Aquinas, Natural Law, and Social Ontology

This volume explores the connections between Thomas Aquinas' doctrine of natural law and contemporary social thought. It aims to make explicit the basic notions of Thomas Aquinas' social ontology and to show how key concepts from sociology, economics, and political science relate to his ethics and social thought. Social ontology is a growing area of contemporary social theory. Scholars in this area reflect on the ontological status of society and the various realities that make up the social realm. However, Aquinas scholars rarely use the term social ontology, instead resorting to his natural law to examine social life. This volume argues that the social thought of Thomas Aquinas, including his natural law theory, implies a social ontology. Aquinas adopts a clear position on the ontological uniqueness of human beings, the intentional structure of human action, and the existence of informal social relations and institutional realities that shape human society. This volume shows how these views can be reconstructed into a coherent social ontology. Its chapters are divided into five thematic parts. Part 1 offers conceptual elements to bridge the gap between Aquinas and contemporary social theory. Part 2 considers the metaphysics and theology implicit in Aquinas' social ontology. Part 3 focuses on the way this ontology is at work in his account of the common good and his approach to natural law. Part 4 expands this reflection to economics. Finally, Part 5 addresses legal and political issues such as political polarization, family law, and the ethics of war. Aquinas, Natural Law, and Social Ontology will appeal to scholars and graduate students interested in the thought of Thomas Aquinas, social and political philosophy, contemporary social theory, Catholic theology, and the social sciences.

Ana Marta González is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Navarra, Spain, and an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. She is the editor of Contemporary Perspectives on Natural Law (Routledge, 2008) and the author of monographs on Aquinas, Kant, and Hume. She has contributed to Democracy and Morality (2024) and Challenging Modernity (2024).

Introduction Part 1: Bridging the Gap between Aquinas' Social Thought and Contemporary Social Theory 1. Keys to Aquinas' Social Ontology 2. Organic Social Ethics and the Sacredness of the Person: Thomas Aquinas as a Challenge for Sociological Theory 3. Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence: The Metaphysical Limits of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) by the Lights of Aquinas' Philosophy of Mind 4. Thomas Aquinas on the Ontology of Love: unio, complacentia and communication Part 2: Metaphysics and Theology in Aquinas' Social Ontology 5. Ipsum Esse and Catholic Social Teaching 6. Thomas Aquinas, the Ontology of Relations and the Social Sciences 7. Participation and Overflowing of Christ's Grace 8. St. Thomas and the Human Need for Truth Part 3: Social Ontology at Work: Aquinas' Natural Law and Common Good in Perspective 9. Aquinas's Doctrine of Natural Law in the Context of the History of the Discipline 10. Nature, Equality, and Social Order in Aquinas' Thought 11. The Common Good and Natural Moral Law Part 4: Economics, Work, and Development 12. Thomas Aquinas's Ontological Approach to Economic Activity 13. The Meaning of Work in an Affluent World: What Can We Learn from St. Thomas Aquinas 14. A Thomistic Ontology of Collective Economic Responsibility: Holding the Invisible Hand to Account 15. The Ethics of St. Thomas Aquinas: Origins, History, and Importance for Our Times Part 5: Legal and Political Issues 16. "Enfolded in Care": Challenges in Contemporary American Law in light of Thomistic Thought on the Family 17. Interdependence, Imago Dei, and Common Good: Aquinas on Humility, Mercy, and Charity 18. Aquinas's Contribution to the Ethics of War