St. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics: A Norton Critical Edition

This volume presents carefully selected translations from some of Aquinas’s most important works, including The Summa Against the Gentiles, On Kingship, and The Summa of Theology. It offers a comprehensive view of Aquinas’s political and ethical philosophy, covering topics such as government, law, war, property rights, and sexual ethics. Beyond these themes, the book delves into the theological, epistemological, and psychological foundations that underpin Aquinas’s thought, including his famous Five Proofs for the existence of God and his theories concerning knowledge, the soul, human purpose, and the cosmic order. Footnotes throughout clarify technical terms and provide historical, biblical, and classical context, enriching the reader’s understanding. The volume also includes background writings from Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Dionysius the Areopagite, tracing Aquinas’s influence on medieval thought, Renaissance Catholicism, early modern political philosophy, and contemporary Christian Democratic movements. The concluding section explores how Aquinas’s ethics continue to shape modern debates on war, contraception, and abortion, making this edition an essential resource for scholars and students interested in the enduring relevance of Thomistic thought.