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Alasdair McIntyre, Walter Farrel OP, and Charles de Koninck, among others, agree that Suárez (1548-1617) was neither a Thomist nor a reliable interpreter of Thomism...Unfortunately, this is quite an inaccurate reading of Suárez as an “American style” social contract proponent. Specifically, according to Professor Kincaid, “Suárez supports the claim that the community has an intrinsic power to make law ….” Yet, saying this is beyond pushing the envelope.[6] Whereas for Aquinas the polis grew somewhat spontaneously as individuals teamed into families, groups of laborers, and towns, Suárez posited that the polis was created through an actual, affirmative delegation of power from the people to the prince.

https://thenewdigest.substack.com/p/the-uses-of-suarez The Uses of Suarez A Review of Kincaid, “Law From Below: How The Thought of Francisco Suárez, SJ, Can Renew Contemporary Legal Engagement” Adrian Vermeule Nov 19, 2024 The New Digest is delighted to present this guest essay by Mr. Aníbal Sabater, a partner at Chaffetz Lindsey LLP, a specialist in international arbitration, and a noted commentator on classical legal themes. His previous work in our pages on constitutionalism in Spain and can be found  here  and  here ; and his posts at the Ius et Iustitium site, including a series on lawyers and law in Dante, can be found  here . The New Digest is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Share In his 1879 Encyclical  Aeterni Patris , Leo XIII urged scholars to read Aquinas directly: “…  lest the false for the true or the corrupt for the pure be drunk in, be ye watchf...
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