Saint Thomas Aquinas and Property Rights

In order for an organized and controlled society to exist, St. Thomas Aquinas emphasizes the importance for private property to subsist among citizens. Without something for man to call his own, chaos and frenzy would occur. It is in a society's best interest to allow each person to retain private property. Although many have criticized private property as a human fabrication, it is not entirely in opposition to natural law; it is merely an addendum to natural law in that it provides for community stability. Saint Thomas Aquinas' argument provides a strong framework for private property as a necessity, its limitations, and its regards as common property through stress of need.

Saint Thomas Aquinas gives a very influential argument for humans to lawfully possess property. He states that in nature and in use, humans have some dominion over property because it was by God's divine blessing that humans were given the will and reason to benefit from nature. If humans had absolutely no right to use the fruits of nature, they would not endure without the sustenance of their environment. It is by human's ability to think logically that they are able to dominate the rest of nature. We can view ourselves as renters while God is the landlord; God is the sole proprietor of nature, and we are the stewards and keepers of his creation.

Private Property is an attractive economic privilege because it fulfills man's internal need for order; in this regard, it is the best promise for a peaceful society. The limitations (which relate to Aristotles' belief about wealth) should stop at overwhelming amounts of personal belongings; it is lawfully right to "use" what is necessary to sustain life, but not to "waste" what an impoverished man could utilize. In Saint Thomas' rebuttal to criticism, he uses a quote from Decretals that states, "It is the hungry man's bread that you withhold, the naked man's cloak that you store away, the money that you bury in the earth is the price of the poor man's ransom and freedom." An overabundance of personal belongings (food, clothing, etc) becomes common property because it is in excess to one individual, but can be used for less fortunate people. It is important to realize that when each person takes care of one thing (property) less confusion exists. This holds true because when someone is in need, you can provide him or her (in times of sincere emergency) with the necessities to continue life.

Saint Thomas Aquinas states that in very severe circumstances it is perfectly fine to steal or "use" someone else's belongings for oneself; the end must justify the means. If you are stealing for the wrong reason, then the end (stealing a plasma TV) does not justify stealing. If however in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, you find yourself starving with nowhere else to turn, it is acceptable to steal for the sustenance of your life. Therefore, Saint Thomas reasons that this kind of theft it is not considered stealing because by reason of need it becomes one's own property. In these cases, the people who through stress of need must steal should not be punished because they are impoverished. Natural law takes effect in times of urgency, and each man's individual property becomes common property free to those in need.

I believe that Saint Thomas Aquinas had very brilliant spiritual and philosophical points throughout his argument. I agree that natural law must precede conventional law in cases of extreme need and urgency. Looting or stealing should only be considered appropriate if one or one's neighbor is in grave danger. I also concur with Saint Thomas that private property is necessary to a comfortable, peaceful, and fulfilled life in a community. The rights of property are important for individuals to feel that they have made a place for themselves, a right of passage, a successful life. Property, in my perspective, is something that brings good-natured feelings of accomplishment to a human being. It is a sign of importance and necessary (to me) for peace of mind, for sanity, and for permanence.