Patterns of Perfection in Damascius' Life of Isidore
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Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-16578-6 — Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J. Budziszewski Frontmatter More Information Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s Virtue Ethics Although St. Thomas Aquinas famously claimed that his Summa Theologiae was written for “beginners,” contemporary readers i nd it unusually difi cult. Now, amid a surge of interest in virtue ethics, J. Budziszewski clarii es and analyzes the text’s challenging arguments about the moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues, with a spotlight on the virtue of justice. In what might be the i rst contemporary commentary on Aquinas’s virtue ethics, he juxtaposes the original text with paraphrase and detailed discussion, guiding us through its complex arguments and classical rhetorical i gures. Keeping an eye on con- temporary philosophical issues, he contextualizes one of the greatest virtue theorists in history and brings Aquinas into the interdisciplinary debates of today. His brisk and clear style illuminates the most crucial of Aquinas’s writ- ings on moral character and guides us through the labyrinth of this difi cult but pivotal work. J. Budziszewski is Professor of Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also teaches courses in religious studies and in the law school. His work includes numerous books as well as a blog, The Underground Thomist . Budziszewski thinks and writes chiel y about classi- cal natural law, conscience and self-deception, moral character, family and sexuality, religion and public life, authentic versus counterfeit toleration and liberty, and the state of our common culture. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-16578-6 — Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J. -
Virtues and Vices to Luke E
CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY THE LUKE E. HART SERIES How Catholics Live Section 4: Virtues and Vices To Luke E. Hart, exemplary evangelizer and Supreme Knight from 1953-64, the Knights of Columbus dedicates this Series with affection and gratitude. The Knights of Columbus presents The Luke E. Hart Series Basic Elements of the Catholic Faith VIRTUES AND VICES PART THREE• SECTION FOUR OF CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY What does a Catholic believe? How does a Catholic worship? How does a Catholic live? Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Peter Kreeft General Editor Father John A. Farren, O.P. Catholic Information Service Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Nihil obstat: Reverend Alfred McBride, O.Praem. Imprimatur: Bernard Cardinal Law December 19, 2000 The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed. Copyright © 2001-2021 by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council All rights reserved. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright ©1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture quotations contained herein are adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. -
The Structure of the Virtues a Study of Thomas Aquinas’S and Godfrey of Fontaines’S Accounts of Moral Goodness
Alexander Stöpfgeshoff The Structure of the Virtues A Study of Thomas Aquinas’s and Godfrey of Fontaines’s Accounts of Moral Goodness Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Sal VIII, Universitetshuset, Biskopsgatan 3, 753 10, Uppsala, Monday, 10 September 2018 at 14:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Professor Bonnie Kent (The Department of Philosophy, UC Irvine). Abstract Stöpfgeshoff, A. 2018. The Structure of the Virtues. A Study of Thomas Aquinas’s and Godfrey of Fontaines's Accounts of Moral Goodness. 173 pp. Uppsala: Department of Philosophy, Uppsala University. ISBN 978-91-506-2713-8. This dissertation is a study of Thomas Aquinas’s (1225–1274) and Godfrey of Fontaines’s (d. 1306) moral philosophies. In this study, I conduct a detailed analysis of two Aristotelian commitments concerning the character virtues, namely, The Plurality of the Character Virtues and The Connection of the Character Virtues. Both Aquinas and Godfrey think that there are many distinct character virtues (such as moderation and justice), however, one cannot (perfectly) possess these character virtues in separation from each other. In Chapter I, it is established that Aquinas believes in the plurality of the character virtues not because of a specific account of the human soul, but because he is committed to a plurality in what he calls “the notion of goodness.” In Chapter II, it is argued that Aquinas’s account of virtuous action requires that there be a likeness between a person and their actions in terms of the notion of goodness explored in Chapter I. -
The Cardinal Virtues? What Is the Role of the Cardinal Virtues in the Christian Life?
