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Gary Hartenburg

Gary Hartenburg

Thomas Says: Why We Shouldn't Kill Each Other (And Why Sometimes We Should)

This question really is a no-brainer. It’s wrong to kill innocent people, right? Right. On a question like this, the answer isn’t surprising, so we need to pay attention to the reason why Thomas thinks it’s wrong to kill an […]

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Thomas Says: Thanksgiving Edition

It shouldn’t surprise us that Thomas has written about thankfulness. There are very few topics that he did not cover. He devotes an entire question of the Summa to thankfulness. (It is part of his section on justice.) I’ll just […]

Gary HartenburgPhilosophyThomas Says

Thomas Says: It’s Wrong to Kill Yourself

After discussing questions about killing plants, animals, and sinners by private citizens, public officials, and clerics, Thomas picks up the weighty and delicate subject of suicide. His position is that

Gary HartenburgFormation

Thomas Says: Clerics Cannot Kill Sinners (This Means You, Too, Protestant Pastors)

The question of whether a cleric can kill a sinner (criminal) is not one that occupies the thoughts of Christians today. But whenever we find such a question that occupies a past thinker it’s important to reflect on why we […]

Gary HartenburgPhilosophyThomas Says

Thomas Says: Why You (Most Likely) Can’t Kill a Sinner

Previously I covered what Thomas says about killing plants and animals and killing sinners. Regarding plants and animals, Thomas says it’s okay to kill them because they are for

Gary HartenburgPhilosophyTheology and PracticeThomas Says

Thomas Says: Killing Sinners

After his discussion of whether it’s a sin to kill plants or animals, Thomas discusses the question of whether it’s permissible to kill sinners.  Thomas says it is

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Thomas Says: Killing Plants and Animals

As a way of getting my blogging going, I thought I’d start a series of posts on some teachings of Thomas Aquinas.  I think this will be interesting (at

Gary HartenburgPhilosophyLiberal Arts

Morality, Beauty, and Abercrombie

There are, at least, two general ways of thinking about moral rights and goods.One way is to think of rights as protections against others who would prevent me from