Perfecting Human Actions: St. Thomas Aquinas on Human Participation in Eternal Law
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
During the last few centuries, a practical dichotomy between God and humanity has developed within moral theory. As a result, moral theory tends to focus only on humans where human autonomy is foundational or only on God where divine commands capriciously rule. However, the moral theology of Thomas Aquinas overcomes this dichotomy. For Thomas, humans reach their perfection by participating in God’s wisdom and love. Perfecting Human Actions explores the ways humans participate in eternal law—God’s wisdom that guides and moves all things to their proper action. The book begins with a thoughtful examination of the philosophic recovery of the notion of participation in Thomistic metaphysics. It then explains Thomas’ theological understanding of the notion of participation to show how humans are related to God. It is discovered that when performing human actions, humans participate in the eternal law in two ways: as moved and governed by it, and cognitively. The book concludes by showing how the notion of human participation in the eternal law is a much better foundation for moral theory than the contemporary notion of autonomy.
- Title: Perfecting Human Actions: St. Thomas Aquinas on Human Participation in Eternal Law
- Author: John Michael Rziha
- Publisher: Catholic University of America
- Print Publication Date: 2009
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?-1274; Natural law › Religious aspects--Catholic Church; Christian ethics › Catholic authors; Participation
- ISBNs: 9780813216720, 0813216729
- Resource ID: LLS:PRFCTNGHMNCTNSS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:39:29Z