Abstract
This paper traces three paradigmatic responses to the presence of evil in nature. Thomas Henry Huxley depicts nature as the enemy of humanity that morality combats “at every step.” Henry Drummond views nature as benevolent, a friend of humanity, and the ultimate basis for morality. The paper argues that a third view, that of Thomas Aquinas, regards nature as creation, capable of being neither enemy nor friend of humanity but rather the context within which relations of enmity or friendship develop between human beings and God.
Keywords
Thomas Aquinas, friend, evil, T. H. Huxley, Henry Drummond, creation, enemy
How to Cite
Pope, S., (1997) “Neither Enemy Nor Friend: Nature as Creation in the Theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 32(2), 219–230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.851997084