Members:

Dhon Rich Tan Roel Nuique

Jobel Gimpayan Kemberly Vierneza
Anna Leizel Etom Christian Gaudan
 Introduction
In October 2016, newspapers reported that Pantaleon Alvarez,
Speaker of the House of the Representatives, was intending to draft a bill which
would amend the country’s Family Code, thereby allowing for the legalization of
same-sex unions. However, as one newspaper report revealed, even before
anything could be formally proposed, other fellow legislators had already
expressed to the media their refusal to support any such initiative.
The reason given in the news article vary, ranging from the opinion that
seeing two men kiss is unsightly, to the statement that there is something
“irregular” about belonging to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT)
community, and to the judgement that two people of the same sex being together
is unnatural.
We are used to hearing people justify done something by making the
appeal
That what they maintain is what is "natural", and therefore acceptable. Likewise
people would judge something as unacceptable on the basis that is supposedly
"unnatural". Thus, we are no longer surprised when we hear people condemn
and label many different things as "unnatural": maybe receiving blood
transfusions, eating meat, or, as our news report shows, engaging in sexual
relations that one might consider deviant. We also realize that sometimes we
 THOMAS AQUINAS
1225-1274

Hailed as a doctor the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas Aquinas was a

Dominician friar who wa the preeminent intellectual figure of the scholastic period of
the Middle Ages, contributing to the doctrine of the faith more than any other figure
of his time. His Summa Theologiae, Aquinas's magnum opus is a voluminous work that
comprehensively discusses many significant points in Christian theology. He was
canonized in 1323.
There have been various thinkers and systems of thought emerging throughout
history that could be said to present a natural law theory. Among them, the one we
will be focusing on is the medieval thinker Thomas Aquinas. It has to be recognized,
however, that this natural law theory is part of a larger discussion, which is his moral
theory taken as a whole. This moral theory, in turn, is part of a larger project, which is
Aquinas's vision of the Christian faith.
THE CONEXT OF THE CHRISTIAN STORY
The fundamental truth maintained and elaborated by Aquinas in all his
works is the promise right at the center of Christian faith: that we are created
by God in order to ultimately return to Him. The structure of his magnum opus
Summa Theologiae follows the tajectory of this story.
 There are three parts to this voluminous work. In the first part, Aquinas speaks of God, and
although we acknowledge that our limited human intellect cannot fully grasp Him, we nevertheless are
able to say something concerning His goodness, His might, and His creative power. Recognizing them
that we are created by God. The second part, which deals with man or the dynamic of human life. This
is characterized by our pursuit of happiness, which we should realize rests ultimately not on any
particular good thing that is created by God, but in the highest good which is God Himself. Our striving
for this ultimate happiness, while important, will not in itself bring us to this blessed state. In other
words, salvation is only possible through the presence of God's grace and that grace has become
perfectly incarnate in the person of Jesus. Thus, The third part is focuses on Jesus as our Saviour.
Given that our concern here is the question of ethics, it would seem clear that what would be
of greatest interest to us is the second part or the section of this story that centers on human life and
its striving toward God. However, bringing up the notion that living a good life leads us to God could
easily be misunderstood as a simple exhortation to obey certain rules as given to as through Church
doctrines or by following certain passages lifted randomly from sacred Scriptures.
THE CONTEXT OF AQUINAS'S ETHICS
A full consideration of Aquinas's ethics would require us to explore his discussion of other matters, such as
how, in our pursuit of happiness, we direct our actions toward specific ends. We might explore how emotions-"the
passions"- are involved in this process, and therefore require a proper order if they are to probably contribute to a good
life. We might explore how are actions are related to certain dispositions (often referred to as "habits") in a dynamic
way since our actions both arise from our habits and at the same time reinforce them. We might explore his discussion
of how we developed either good or bad habits with a good disposition leading us toward making moral choices,
thereby contributing to our moral virtue, and a bad disposition
inclining us toward making immoral choices, bringing us to vice.
The Christian life, therefore, is about developing the capacities
given to us by God into a disposition of virtue inclined toward the
good.
Aquinas also puts forward that there is within us a
conscience that directs our moral thinking. This does not refer to
some simple intuition or gut feeling. For Aquinas, there is a sense
of right and wrong in us that we are obliged to obey. However. He
also adds that this sense of right and wrong must be informed,
guided, and ultimately grounded in an objective basis for
morality.
So, we are called to heed the voice of conscience and
enjoined to develop and maintain a life of virtue. However, this
both require a content, so we need something more. We need a
basis for our conscience to be properly informed, and we need a
clearer guidepost on whether certain decisions we make lead us
toward virtue or vice.
 Being told that one should heed one's conscience or that
one should try to be virtuous, does very little to guide people as
to what specifically should be done in a given situation. Thus,
there is a need for a clearer basis of ethics, a ground that will
more concretely direct our sense of what is right or wrong. For
Aquinas, this would be the natural law.
We can recall how the ethical approach called the divine
command theory urges a person towards unthinking obedience
to religious precepts. Given the problems of this simplistic
approach to ethics, we can contrast how the moral theory of
Aquinas requires the judicious use of reason. In doing so, one's
sense of right and wrong would be grounded on something
stable: human nature itself.
We will start by exploring how Aquinas restates the
Christian message, making use of a philosophical vocabulary
appropriated from the Ancient Greeks. We then look at how
Aquinas speaks of the essence and also the varieties of law. From
there, we will be able to explore the percepts of the natural law.
 Thank you
for Listening