St Thomas Aquinas - Telos & Four Tiers of Law

Q: The Concept of *Telos* and the Four Tiers of Law

Aquinas believed that humans act to achieve happiness (*eudaimonia*). Aquinas believed that there are four types of law that are made known to humans.

Test yourself on St Thomas Aquinas - Telos & Four Tiers of Law

After reading these notes, test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

St Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law

St Thomas Aquinas is a key thinker behind natural law. He believed that human conduct must follow certain principles found in nature.

Universal and fixed principles

These principles are universal and fixed. That is, they apply to everyone, everywhere, all of the time.
As humans, we have the ability to reason and work out what these principles are.
His theory is deontological, meaning it is only concerned with human action; not the result or consequence of that action.

“Do good and avoid evil”

The central principle or synderesis rule of natural law is that “Good is to be done and pursued and evil is to be avoided” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica).
In other words, “do good and avoid evil”.
Using this as the overriding guiding principle, we as humans must use our reason to work out what is the right action.

Other support for natural law

Aquinas’ thinking has had a major influence on Catholic teaching.
Many other thinkers support the theory of natural law, including Hugo Grotius (pictured), William Paley, John Locke and Aristotle.
Aristotle supported the idea that humans use reason to discern the natural law which is universal and unchanging.

The Concept of Telos and the Four Tiers of Law

Aquinas believed that humans act to achieve happiness (eudaimonia). Aquinas believed that there are four types of law that are made known to humans.

Human end goal - eudaimonia

Aquinas, like Aristotle, believed that humans act for an end (to achieve something).
Aristotle believed that this end is happiness or as he called it, eudaimonia.
This is not simply feeling happy; it is not bodily happiness. It is a deeper sort of happiness. It could be defined more closely as human flourishing.
Aquinas believed that this sort of happiness cannot be achieved in this world but only once we are reunited with God.

The Eternal Law

For Aquinas, the Eternal Law is part of God.
It is universal and absolute - that is, unchanging and applies to everyone, everywhere all of the time.

The Divine Law

The laws and rules found in the Bible.
- For example, the Decalogue or Jesus’ Parables.
The Divine Law has been revealed by God.
The Divine Law shows humans how they should live their lives.

The Natural Law

All humans can become aware of God’s eternal law through Natural Law.
Humans have the ability to reason (unlike animals) so they can work out, by observing the world, what actions follow this Natural Law.
Through natural law, humans can be aware of God’s Eternal Law even if they have not read the Bible.

The Human Law

The laws that humans create for their society that are derived from the Natural and Divine law.
Many societies have developed similar laws to preserve life or care for the sick, for example.