There is a classic philosophical gap between what is and what ought to be. While modern thinkers often treat facts and values as completely separate, the scholastic tradition integrates them to show how our natural inclinations point us toward objective goodness.

In this episode, we unpack the classical natural law theory of Thomas Aquinas. We discuss how human flourishing is not an arbitrary set of rules, but the actualization of our inherent physical and rational capacities. We trace how our intellect and free will work in tandem to navigate proximate goods on our journey toward an ultimate, transcendent end.

• Morality is a habitual choice of actions that further the hierarchical ends built into our vegetative, sensitive, and rational souls.
• The first principle of natural law is that good is to be done and pursued, while ...