The economic thought of Thomas Aquinas (SEM147)

Presentation

Thomas Aquinas is the medieval author who made the most significant contribution to economic thought. His question is moral and normative, it concerns ruling on the morality of a transaction. But to address it, he studies these transactions in a positive, technical manner. In doing so, he brings new insights to our understanding of these economic mechanisms. It is from this perspective that this seminar will delve into Aquinas’s texts and contemporary commentaries, seeking to understand how he understands and accounts for economic activity. Familiarity with this contribution is important for those working on contemporary economic issues in order to put them into historical perspective, for economists working on the emergence of economic ideas and concepts, for those working on issues of economic ethics or the social doctrine of the Church, since Aquinas’s thought is a major source for these, for theologians seeking to deepen the link between relationship with God and social relations, philosophers working on justice, since it is in this context that Aquinas examines economic issues, as well as medievalists who wish to deepen their understanding of 13th-century thought and its connection to the economic reality of the time. 

Learning Objectives

List three or four general learning objectives for the seminar:

• Independent reading of Thomas Aquinas’s articles.
• Knowledge of the corpus, concepts and main developments of Thomas Aquinas in economics
• Knowledge of secondary literature, different interpretative approaches and the importance of Thomas Aquinas’s contribution in today’s economics.

Evaluation Method

Assessment is based on the quality of written contributions and active participation in discussions.

• Written contributions:
  Each participant writes one contribution of approximately 4,000 characters (including spaces) for each of the four stages.
  These texts are published on the forum during the first week of each stage and constitute the core of the student’s personal work.
• Participation in discussions:
  During the second week, students engage on the forum (and possibly in videoconference) to comment on, expand, and discuss one another’s contributions.
  The quality of dialogue, depth of reflection, and ability to connect personal insights with studied sources are key evaluation criteria.
• Final grade:
  The final grade takes into account both:
  1. the consistency and quality of written contributions; and
  2. the richness and relevance of exchanges on the forum.