even if we are good? What we are
taking into account is the social consideration, taking into account those who
are not good. Hence, submitting ourselves to law is for discipline. How does
the law help those bad persons to become good? The law is aimed at helping
those bad persons rather than to alienate them from the rest of the society. To
do this is to have a formative penal system. The penal system should lead to
the realization rather than hardening them. In principle, how are we going to
deliberate this ethically?
Ethical Deliberation on Laws
Law is important because the absence of it makes difficult to guarantee
the welfare of a person, the society, and the world as a whole. The principle of
the dynamism of being allows the development of laws. If laws are defective,
they cannot promote the common good. But for the moment it is the law,
perhaps the best law. But our aspirations will eventually look always that law
should serve for the common good. Man is worse than animals if he is
separated from law and justice because he has the intellect and will. Justice is
governed by reason proportionate to it. We will argue what is reasonable and
what is reasonable is just. Aquinas’s principle of the primacy of intellect is
tending towards building a city/society of speech. Thus laws are product of
deliberations by the law makers. The deliberations are based are based on the
knowledge of the law makers.
How to Appreciate the Laws?
Our democracy is a representative democracy. We have given up our
freedom to the representatives. We voted based on our knowledge of them.
After we voted we go back to our normal life doing business, works, etc. But
why after we voted our representative make laws that do not represent us.
Why? What is happening? Here, there is an exercise of freedom, the act of
voting, the will, the choice of good leaders in a representative democracy. In a
representative democracy, we are extending our freedom and knowledge
hoping that they will truly represent us. If those laws do not represent us,
then they are betraying us. Laws are the temporary will of the people and the
approximate rationality for the moment. They can be changed, we can change
them.
The Need and Reasons for the Divine Law
There must be something beyond the natural law to inspire us to do
things. There is more in ourselves that we are called more than our nature as
human beings. Her, there must be a divine law.
 1. We are called to go beyond ourselves to do greater things for the
humanity, for the sake of something higher (like our heroes)/saints/moral
exemplars). There is something more in our nature.
2. Our judgment is limited based on the evidences and testimonies.
Evidences can be planted and people can bear false testimonies. What do we
know? This is the limit of knowledge. May be there is something more; the
interior judge, the interior court within man. (Note: There is no contradiction
between the divine will and human will insofar as natural law is concern.
Conscience
It is about the self against external factors. It is an internal drive that
calls for a person to act, having good nature and good will, to do good for the
sake of itself.
Where is the internal drive coming from? Conscience is internal and
external is important to distinguish in order to understand what is conscience.
The external is the person, authority, government, church, tradition, etc.
Internal is for the sake of itself. What I want and what I ought to do is
important to understand conscience from these two movements. What I want
is about an object and what I ought to do refers to base appetites, noble
principles (higher or lower). Conscience is the ought/internal drive. Ought is
known to us intellectually and it is also an obligation. Conscience is related to
reason and will. I am guilty of something I know (things that I did not do but
could have been done). This requires a moment of centering, to go back to
your conscience.
Do we need to follow our conscience even if it is erroneous?
We need to follow our conscience even if it turns out to be wrong
because the only choice that we have is that it is the only thing that I know.
Aquinas was right because it follows according to the intellect and will
framework. We can only act of what we know. Judgment is based on what you
know.
(Note: We could never progress because our culture is very social. We do not
act what responsibility calls for but on what the people advises. Even if you
follow the advises of the people but ultimately you are the one making the
decision. How can we progress if we cannot personally actualize our personal
responsibility in our ethical decisions?
Conscience: How does it apply in the concrete?
 It requires mastery of the self (self-possession). We need to make a
commitment, a deep energy of ourselves that needs cultivation. I should have
enough experience to know the consequences of my act. However, there are
certain things that I do not need experience like faithfulness to myself, to be
personally reflective, knowledge of connaturality (Note: sometimes it is better
to obey superiors and sometimes there are principles to be held in an
institution because you take part of it).
Mature Conscience
Mature conscience takes the uniqueness of our individual personhood.
We need to trust each other in order to develop. If we are to go on then we
need to trust each other as an alternative way of improving and
industrialization may be achieved. We have to adapt and articulate our own
way of perception out of our lived experience in order to solve our problems.
True Conscience
Conscience Action = This is rational, there is real reason
for action. This is ontological
Action Conscience = This is rationalization. This is
psychological. It has no real reason for action.

Principle behind: Reason comes before freedom for Aquinas.