Rosmini se Natuurregbydrae ten opsigte van Menseregte in die Burgerlike Politieke Gemeenskap

Abstract

Rosmini attempts to create a Christian community from a theological-philosophical framework, by virtue of natural law. In this way he moves away from Thomas Aquinas’s notion of analogia entis and participation and reaches the imago Dei principle where man’s image is equated with God. This provides him with a departure point for creating a Christian basis of human rights from the perspective of natural law. The Aristotelian-Thomistic thought regarding the soul/body component serves as a basis of the argument for human dignity. Once such dignity has been established, man realizes that due to his godly nature, he is a carrier of human rights. This approach requires that, due to his rationality, man be clothed with rights and responsibilities. On the grounds of such rationality, man is to exercise his rights in such a way that he does not impair the rights of others. Out of the rights and responsibilities of the individual developed the civil political community. This community, which stands under the divine order of creation, must act within the boundaries of its authority. It is not to violate the rights of the individual citizen; indeed, it is the duty of the civic political authority to protect its citizens. The individual citizen must, in turn, not attack the civic authority. The civic political community should establish the virtues of justice and wisdom in its citizens, since virtuous citizens ensure a stable civic political community in which human rights can be upheld effectively.