The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Why Murder is Wrong
October 20, 1998
It seems ludicrous to even consider that murder would be morally correct, but among the many things to be learned from Aquinas is that moral philosophy is best taken one small step at a time.
Therefore, we should not find it strange that Aquinas would consider the question "Is it lawful to kill an innocent person?" Nor is it shocking to find that he says it is not.
The killing of an innocent – murder – is always wrong for two reasons:
"[First] in every man though he be sinful, we ought to love the nature which God has made, and which is destroyed by slaying him. … [Second] the life of righteous men preserves and forwards the common good, since they are the chief part of the community." (ST II-II, Q. 64, Art. 6).
Not to be ignored is the notion of injustice with respect to homicide. Aquinas emphasizes that justice is defined in part as equality among men. However, in homicide, one man asserts an inequality over another. Furthermore, the murderer attempts to gain a power reserved for God: "God is Lord of death and life, for by His decree both the sinful and the righteous die" (ibid.).
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
