Divine Intelligence Inscribed In Human Nature

The natural law of Thomas Aquinas is just like a bridge that built between eternal law and human law. When we connect natural law with eternal law, the natural law is connected with divinity, thus it connected with ontology; when we connect natural law with human law, and the natural law is connected with human nature.Natural law is a traditional theory of western philosophy, which has a long historical origin. It can be found in the theory of some Greek philosopher, such as Herakletos, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stoic, Cicero and Augustine. Basing on the ancient theory of natural law, Thomas Aquinas interprets anew the natural law in the light of theology and philosophy; put forward the theory of"eternal law", from which the natural law derived. Thomas divided the law into four kinds: eternal law, natural law, divine law and human law. But the divine law is eternal law in essence. In this way, there are in reality only three: eternal law, natural law and human law, and they made up a coherent whole. The natural law is just like a bridge, built between eternal law and human law. When we analyze law from the point of view of eternal, two characteristics of natural law stand out; one is connected with ontology, divinity and stability, the other with human nature and instability. That means the natural law can interpenetrate with eternal and human law, therefore present the feature of"divinity and human nature". The thoughts of natural law in Thomas is basically one part of eternal law that was inscribed on human nature by God, it is God'wisdom marked in human nature. The divine and the human nature are united in the concept of"nature". Thomas constructs the doctrine of natural law with the theory of participation and the method of analogy.The Latin word of participation is"partem capere"(obtain a part) or"partem habere"( have a part ), it came from Plato'philosophy and was used to describe the relationship between eidos (ideas) and the different objects of sensation, it is came about that different beings in this world participate in the world of Idea, and are true, good, beautiful. The true, the good, and the beautiful of this world are part (obtain only a part) of that source of true, good and beautiful, which came from the world of Idea that is perfect in every way. The concept of participation means primarily that all concrete and individual beings in this world are the realization of Being. Participation in Thomas means to obtain a part of something, and that is to say, when A obtains a part of B; it means A participates in and is inside B.The traditional theory of participation is the origin of Thomas Aquinas'participation, and we can also find a deeper insight in Thomas theory. There are four key elements in Thomas Aquinas'theory of participation, one is the priority of act, the second is the unity of substantial form, the third is the personal individuality of the spiritual principle, and the fourth is the real distinction in all creatures between essence and esse.The word"analogy"came from the Greek word,"aná-logon", which means a kind of relationship or contrast. Analogy in Aristotle is used as a method to explain the concept of being, which has a variety of meaning, for this reason, the concept of being is an analogical, which depending on the method of classify and abstraction. The mode of thinking of Aristotle follows the epistemological process, which moves from the world of sensation to the world of idea, to"being"or"Idea of idea". The doctrine of analogy of Thomas plays an important role in his theory of natural law. Using the analogy of being, Thomas shows that God is the final cause, Being. This kind of appellation is in essence, but, when we title creatures using the word"being", beings, this kind of appellation is in a way of participation. And thus it can be said that God is good in essence, because God is good itself, while for creatures, they are good by participations.In fact, what Thomas'way of thinking from God to creature in his constructing his natural law is"participation". There are different grades of being: God, human being and other creatures in the world, because God is"subsisting esse"and all creatures are"beings by participation", therefore, there is a special kind of analogical relationship between God, human being, and other creatures. The alikeness in one side and the difference in the other side: all creatures are being. In this way, Being can"step"down and for this reason beings posses in themselves the inner dignity and value, because they endowed with God'nature. Thomas accepted Aristotle's concept of analogy. Furthermore, Plato's idea of participation is greatly valued by Thomas: because beings participate in the perfection of Being, beings are both finite and infinite, with the result that the finite beings are connected to the infinite. By this connection to the Creator with the help of participation, all beings are provided with the transcendental value and form the whole universe according to their grades and order. In Thomas'natural law, using the theory of participation conveys the ontological coherence of beings. When beings of the lower grade participate in the perfection of being of the higher grade, a coherent link exists between the beings in lower grade and the beings in higher grade. Thus, by participation, beings are not lonely but related to each other. This mutual relationship with each other connects all beings, all creatures, and make up an ontological continuity.In brief, with the aid of the concept of participation and analogy, Thomas construct a solid foundation for natural law where transcend and immanence become one. In this way it mirrors the feature of the divinity in this theory.Besides this, Thomas also pays close attention to human being, especially to human nature. Eternal law in Thomas is the wisdom with which God dominate creatures; natural law derives from the eternal law; the aim of the the human law, is to guide human being to form his/her moral character for the sake of happiness; the foundation of human law is natural law. Natural law is the moral law based on human nature to help human being to achieve the natural goal, the goal in this world; while the eternal law is to help human being to achieve the transcendental goal—all those surround"human being". Whether the natural law is said to be the law of nature, the law itself, or the moral law, we can find in it much valuable explanation about human nature. Grace does not destroy but perfect nature. That is the fundamental goal of Thomas'natural law.Thomas'natural law continues the view previous reflection preceding generations and inspires the ones that are to come. The 20th century witness's chaos caused by war. It is necessary for human being to appreciate his own value. As the famous French philosopher, Jacques Maritain, the representative of Neo–Thomist, maintains, we should come back to ST. Thomas on the study of natural law. He carried out and developed Thomas'notion of natural law. The value of Thomas'theory of natural law is great. It may be summarized in the following four points. First, it symbolizes the harmony between natural human value and Christine religion, because Grace does not destroy nature. Secondly, it shows the possibility with which human being can reach the perfect realm and original sin cannot prevent us to become saint. Thirdly, it expresses that human beings have reason and dignity but we cannot find out arrogance of rationalism in modern times. Thomas does not claim that human being is of self-sufficiency and perfect, and he never insists on the abstract notion about human rights and he does not emphasize too many the individual benefits. Fourthly, Thomas'theory can help us to meet difficultes of natural envionmentin in the present age. Fifthly, Thomas'theory inspires Maritain to put forward his famous theory of"humanitarianism according to God". Finally, we can also find the root of exstentialism in the natural law of Thomas Aquinas.It is for all those reasons that Thomas'theory of natural law continues to be valued developed by later generations. It still exerts great influence on the theory of natural law in modern times.