St Thomas Aquinas Research Paper

This essay is based on the theory that St Thomas Aquinas believes that a law that is not just is not a law at all. We shall see why he believes that and the necessary arguments he makes to prove that. My thesis for the necessary argument is that Laws should be just as they ensure the safety and security of people and regulates the community as well as giving us freedom to do as we wish while ensuring that it is safe and secure for the community as well. The following paragraphs will show us the background of St Thomas Aquinas, his definition of the law, why he believes that a law that is unjust in not a law at all and his arguments and examples to prove that, we shall also see different theories which will assist you fathoming it in greater …show more content…
His greatest writings come from law which is known as Summa Theologica which is quite challenging for students who are attempting their first inauguration on the study of philosophy of law. According to Aquinas he believes that law is nothing but an endorsement made by an individual who is concerned about the common good for the community. The word lex also known as law is derived from the word ligare which means he is bound to act in a way, in simple terms it means that it is a rule of acts in which in which a man is cajoled to act or he is curbed to act in a way which is suitable to society. (Dimock, 2002). The first principle of human acts was that the measure of human acts which is the reason of direction to the end and it is also the first principle of action which is stated by the philosopher Aristotle. Moreover in simple terms Aristotle conveys that law is something which is attributed by reason. (Dimock, 2002). Aquinas states that a law is not just called a law due to it applying to the common good but it could be referred to a law if it was operated as one. After briefly describing what laws are and where it is derived from we can talk about human laws and then we can proceed to talk about why Aquinas states that laws that are unjust are not considered as laws. Human Laws are those laws that require human reason to …show more content…
He states that laws can be unjust in two different ways, one being that everyone man has to abide by rules of the community which affects it and not just look out for himself and laws don’t always have to be unjust because an individual is selfish towards his needs and not to others needs, it is because sometimes the law makers may endorse a law which is unequally imposed on a community and in instances like these those are unjust because they are acts of violence rather than common good, these laws are made by legislators or law makers which are appointed by the society to make decisions which they have little to less knowledge about. Secondly laws may be unjust if they are contradictory towards divine good since they cater to only individuals needs rather than a community and these laws are just because they are devised by an eternal power whom cannot be unlawful. I don’t necessarily believe with the above statements but I do believe that there are certain laws which bring about justice and are not made by humans and some may call it divine laws and others may call it just laws, there are laws which are just because they cater to the society and they are good because they are ordained to the common good of