St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae

Here are some more questions for you to think about (again, these are all just meant as jumping-off points for a wide-ranging discussion).

Based on our reading of St. Thomas, how should we understand the limits of politics and the law? What can we legitimately expect from political life (in contradistinction to moral life)? Do you think St. Thomas is right to say that human law must tolerate certain vices?

Do you think there are conditions under which it is right for a person to disobey the law? What sorts of conditions? What sorts of conditions does St. Thomas think would allow for such disobedience?

Lastly and most importantly: what is the natural law, according to St. Thomas? We want to get a good handle on this before examining modern natural law theories, which deviate from St. Thomas’s understanding in important ways.