Ethical Theorists Paper: St. Thomas Aquinas
...y being has a purpose within the divine order and a “natural” inclination to actualize that purpose (Merchant, 2000). Aquinas illustrated that a human being necessarily (not always consciously) seeks everything it seeks for its own ultimate end, which is happiness (Kretzmann & Stump, 1998). The theory consists of the development of reason and practice in living morally to attain this happiness (Ruggiero, 1997). According to Aquinas, an action is morally bad when the action is moving away from the agent’s ultimate goal (Kretzmann & Stump, 1998). He theorized that a human being’s “good” exists in conjunction with reason, while what is “bad” for a human being is the contrary to reason (1998). Upon learning these theories, I realized that ethics can be construed in a somewhat scientific manner – that is, differentiating between good and bad based on reasoning. However, what one person reasons may not necessarily reflect the reasoning of another. Aquinas addressed this issue by examining the close relationship between intellect and will: since will is inclined toward reason’s good (the good presented to will by intellect) by the very nature of the power of will, bad choices are made due to flaws in the decision-making process (1998). This volition is quite different from passion, emotion, and sensory affectivity; hence there is a “universal” appetitive response to “good” and “bad” (Bourke, 1990). Another part of the natural view includes human need for justice and order (Merchant, 2000). This brings about the subject of laws. Aquinas’ concept of natural law shows that law is rational ordering for the common good, declared by people who take care of the community (Kretzmann & Stump, 1998). He explained that human laws should all derive from natural laws, which are the naturally knowable rational principles underlying morality in general (1998). Laws such as tyrannical laws are deemed “a perversion of law” by Aquinas since such a law would not be in accord with reason (1998). I agree completely with these theories. Laws and regulations that people abide by should all be derived from natural laws. This way righteous, rational, and fair justice can be carried out. Unfortunately no law system is perfect, and it is possible for the law makers to be unreasonable or irrational. The second dimension of Aquinas’ ethics is the theological dimension. This consists of achieving the virtues of faith, hope, and charity through God’s grace and leads to eternal life with God (Ruggiero, 1997). Aquinas wrote about how hum...