THE NATURAL LAW: ST.

THOMAS AQUINAS

ETSI DEUS NON-DARETUR

Thomas Aquinas begins from the standpoint of faith. His perspective presupposes the existence of a
God who is the author (source) and the goal (end) of all reality. This Creator for Thomas, however, relates in
freedom to recognize through reason, the very principle of foundations of all things. In accordance with this
functional knowledge, the human person can choose to act in such a way that is worthy of one’s very reality .
On who can reach the wisdom at the very heart of all things is obliged to act in accordance with his/her dignity.
The human being then is said to be gifted with “the ability to know the highest good” that engages him/her in
freedom in “choosing to act on the good that he/she ought to do.” Freedom here is knowing the best goal and
being able to reach for it through decisive action. This is expressed interiorly, that is in the very heart, of every
human person as the dictate of “doing good and avoiding evil.”

The reality of the human person who is able, through his/her intellect, to decide in freedom and, through
his/her will, to move himself/herself voluntarily in accordance with the good that he/she can follow the very
will of God who has “created man in His own image” (Genesis 1, 27). Man in His fullness shares life with
plants and animals but goes beyond them in his voluntary action and freedom in decisions.

Human freedom for St. Thomas therefore is an imprint of the divine will in the very being of the
human person. The Divine Will can be understood as governing all that is; man’s task is to act in such a way
that his/her participation in the full unfolding of nature directs it to fulfilment.

This law impinges on the very freedom of the human being to know his/her options and voluntarily will
to take action. The rational human person’s participation, ability to discern what is good from what is not, is
the very presence of the dictates of the law within him/her, and is also the imprint on him/her of the Creator
(Divine Will).

Etsi Deus non daretur is an expression that highlights the validity of this ethical system with or
without faith in the Creator God. Literally, Etsi Deus non daretur means “even if there is no God.” This
implies that the wisdom of the ethical system that is natural law is valid and binding for the human person even
if we bracket belief in God. However, it has to be noted that Etsi Deus non daretur does not advocate atheism or
protest against the faith.

CONSCIENCE AND NATURAL LAW

The ability of man to know is important in his/her acting ethically. Hence, if one follows St. Thomas’
discussion on conscience, one is inclined to conclude that “it is the proper functioning of reason in moving the
human person towards an end goal that is fitting of his/her dignity.” One cannot do the right if one does not
know what it is. The famous dictate then to follow the conscience absolutely is tied up to an obligation to
educate it. However, not knowing St. Thomas Aquinas is not an excuse. Even if one does not know, he/she is
obliged to know. If one acts badly out of ignorance and does not act to rectify the situation by bothering to
learn, that person is accountable according to the Angelic Doctor.

On the other hand, there are different kinds of conscience that may lead us to wrongdoing: callous,
perplexed, scrupulous, and ignorant/uninformed. The ignorant/uninformed conscience simply lacks
education, while the perplexed conscience needs guidance in sorting out one’s confusion. More so, the callous
conscience results in the long-time persistence in doing evil that the self is no longer concerned whether he/she
does good or bad. Lastly, the scrupulous conscience fails to trust one’s ability to do good and hence, overly
concerns itself with avoiding what is bad to the point of seeing wrong where there really is none.

There are four characteristics of natural law, the universal, it is the human nature which is shared by all
men, though realized differently according to their respective culture; obligatory, because the tendencies of our
human nature are the laws of our desires and actuations, which we cannot ignore without direct consequences;
recognizable, because man, being self-reflexive, is aware of his nature of what he is and what he is capable of
and what is expected of him by his own kind; and immutable and unchangeable, because, although change is a
rule of life, human nature in its essentiality and substantiality remains permanent and unchangeable.

Three Contemporary Questions

There are relevant questions that can help the Filipino student appreciate Thomistic Natural Law. These
three questions: Who am I?; Who do I want to be?; and How can I get there?, have originated from the writing
of Alasdair Macintyre.

Who am I? This refers to the identity of the human person. If one is endowed with his/her own
facticity, history, and abilities, his/her present reality is accessible to him/her through self-knowledge and
reflection. The reality of human identity is that it is something defined yet also always in process.

Who do I want to be? The human person’s self-knowledge is dynamic, that is, it is always open to the
direction set by what one wants to make himself/herself. Self-knowledge here is malleable towards self-
determination. Ethical acts give direction through freedom to build up the self towards a particular goal.

How can I get there? This fully utilizes the sound judgment of human reason and evaluates the best
route to get to the goal decided upon. The last question breaks down the task to be done into the particulars of
actions and daily routine.

The human person does not only access reason to assess his/her personal identity and personal goal;
he/she is also gifted with the will to command the self to go through the steps and, hence, be able to do the
transition from knowledge to a fully determined self.

THE RELATIONAL AND PERFECTION OF LOVE IN AQUINAS

Thomistic natural law is not Christian simply because it is an ethics reconcilable or compatible with
faith. It is a disciplined system that finds ultimate foundation and perfection in the reality of God. While
through Etsi Deus non daretur we are afforded the autonomy of a reasonable ethics independent from faith,
ultimately this ethics is given full meaning and perfection in a relationship with God. The highest perfection of
man for St. Thomas is in his/her wanting to be with God. In other words that are used by believers, “The
ethical man is not the perfect man but one who wants to be saved by cooperating in freedom with what is
attainable for him/her.”