>>24549979 (OP)You're likely thinking of this widely misinterpreted or paraphrased idea that’s sometimes attributed to Aquinas or other classical Christian thinkers:
> "Veritas sequitur multitudinem"(“Truth follows the multitude”)
However — Aquinas never said that directly. In fact, he often argued the opposite: that truth is not determined by majority opinion.
But there is a quote by Aquinas that has been misread or misused in conservative or traditionalist circles, and it sounds like what you're reaching for:
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Closest Real Quote:
From Summa Theologica, I, Q1, Art 8, Objection 2:
> “It is foolish to assent to the truth of what the minority holds against the judgment of the many.”(paraphrased from Latin: “stultum est credere paucis contra fidem multorum”)
This is sometimes paraphrased or rephrased as:
> “It is foolish to believe the few against the faith of the many.”That’s likely the line you’ve seen quoted by conservative types — it’s interpreted to mean that tradition or the consensus of the faithful carries weight in discerning truth, particularly in
Aquinas wasn't saying “the crowd is always right” — rather, he was defending the authority of the Church and the accumulated wisdom of the faithful against radical individual interpretations.
It’s more about sensus fidelium (“the sense of the faithful”) than modern democracy.
