How Natural is Natural Law? On Aquinas’s Presuppositions

Abstract

In the recent decades, political and moral philosophy has seen a revival of interest in natural law, and oftentimes these projects are carried out under the banner of Aquinas. This essay seeks to illustrate how Aquinas’ notion of the natural law is deeply enmeshed in his metaphysical and theological presuppositions. It suggests that any project to recover a properly Thomistic natural law in the 21st century has to account for these presuppositions, whether they are to be rejected and replaced or modified and defended.