Finding Common Ground: Humanity’s Relationship with Nature. A Comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Environmental Ethics

Abstract

The environmental issues and human responsibility in the use of resources and environmental sustainability have become increasingly relevant and pressing due to the accelerated pace of industrialization and urbanization, and the growth of the world population. The lack of adequate planning dampens the impact on the environment, leading to the depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation, generating social and economic inequalities. In this context, the global community has to deal with countless commitments in their attempt to ensure a fair distribution of resources and opportunities. The thought of Thomas Aquinas, and its interpretation by contemporary thinkers, propose ethical principles that derive from the natural world itself and guide human behavior towards the realization of the common good, with significant implications for environmental ethics. The idea that the natural world exists for the benefit of all human beings, and that it is human responsibility to use it in a way that promotes the common good, remains a timely and valuable perspective in current discussions about ecological responsibility