Aristotle and Aquinas Essay - 2012 Words

Aristotle and Aquinas Among political theorists, the debate over the rule of law has been quite intense. From the earliest days of political philosophy through to the enlightenment, there have been varying views on what the rule of law should be. Two thinkers in particular - Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas - are perhaps the most influential. On the surface, they both advocate the rule of law as playing a crucial role in society. But upon deeper analysis, one finds that Aristotles views sharply contrast with those of Aquinas. This essay shall attempt to elucidate the disagreement between Aristotle and Aquinas, by first outlining Aristotles arguments for and against the rule of law, and then by explaining what Aristotle†¦show more content†¦Take, for example, the crime of murder. How can murder be classified? No two murders can ever be identical. Each murderer has his or her own motives. Some may kill in self-defence, while others may kill as a psychological disorder. Is it thus fair to judge all murderers as equals? Of course not. Accordingly, it would seem that the rule of law is necessarily deficient in some areas. Yet, Aristotle does not discard the rule of law altogether. In fact, he supports it by saying that the ruler must himself necessarily be a legislator, and that laws must exist.3 But what about those things that the law is unable to determine? In these cases, who should wield authority? Aristotle presents two arguments which seem to indicate that he supports aristocratic rule. Firstly, because of their numerical superiority, the multitude are better equipped to judge in areas where the law is deficient. In his own words, he writes a crowd can judge many matters better than any single person.4 The logic of this argument is simple: The multitude has many different expertises, and thus when acting as a unit, it can judge better than a single person with only one expertise. Secondly, the multitude is less corruptible than an individual. While an individual can be consumed by anger or other passions, it is hard for all [the multitude] to become angry and err at the same time5 With this, it may seem as thoughShow MoreRelated Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas Essay2204 Words   |  9 PagesLocke, Aristotle and Aquinas      Ã‚   In the tomes of history, many philosophers have outlined their visions of a perfect society.   Until recently however, few have ventured into the waters of religious tolerance.   One such philosopher was John Locke.   Writing in the late 17th century, Locke advocated a complete separation between church and state.   He argued for an unprecedented tolerance of people of all faiths.  Ã‚   Although Lockes views became widely popular throughout Europe and the AmericasRead MoreSimilarities Between Aristotle And Aquinas1207 Words   |  5 Pages Both Aristotle and Aquinas were prominent philosophers who wrote profound works that discussed the concept of the highest human good and how humans can achieve it. 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On one hand, you have Kant’s autonomous perspective on behavior morality, in which you give the law to yourself. On the other hand, you have the heteronomy views of Aristotle and Aquinas which concludes that one can measure their conduct against an external force. Kant’sRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1473 Words   |  6 Pagesis. The point is not to establish an idea of God, but instead to determine what is right, good, just, and true; God is the precondition or origin of the Forms or the timeless, abstract, unchanging objects of the understanding. (Plato 412 Aristotle Truth/Reality Reality is real; contradictory predicates cannot apply to the same thing, in the same way, at the same time; human beings prefer to live; and that facts are facts. I therefore reject the rejects the mystical Platonic notion of aRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1464 Words   |  6 PagesThe point is not to establish an idea of God, but instead to determine what is right, good, just, and true; God is the precondition or origin of the Forms or the timeless, abstract, unchanging objects of the understanding. (Plato 412 Aristotle Truth/Reality Reality is real; contradictory predicates cannot apply to the same thing, in the same way, at the same time; human beings prefer to live; and that facts are facts. I therefore reject the rejects the mystical Platonic notion ofRead MoreMoral Virtues Between Aristotle And St. Thomas Aquinas1147 Words   |  5 Pagestheories of moral virtues between Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, analysing and assessing how their beliefs have influenced European culture. Aristotle (384-322BCE) was an ancient Greek Philosopher who was a polymath and productive writer. Despite the fact that it can’t be positive it is commonly accepted the Nichomachean Ethics (NE) are his own works (IEP, 2005), and it is in Book Tow that the topic of virtue and moral values is one of several conferred. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), a Dominican priestRead MoreNichomachean Ethics And Thomas Aquinas986 Words   |  4 Pagesrelationship between justice, good, and happiness, specifically in Aristotle’s â€Å"Nichomachean Ethics† and Thomas Aquinas’ â€Å"On the Nature of Law.† And by examining these texts I wish to argue that even though they lived nearly 1000 years apart, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas share the same overall view of justice, but they each follow different paths to reach that justice. Both Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas believe in the pursuit of happiness as a measure of justice and a desirable chief end of life. So inRead MoreEssay on St. Thomas Aquinas’ On Being and Essence1002 Words   |  5 Pages In St. Thomas Aquinas’ On Being and Essence, he devotes an entire chapter of his book discussing how essence is found in composite substances. â€Å"Form and matter are found in composite substances, as for example soul and body in man. But it cannot be said that either one of these alone is called the essence.’ Aquinas argues that in a composite substance, not only is the form but also matter in the essence of a thing. However, in Metaphysics, Aristotle says that essence is in the form, which acts