THE CARDINAL IRTUES V St. Peter Catholic Church Faith Fact August 2014 ISSUE: What are the cardinal virtues? What is the role of the cardinal virtues in the Christian life? RESPONSE: Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good (Catechism, no. 1803). There are two types of virtues: theological and human (or moral) virtues. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity relate directly to God, are given to us at Baptism, and allow us to live a life of supernatural grace as children of God (cf. Catechism, nos. 1812-13). The immediate object of the human virtues is not God, but human activities that lead us to God. They are generally acquired by human effort but are assisted and reach their perfection by grace. These virtues help us to lead a morally good life with joy and relative ease (cf. Catechism, no. 1804). Four of the human or moral virtues are known as cardinal virtues. “Cardinal” comes from the Latin word cardo, which means “hinge.” The cardinal virtues, then, are considered the “hinge virtues” and are the basis for all the other human virtues. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Sacred Scripture frequently attests to the value of these virtues in living a godly life, although sometimes under other names. For example, Wisdom 8:7 provides: And if any one loves righteousness, [wisdom’s] labors are virtues; for she teaches self- control [i.e., temperance] and prudence, justice and courage [i.e., fortitude]; nothing in life is more profitable for men than these. DISCUSSION: The Catechism defines the cardinal virtues as “stable dispositions of the intellect and will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith” (no. -
The Cardinal and Theological Virtues
LESSON 5 The Cardinal and Theological Virtues BACKGROUND READING We don’t often reflect on the staying power Human or Cardinal Virtues that habits have in our lives. Ancient wisdom The four cardinal virtues are human virtues that tells us that habits become nature. We are what govern our moral choices. They are acquired repeatedly do. If we do something over and over by human effort and perfected by grace. The again, eventually we will do that thing without four cardinal virtues are: prudence, justice, thinking. For example, if a person has chewed temperance, and fortitude. The word cardinal her nails all of her life, then chewing nails comes from a Latin word that means “hinge” becomes an unconscious habit that is difficult or “pivot.” All the other virtues are connected to break. Perhaps harder to cultivate are the to, or hinge upon, the cardinal virtues. Without good habits in our lives. If we regularly take time the cardinal virtues, we are not able to live the to exercise, to say no to extra desserts, to get other virtues. up early to pray, to think affirming thoughts of Prudence “disposes practical reason to others, these too can become habits. discern our true good in every circumstance The Catechism of the Catholic Church and to choose the right means of achieving it” defines virtue as “an habitual and firm (CCC 1806). We must recall that our true good disposition to do the good. It allows the person is always that which will lead us to Heaven, so not only to perform good acts, but also to that perhaps another way of saying this is that give the best of himself. -
The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism the Alexandrian
This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 25 Sep 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism Pauliina Remes, Svetla Slaveva-Griffin The Alexandrian classrooms excavated and sixth-century philosophy teaching Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315744186.ch3 Richard Sorabji Published online on: 30 Apr 2014 How to cite :- Richard Sorabji. 30 Apr 2014, The Alexandrian classrooms excavated and sixth-century philosophy teaching from: The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism Routledge Accessed on: 25 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315744186.ch3 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 3 The Alexandrian classrooms excavated and sixth-century philosophy teaching Richard Sorabji It was announced in 2004 that the Polish archaeological team under Grzegorz Majcherek had identifi ed the surprisingly well-preserved lecture rooms of the sixth-century Alexandrian school.1 Th is was a major archaeological discovery.2 Although the fi rst few rooms had been excavated twenty-fi ve years earlier, identifi cation has only now become possible. -
Rhetoric and Platonism in Fifth-Century Athens
Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity Philosophy Faculty Research Philosophy Department 2014 Rhetoric and Platonism in Fifth-Century Athens Damian Caluori Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/phil_faculty Part of the Philosophy Commons Repository Citation Caluori, D. (2014). Rhetoric and Platonism in fifth-century Athens. In R. C. Fowler (Ed.), Plato in the third sophistic (pp. 57-72). De Gruyter. This Contribution to Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Damian Caluori (Trinity University) Rhetoric and Platonism in Fifth-Century Athens There are reasons to believe that relations between Platonism and rhetoric in Athens during the fifth century CE were rather close.Z Both were major pillars of pagan cul- ture, or paideia, and thus essential elements in the defense of paganism against in- creasingly powerful and repressive Christian opponents. It is easy to imagine that, under these circumstances, paganism was closing ranks and that philosophers and orators united in their efforts to save traditional ways and values. Although there is no doubt some truth to this view, a closer look reveals that the relations be- tween philosophy and rhetoric were rather more complicated. In what follows, I will discuss these relations with a view to the Platonist school of Athens. By “the Platon- ist school of Athens” I mean the Platonist school founded by Plutarch of Athens in the late fourth century CE, and reaching a famous end under the leadership of Dam- ascius in 529.X I will first survey the evidence for the attitudes towards rhetoric pre- vailing amongst the most important Athenian Platonists of the time. -
The Virtues of “Prudence” and “Sociability” in Eʋe Folk Proverbs
Chapter 3 The Virtues of “Prudence” and “Sociability” in Eʋe Folk Proverbs 3.1 Introduction to “Prudence” and “Sociability” Chapter 2 presented two of the four major values or virtues, Diligence and Humility, which are highly cherished by the Eʋe peoples and that are given expression in Eʋe folk proverbs. In Chapter 3 we present the other two values or virtues, Prudence and Sociability. These two virtues are also central to Eʋe life and morality and are part of what this book considers as the African tree of life on to which ‘shoots’ from the biblical tree of life, Proverbs can be ‘grafted’ to ensure a better understanding of the book of Proverbs in the African Eʋe cultural context. In order to elucidate the virtue of prudence, we will examine briefly what is meant by ‘prudence’ in some other cultural contexts and how this meaning reflects on its use in the African Ghanaian Eʋe cultural context. In the Greek moral tradition, phronesis, which is regularly rendered in English as ‘prudence’, receives its classical analysis from Aristotle, who regards ‘prudence’ as one of the four cardinal virtues in addition to justice, courage and temperance. Aristotle defines phronesis as “a truth-attaining rational quality, concerned with action in relation to things that are good and bad for human beings.”1 This definition of phronesis—prudence relates it to moral virtues that are either good or bad. In line with Aristotle’s definition, Lawrence C. Becker and Charlotte B. Becker have defined “prudence” as “moral Wisdom resulting in morally correct choices and actions.”2 They regard “prudence,” primarily phro- nesis, as “practical moral intelligence” “related to other moral values and ingrained dispositions to act rightly” in accordance with “developed practice.”3 1 Aristotle XIX The Nicomachean Ethics: With an English Translation by Harris Rackham (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. -
Persecution and Response in Late Paganism The
Persecution and Response in Late Paganism: The Evidence of Damascius Author(s): Polymnia Athanassiadi Source: The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 113 (1993), pp. 1-29 Published by: The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/632395 . Accessed: 01/12/2013 12:02 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Hellenic Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 198.105.44.150 on Sun, 1 Dec 2013 12:02:11 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journal of Hellenic Studies cxiii (1993) pp 1-29 PERSECUTIONAND RESPONSE IN LATE PAGANISM: THE EVIDENCE OF DAMASCIUS* THE theme of this paper is intolerance: its manifestation in late antiquity towards the pagans of the Eastern Mediterranean,and the immediate reactions and long-term attitudes that it provoked in them. The reasons why, in spite of copious evidence, the persecution of the traditional cults and of their adepts in the Roman empire has never been viewed as such are obvious: on the one hand no pagan church emerged out of the turmoil to canonise its dead and expound a theology of martyrdom, and on the other, whatever their conscious religious beliefs, late antique scholars in their overwhelming majority were formed in societies whose ethical foundations and logic are irreversibly Christian. -
Sylvain Delcomminette, Pieter D'hoine, Marc-Antoine Gavray (Eds
