INTRODUCTION

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) was an intellectual and religious revolutionary, living at a time
of great philosophical, theological and scientific development. He was a member of the
Dominican Friars, which at that time was considered to be a cult, and was taught by one of the
greatest intellects of the age, Albert the Great (1208–1280).
The moral philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) involves a merger of at least two
apparently disparate traditions: Aristotelian eudaimonism and Christian theology. On the one
hand, Aquinas follows Aristotle in thinking that an act is good or bad depending on whether it
contributes to or deters us from our proper human end—the telos or final goal at which all
human actions aim.
That telos is eudaimonia, or happiness, where “happiness” is understood in terms of completion,
perfection, or well-being.
WHAT IS NATURAL LAW?
On Aquinas’s view, a law is “a rule or measure of human acts, whereby a person is induced to
act or is restrained from acting”.
At a very general level, whether an action is good will depend on whether it conforms to or
abides by the relevant law. In other words, for Aquinas, a human action is good or bad depending
on whether it conforms to reason. If we act according to reason then we are partaking in the
Natural Law.
Reason is the measure by which we evaluate human acts. Thus Aquinas thinks that the laws that
govern human action are expressive of reason itself. If we all act according to reason, then we
will all agree to some overarching general rules (what Aquinas calls primary precepts). These are
absolute and binding on all rational agents and because of this Aquinas rejects relativism. All
human actions are governed by a general principle or precept that is foundational to and
necessary for all practical reasoning: good is to be done and evil is to be avoided.
Aquinas believed that an informed conscience takes precedence over law. When Aquinas talks
of Natural Laws, he means internal rules and not external ones.
AQUINA’S PRIMARY PERCEPTS
1. Protect and preserve human life.
2. Reproduce and educate one’s offspring.
3. Know and worship God.
4. Live in a society.

AQUINA’S SECONDARY PERCEPT

1. Human Law
Secondary precepts are not generated by our reason but rather they are
imposed by governments, groups, clubs, societies etc. It is not always morally
acceptable to follow secondary precepts. It is only morally acceptable if they are
consistent with the Natural Law.