St Thomas of Aquinas

Most dominant force of his time?

The Catholic Church

For Thomas, what is the first question needed to answer what our “Unique” function is?

It is “What is our natural inclinations” are

What are the 3 levels of natural inclinations?

1) Self-preservation — shared by all living things

2) Reproduction/Caring for the young — shared by animals and humans

3) Rationality — that which only humans do

What composes rationality for Aquinas?

Rationality includes

• Intelligence

• Your volitional/will capacity

• Emotion

By following our natural inclinations, what are we doing?

We are in union with God, because he made these inclinations

What is the different between Aquinas and Aristotle?

• In Aristotle, the end is to engage in society and live “The good life”

• In Aquinas, the end is to fulfill our “natural inclinations” and thus be in union with God

What do we do by following our natural inclinations? Why does this happen?

We follow God, because he created these natural inclinations

What are the two types of happiness?

1) Beatitudo —> Perfect happiness, achieved when we are in union to God

2) Felicitas —> Imperfect happiness

What is the relationship between the natural law and happiness?

• Natural law is our attempt to look into the divine law, coursed through reason

• It is within everyone inherently, it can be discerned by just being rational

How do you discern what the natural law is? What is the natural law?

We get what the natural law is via whatever human nature is

1) Preserve human life

2) Educate the young (These are just the Antonnete standards)

3) Act rationally while knowing about God (God and reason above society)

4) Live in SOCIETY (Aristotle moment)

How do we know right from wrong?

—> Synderesis/conscience

Basically just guilt. It’s not a direct line to God but its a mediation of God’s norms and human doing

In what was is synderesis imperfect?

• It is blunted by society —> The ego becomes self indulgent

How do we become saved?

1) Grace

2) Our own effort

How do we cultivate Beatitudo?

• WE CULTIVATE VIRTUE: Aristotelian and Catholic

• We cultivate those cardinal Aristotelian intellectual and moral virtues

• He includes theological virtues like charity, faith and hope — not victim to Mesotes

To be frank, it is mostly there once we are dead, because we are with God