What if our modern obsession with justice is actually missing its foundation?

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show,

Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Fr. Stephen Brock explore the meaning of justice through the lens of Thomas Aquinas.

They contrast the classical view of justice as a virtue—a habit of giving others what is due—with modern approaches that reduce it to rights, power, or social systems, often influenced by thinkers like Thomas Hobbes. Fr. Brock argues that today’s intense desire for justice can become distorted when separated from God, leading to frustration, false solutions, or utopian thinking.

Drawing on Aristotle and the Christian tradition, the conversation highlights how justice begins in the moral character of the person, is formed within the family, and ultimately finds its fulfillment in God, who alone can fully set things right. The episode offers a concise but rich reflection on virtue, society, and the deeper meaning of justice in a world searching for it.

Check these out:

The Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas: A Sketch 

The Light That Binds: A Study in Thomas Aquinas’s Metaphysics of Natural Law

More Episodes like this:

The Summa for Beginners: Aquinas and Theology w/Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P.

Exploring the Catholic Spiritual Life w/ Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.