The leader and the management of Thomas Aquinas

Abstract

God is the main governor and archetype of human action. In accordance with the philosophical notion of exemplarism, God was the one to create the world based on perfect ideas of things from within his mind which he administrates in terms of providence. The ultimate objective of divine government is goodness. Nevertheless, God does not govern the world directly but in an indirect manner, this is through reciprocal action between things. By divine law, humans are called to dispose of the rest of the things in the universe. According to Thomas Aquinas this very call is addressed to certain sort of people, meaning leaders, so that they can guide others. Even if people make wrong decisions, God being the governor of the world, does not intervene in the field of human liberty. Saint Thomas embraces Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion: ethos, pathos and logos, although nowadays we call them by different names: to notice, to evaluate and to react. In order to fully comprehend the modern world of today’s leaders it is essential to considerate factors such as globalisation, communication technology, state funding and culture changes. As for the evaluation it should have its fundaments in the Gospel, so that the new generation of leaders could bear in mind human dignity and common good. When it comes to leaders, they should welcome every opportunity for both giving and receiving. In conclusion, leadership and government issues according to Saint Thomas are expressed in the parable of unjust steward.