Thomas d'Aquin a-t-il soutenu la doctrine de la primauté du bien commun?

This article examines Thomas Aquinas’s conception of the common good. The first part presents a concise reconstruction of the debates which ensued from such conception particularly among 20th-century Thomistic philosophers. The second part explores the way in which Aquinas articulates the thesis on the primacy of the common good – a good that transcends the limits of political life and manifests itself as the very good of the universe, created by God for the diffusion of all goodness. The article thus analyzes the examples drawn from military life, which Aquinas uses to elucidate the two characteristic aspects of this primacy: on the one hand, that the common good constitutes itself as superior to particular goods; on the other hand, that it appears as the highest good for the individual. The good in question is shared by every individual within the community. Consequently, it is the duty of the ruler to respect and promote this good.