Work

Saint Thomas and the Three Orders of the Medieval Imaginary. An exploration of inequality among men in his social and political philosophy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper examines inequality among men from a social and political perspective, in which the concept of 'trifunctionality' emerges as a key concept.The reflection presented here constitutes a continuation of a fundamental first part (published in issue 27 (2025), pp.38-64, of this same journal), which dealt with the anthropological-metaphysical and theological doctrine of inequality among men according to Saint Thomas.This reflection now focuses on the Thomistic formulation of trifunctionality from both a social and political perspective.Returning to the conclusion of the first part, it is reaffirmed here that inequalities among men are not primarily natural, but rather moral.Now, in addressing this issue, while the existence of social and political inequalities is revealed, in Thomas' view, these are fundamentally structural, not the result of individual moral merit.Furthermore, the free nature of the formation of society, based on consensus, highlights the possibility of an ever-increasing closeness among people, a consequence of that awareness of fundamental equality among 1

Source: Revista chilena de estudios medievales

DOI: 10.4067/s0719-689x2025000200021

Author: Santiago Argüello

Institutions: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Científico Tecnológico - Mendoza

Language: English

Topic: Medieval Philosophy and Theology

Subfield: Philosophy

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Universidad de Navarra

OpenAlex ID: W7123531069