Reviews 245 Sylvain Delcomminette, Pieter d’Hoine, Marc-Antoine Gavray (eds.), Ancient Readings of Plato’s Phaedo. Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2015, viii+364 p.; ISBN 978-90-0428217-9, € 126. Reviewed by Peter Lautner, Department of Philosophy, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Piliscsaba-Budapest, H-2087 Piliscsaba, Egyetem utca 1, Hungary. Email: [email protected] https://doi.org/10.1515/rhiz-2018-0013 This volume grew out of a conference held in Brussels on the reception of the Phaedo in antiquity, concentrating on the period before Damascius and Olympi- odorus. Its subject-matter fits neatly with the recent trend of following the after- math of some of Plato’s dialogues in antiquity. Aristotle’s approach to the themes exposed in Plato’s dialogue focuses on not only the theory of the soul (in De anima and in the lost dialogue Eudemus), but also physics. Sylvain Delcomminette draws attention to the fact that Aristotle puts the emphasis elsewhere, on the account of the causes. He argues that Aris- totle had the Phaedo in mind when he discussed the material in Phys I, Met. A, and Gen. et Corr. The Aristotelian causal theory was developed with a view to Plato’s account. Furthermore, the description of the earlier philosophers’ views in Met. A much resembles Socrates’ account of the earlier views he encountered in his youth. The important difference is that Aristotle’s description is impersonal and fully anti-Platonic in claiming that “all men by nature desire to know”. Of course, he also rejects the causal efficiency of the Ideas. However, Aristotle seems to admit the principle of the “second sail”, which involves attaining knowledge through λόγοι. -
The School of Ammonius, Son of Hermias, on Knowledge of the Divine
ELIAS TEMPELIS THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1998 THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ELIAS TEMPELIS THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1998 ISBN 9608521254 1998 © Ηλίας Τεμπέλης, 'Ογδόη οδός 3,152 36 Π. Πεντέλη ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ Πλατεία Αγ. Γεωργίου Καρύτση 8,105 61 'Αθήναι Υπεύθυνος Τυπογραφείου: ΕΥΑΓΓ. ΜΠΟΥΛΟΥΚΟΣ Όδός Μίλωνος 26,117 45 Αθήναι Τηλ.: 93.45.204 - Fax: 93.17.188 To my wife Christina PREFACE This book is a slightly revised version of my Ph.D. thesis, on which I ' began work in 1990 and which I defended at the University of London in 1994. My study undertakes a reconstruction and critical assessment of the theory of the Neoplatonic school of Ammonius, son of Hermias, on the presuppositions of the acquisition of knowledge of the divine and also on the contents and the purpose of this knowledge. The metaphysical position of the human soul between the intelligible and the sensible worlds allows it to know the intelligible world and the divine, in particular, provided that the cognitive reason-principles in the human intellect are activated. The purpose of such knowledge is the as• similation to the divine and is achieved by means of a personal struggle with the help of theoretical and practical philosophy. The school of Am• monius compared its own philosophical attempt at knowledge of the di• vine to previous similar methods. -
What Does the Happy Life Require? Augustine on What the Summum Bonum Includes 1. Introduction
What Does the Happy Life Require? Augustine on What the Summum Bonum Includes Caleb Cohoe, forthcoming in Oxford Studies in Medieval Philosophy 1. Introduction Many critics of religion insist that believing in a future life makes us less able to value our present activities and distracts us from accomplishing good in this world.1 Augustine is a frequent target, given his insistence that this life is a vale of tears, where we must wait in hope for a better life, while only loving things insofar as they relate to God. Martha Nussbaum insists that “Augustinian love is committed to denying the importance of worldly losses and injustices.”2 She claims that an orientation towards God and towards a future life leads one to neglect the importance of justice and charity in this life. “Death is irrelevant, real suffering in this world is irrelevant, all that is relevant is coming into God’s presence.”3 Instead of looking to the next life, we should be “directing compassion altogether toward the theater of history and not at all toward the shadowy and uncertain realm that may or may not lie outside it.”4 Augustine’s focus on connection to God leaves him without a strong foundation for caring “when people are hungry, when they mourn, when they are persecuted.”5 In this paper, I show that Nussbaum has things backwards. It is while Augustine is trying to achieve happiness in this life that he denies “the importance of worldly losses and injustices,” treats suffering as “irrelevant,” and focuses on cultivating his own divine contemplation, neglecting the material world.