Francisco Suarez 1548 – 1617
Francisco Suarez was a Spanish Jesuit priest and the leading philosopher of the late scholastic revival. Known as Doctor Eximius, he produced the Disputationes Metaphysicae, the first systematic Western metaphysical treatise organized thematically rather than as a commentary on Aristotle. His treatise De Legibus articulated a natural-law theory of political authority and law that would influence Grotius and the early modern tradition of natural rights. He defended the consent-based theory of political authority against royal absolutism and was widely read by Catholic and Protestant philosophers alike.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Spanish
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Scholasticism, Christian
Selected quotes
-
Attributed to Francisco Suarez:
“Law is an act of just and right reason which obliges those subject to it.”
-
Attributed to Francisco Suarez:
“Political power is given to the community by God, not directly to any individual.”
-
Attributed to Francisco Suarez:
“Whatever is real is either substance or modification of substance.”
-
Attributed to Francisco Suarez:
“No human law binds in conscience unless it conforms to the eternal law.”
-
Attributed to Francisco Suarez:
“A community has the natural right to defend itself against a tyrant.”