Excerpt from The "Summa Theologica" Of St. Thomas Aquinas, Vol. 2: First Part First Number Qq. I-XLVIII
Obj. 2. Further, that which is itself the last end is not for an end. But in some cases the last end is an action, as the Philosopher states (ethic. Therefore man does not do everything for an end.
Obj. 3. Further, then does a man seem to act for an end, when he acts deliberately. But man does many things without deliberation, sometimes not even thinking of what he is doing; for instance when one moves one's foot or hand, Or scratches one's beard, while intent on something else. Therefore man-does not do everything for an end.
On the contrary, All things contained in a genus are derived from the principle of that genus. Now the end is the principle in human Operations, as the Philosopher states (phys. Therefore it is fitting for man to do everything for an end.
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Thomas Aquinas was an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis.
He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology, and the father of the Thomistic school of philosophy and theology. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy was conceived as a reaction against, or as an agreement with, his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law and political theory.
The philosophy of Aquinas has exerted enormous influence on subsequent Christian theology, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, extending to Western philosophy in general, where he stands as a vehicle and modifier of Aristotelianism, which he fused with the thought of Augustine.
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