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Political theology

Political authority and the common good

Political life is natural to human beings, and law and authority should be ordered to the common good.

Guiding question

Why does human social life need authority ordered by reason?

Why it matters

Aquinas's politics connects human nature, law, virtue, peace, and shared flourishing.

The argumentative movement

  1. 1Human beings are social and political by nature because they need shared life to flourish.
  2. 2Authority coordinates action toward goods that exceed private advantage.
  3. 3Political rule is legitimate when ordered by reason to the common good.