La verdad moral en el pensamiento de santo Tomás

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Abstract

This article is about the political nature of moral truth. It has been a common practice to deal separately with morals and politics. However, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas thinking, the nature of every human action is political when it reaches its maximum perfection. Thus, politics would be the last and culminating chapter of ethics.. The most perfect action is that that achieves the highest end. That end, according to Saint Thomas' doctrine, can be either perfect happiness or imperfect happiness. The first is obtained by the direct contemplation of God and cannot be achieved during this life. The other one, imperfect happiness, which is a participation of the first and is therefore defined by reference to it, can be achieved according to the measure in which the action is ordained to the highest human good that can be achieved during this life. That good is the political common good, that can be defined as the human person' good in all that is common or participated by many and that, consequently, must be sought as such at the operative level. This implies that each person achieves human good as long as he/she ordains him/herself to the good of others. One's own perfection is achieved when one looks for the perfection of others. Political society is the natural effect of the human action that tends effectively to the highest possible human good in this life. Thus, all moral action will achieve its perfection in the same measure that it is intentionally prolonged as far as the political good.
Original languageSpanish (Chile)
Pages (from-to)539-596
Number of pages57
JournalAngelicum
Volume80
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2003
Externally publishedYes

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