A Study Of Aquinas’ Ideology Of Equality

Equality is a value goal and direction that people constantly pursue.Aquinas’ concept of equality,as an important part of his political and ethical thought,is by no means a figment of the imagination,but a product of the absorption of ancient Greek thought,the basic teachings of Christianity,and the urgent demands of the times.He examines the origin of equality in human beings themselves,while sparing no effort to point out that the real society is not equal everywhere.But back to the doctrine itself,the equality of all men is the cornerstone of the Christian Church’s existence.Aquinas,in his classical reflection on how to continue the Christian doctrine of equality,puts forward four ideas of equality,namely,equality of souls,equality of status,equality of original sin,and equality of natural rights,and rationalizes the phenomena of differences in the secular world in the context of these four ideas of equality,namely,differences in the natural state,differences in subordination to slavery,and differences in subordination to social relations,in an attempt to lay the groundwork for the realization of true equality.The foundation is laid.In discussing the realization of Aquinas’ idea of equality,the angelic doctor’s discussion of the path to the realization of "equality" has a strong purposive color,mainly divided into two layers of meaning: one lies in how to maintain the orderliness of the present worldly society and the maximum equality in the world;the other lies in how to pursue the true meaning of equality between people.The former lies in the pursuit of pure equality between people.The former is to maintain the harmony and stability of the whole world,including political life,by using the four laws that span the universe as the downward path.The latter lies in the construction of the upward path,which is the eternal endeavor of man to achieve the true equality of the highest good and eternal happiness.Aquinas,through the dual paths of the upward way and the downward way,strives to reconcile the intended harmony of each dimension of the secular and the divine,and to build the path to the realization of the theory of equality.Finally,he discusses the significance of Aquinas’ view of equality and its inheritance in future generations,arguing that Aquinas’ thought,which has always focused on the present and pursued the eternal path of reconciliation,is still alive today.