Thomistic Metaphysics and Human Sexuality

Abstract

The article confronts a number of hot-button issues of human sexuality from the perspective of Aquinas’s metaphysics. Aquinas bases his metaphysics upon an intelligible object, or commonality, discovered within the things of our experience. Aquinas calls this object the notion of being, the ratio entis. Being is a unique commonality because it is analogical; it runs through the differences of all things. As analogical being possesses a luster that renders it instantly attractive, and so being is also called the good. This leads to ethics. Because the human intellects being, the human possesses being more intensely than other things. Hence, ourselves and others stand forth as objects of respect and solicitude. When the sexual embrace is recognized to be essentially unitive, the previous thoughts lead to a deep respect and solicitude for one’s sexual partner. With that thought in mind, the article assesses the appropriateness or inappropriateness of a number of sexual practices. In this limited but profound way, the article attempts to contribute to the future of Christian thinking. The text of this article was presented at “The Future of Christian Thinking Conference” at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland, April 27–30, 2022.