Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it. The principle is from Thomas Aquinas, and summarizes how faith relates to everything that human reason achieves.
What the principle states
Thomas Aquinas said that grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it. Faith does not cancel reason or human nature: it takes them further than they would go alone. What God reveals does not erase what man discovers on his own, he adds.
The truth does not contradict the truth
From this follows a simple and profound principle: the truth cannot contradict the truth. If God is the author of reason and the author of revelation, then one honest knowledge can never, in the end, contradict another. When there appears to be conflict, either science has not yet understood enough, or faith has been misinterpreted. The solution is never to mutilate one of the two.
Why does this matter
This principle is the basis of the dialogue between science and faith. It gives Christians the freedom to study the world in depth, without fear, in the confidence that every truth discovered is just another feature of the same picture.
In-depth study
Church History Course, with Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Bitencourt
In-depth reading of the work of Daniel Rops, where the alliance between faith and reason and Augustine's conversion appear in full.
Discover the courseFrequently asked questions
Who said grace doesn't destroy nature?
Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century. The principle, in Latin, is usually cited as gratia non tollit naturam sed perficit.
What does the principle mean?
That faith does not annul reason or human nature, but perfects them, taking them further than they would go alone.
Does faith contradict science?
No, according to this principle. The truth does not contradict the truth. When there is apparent conflict, either science has not understood enough, or faith has been misinterpreted.
Continue: Faith and reason: rivals, separate or allies? · Fides quaerens intellectum · Credo ut intelligam
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