Aquinas Vs Hobbes

Through Aristotle’s work in Politics, he articulates several fundamental aspects of political philosophy that has been greatly influential. Two specific philosophers Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Aquinas, evaluate Aristotle’s perspective of the political nature in relation to mankind. Thomas Aquinas uses Aristotle’s principles as a foundation for his reasoning in writing “On Law, Morality, and Politics.” He modifies Aristotle argument by contributing the religious sphere into the fundamental principles of his political teachings. Thomas Hobbes, on the contrary, is a lot more critical of Aristotle and attacks a lot of his political principles in “The Leviathan.” Hobbes perceives individuals as corrupt, untrustworthy and selfishly motivated, without
One of Aristotle’s most prominent teachings in “Politics,” is the interpretation of the state of nature. “It is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal.” (I. 2. 153a.) From this statement, it is clear that human beings are innately political, regardless of the setting they are in. One example he gives to support his argument is that the hand of a body is similar to an individual of a city. This analogy demonstrates the relation of one functioning part that is attached to the whole and complete functioning system. A functional hand is only used when the entire body is operating correctly. Similarly, the city is comprised of multiple individuals each with specific duties to create a collection of different parts with different functions, all working simultaneously together for the city. The goal is to pursue the common good of the city, even when it conflicts with one’s self-interest. The common good gives people the opportunity to reach the highest form of virtue and requires the whole community. Another example
As a theologian, Aquinas believes the supreme good derives from the eternal God, rather than a worldview good. The Natural Law theory is central to his work because it connects Aristotle’s argument and harmonizes it with the Church teachings. Unlike Aristotle, Aquinas believed the city was a mean to reach the ultimate end, which is God’s will. In his broad conception of explaining laws human beings should obey, the most virtuous ones are derived from God, not from man. He articulates the principle of obedience and how each person is obligated to perform their duties to society. This also is a slight critic from Aristotle’s teaching. Aquinas stressed the significance of duties, rather than performing deeds. Even though both words are relative to preserving and protecting the city, the teaching of obligations solidity the expectations of moral