Plato and Saint Thomas Aquinas

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and compares the philospohies of Plato and Saint Thomas Aquinas. The paper discusses how the two differing philosophies tell a great deal about how Western society has evolved over time. The paper specifically focuses on the philosophers' ideas of a just society and how their philosophies are relevant to Western society today.

From the Paper:

"Saint Thomas Aquinas argued that private property ownership was not opposed to natural law as long as the goods that were produced were made readily available to those who needed them. He believed this because human beings are much more likely to care for something if they have a perceived ownership over it and, therefore, property ownership was necessary in order to create an efficient society. He also argued that society needed to tolerate usury because without it, it would be difficult to allow for property transfers, since it would create confusion about who owned the property. In addition, Aquinas had ideas about renting and leasing property, which made it possible for land owners to let other people use their property for their own use, without having to give up any ownership rights."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aquinas, Thomas and McDermott, Timothy. Selected Philosophical Writings. Cambridge, MA: Oxford University Press. 1998.
• Matthews, Roy T. and Platt F. DeWitt. The Western Humanities. New York: McGraw Hill Publishing. 2004.
• Plato and Grube, M.A. and Reeve, C.D.C. Plato: Republic. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. 1992.

More papers on Plato and Saint Thomas Aquinas:

• Essay # 84749 : "Saint Thomas Aquinas"
• Term Paper # 113824 : "Saint Thomas Aquinas and God"
• Essay # 65594 : "The Life and Theology of Thomas Aquinas"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: