The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Feelin' Like I Was Wronged
October 4, 1998
Tom buys a used truck for $1,000. It’s old and needs paint. The seller says it has an oil leak, but otherwise it runs fine.
Two miles down the road, Tom’s truck dies. He then realizes that the oil leak is worse than he thought. In fact, the truck has lost ALL of its oil and has burned up its engine.
Or, how about this. Tom buys a book for $10. Once home, his roommate says that he purchased the same book for $5 at the same store only hours earlier! The book was supposed to be on sale!
In each case, Tom feels an injustice has been done. But, is it unjust simply because Tom FEELS that way? No. As Aquinas says, "external actions get their specific character from the external things which are their objective interest rather than from the internal feelings with which they are performed" (ST II-II, Q. 58, Art. 10).
In the two cases above, when was Tom wronged? Clearly, both injustices occurred at the time the action was performed. They did not become unjust when Tom felt they were unjust. They were unjust immediately, even when Tom felt the purchase was fair.
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
