The Objective Character of Virtues in Marsilio Ficino's
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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. -
All of a Sudden: the Role of Ἐξαίφνης in Plato's Dialogues
Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 1-1-2014 All of a Sudden: The Role of Ἐξαιφ́ νης in Plato's Dialogues Joseph J. Cimakasky Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Cimakasky, J. (2014). All of a Sudden: The Role of Ἐξαιφ́ νης in Plato's Dialogues (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/68 This Worldwide Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ALL OF A SUDDEN: THE ROLE OF ἘΧΑΙΦΝΗΣ IN PLATO’S DIALOGUES A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Joseph Cimakasky May 2014 Copyright by Joseph Cimakasky 2014 ALL OF A SUDDEN: THE ROLE OF ἘΧΑΙΦΝΗΣ IN PLATO’S DIALOGUES By Joseph Cimakasky Approved April 9, 2014 ________________________________ ________________________________ Ronald Polansky Patrick Lee Miller Professor of Philosophy Professor of Philosophy (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ John W. McGinley Professor of Philosophy (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ James Swindal Ronald Polansky Dean, McAnulty College Chair, Philosophy Department Professor of Philosophy Professor of Philosophy iii ABSTRACT ALL OF A SUDDEN: THE ROLE OF ἘΧΑΙΦΝΗΣ IN PLATO’S DIALOGUES By Joseph Cimakasky May 2014 Dissertation supervised by Professor Ronald Polansky There are thirty-six appearances of the Greek word ἐξαίφνης in Plato’s dialogues. -
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. -
Hero As Citizen Models of Heroic Thought and Action in Homer, Plato and Rousseau
Man as Hero - Hero as Citizen Models of Heroic Thought and Action in Homer, Plato and Rousseau Dominic Stefanson Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Discipline of Politics School of History and Politics The University of Adelaide December 2004 Frontisp iece Illustration included in print copy of thesis: Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates (1787) iii Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………… v Declaration…………………………………………………………………….. vi Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………. vii Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 1 PART I HOMER: THE BIRTH OF HEROISM 1. Homeric Man: The Hero …………………………………………………… 21 • Homeric heroes as models for men 22 • Seeking immortal glory achieving a “god-like status” 26 • Who is the hero? Preconditions for heroism 35 • A guide to heroism: transparency of thought, speech and action 44 • The transparency of Homeric narration 48 • Conclusion 55 2. Homeric Polis: the absence of a polis……………………………………… 57 • Finley and Adkins 58 • Seeking a polis in the Iliad 66 • The heroic code as an anti-model 77 • Patroclus’ funeral games as a microcosm of the polis 87 • Conclusion 93 PART II PLATO: EXTENDING HEROISM TO THE POLITICAL 3. Platonic Man: The philosopher as a new hero…………………………… 95 • Socrates: an heroic life 97 • Socratic Intellectualism: the primacy of knowledge 101 • Androgynous virtue 106 • Seeking eternity: philosophy as an activity for gods 111 • Tripartite psychology: heroism within human reach 117 • Theory of Forms 119 • The late dialogues 125 • Conclusion 130 iv 4. Platonic Polis: The political engagement of the heroic philosopher…….. 133 • Enlisting Philosophers to rule 135 • The elitist nature of philosophical rule throughout the Platonic corpus 137 • Philosophical leadership in the late dialogues 143 • The benefits of philosophical rule: harmony and unity in the Republic 150 • Does the community benefit from philosophical leadership? 154 • Conclusion 162 PART III ROUSSEAU: THE DEMISE OF HEROISM IN POLITICAL THOUGHT 5. -
Pico, Plato, and Albert the Great: the Testimony and Evaluation of Agostino Nifo EDWARD P
Pico, Plato, and Albert the Great: The Testimony and Evaluation of Agostino Nifo EDWARD P. MAHONEY Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) is without doubt one of the most intriguing figures of the Italian Renaissance. It is thus no surprise that he has attracted the attention of many modern scholars. By reason of the varied interests that are reflected in his writings, contrasting interpretations of Pico have been proposed.1 Our purpose here is not to present a new and different picture of Pico but, rather, to offer a contribution to one fruitful area of research pursued by some recent historians of philosophy, namely, Pico's debt to, and 1. For general presentations of Pico's life and thought, see the classic study of Eugenio Garin, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola: Vita e dottirina (Florence: F. Le Monnier, 1937); Garin's magisterial Storia della filosofia italiana, 2d ed. (Turin: G. Einaudi 1966), 1:458-495. Among more recent general accounts are Pierre-Marie Cordier, Jean Pic de la Mirandole (Paris: Debresse, 1958); Engelbert Monnerjahn, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (Wiesbaden: F. Steiner, 1960); Paul Oskar Kristeller, Eight Philosophers of the Italian Renaissance (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1964), pp. 54-71; Giovanni di Napoli, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola e laproblemaύca dottrinale del suo tempo (Rome: Desclee, 1965); Charles Trinkaus, In Our Image and Likeness (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970), 2:505-526; and Henri de Lubac, Pic de la Mirandole: Etudes et discussions (Paris: Aubier Montaigne, 1974). 165 166 EDWARD P. MAHONEY use of, medieval philosophy in his overall philosophical enterprise.2 Of particular concern will be the influence of Albert the Great on Pico, which can be established by a connection that has apparently not been noticed by Pico's historians. -
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. -
Platonic Mysticism
CHAPTER ONE Platonic Mysticism n the introduction, we began with the etymology of the word I“mysticism,” which derives from mystes (μύστης), an initiate into the ancient Mysteries. Literally, it refers to “one who remains silent,” or to “that which is concealed,” referring one’s direct inner experi- ence of transcendence that cannot be fully expressed discursively, only alluded to. Of course, it is not clear what the Mysteries revealed; the Mystery revelations, as Walter Burkert suggested, may have been to a significant degree cosmological and magical.1 But it is clear that there is a related Platonic tradition that, while it begins with Plato’s dialogues, is most clearly expressed in Plotinus and is conveyed in condensed form into Christianity by Dionysius the Areopagite. Here, we will introduce the Platonic nature of mysticism. That we focus on this current of mysticism originating with Plato and Platonism and feeding into Christianity should not be understood as suggesting that there is no mysticism in other tradi- tions. Rather, by focusing on Christian mysticism, we will see much more clearly what is meant by the term “mysticism,” and because we are concentrating on a particular tradition, we will be able to recog- nize whether and to what extent similar currents are to be found in other religious traditions. At the same time, to understand Christian mysticism, we must begin with Platonism, because the Platonic tra- dition provides the metaphysical context for understanding its latest expression in Christian mysticism. Plato himself is, of course, a sophisticated author of fiction who puts nearly all of what he wrote into the form of literary dialogues 9 © 2017 Arthur Versluis 10 / Platonic Mysticism between various characters. -
The Divine As Mirror of the Human Soul
The Divine as Mirror of the Human Soul Human being soar higher and higher, for awesome strengths are yours, you own wings of spirit, wings of noble eagles. Don’t deny your abilities, for if you do they will deny you- Seek your strengths, and you will find them immediately. Rabbi A.Y. Kook, Orot Hakodesh 1:64 Man is the mirror which God holds up to himself, or the sense organ with which he apprehends his being. Carl Jung At their source, sound and sight are united. Only in our limited, physical world, in this alma depiruda (disjointed world), are these phenomena disconnected and detached. It is similar to our perception of lightning and thunder, which become increasingly separated from one another as the observer is more distanced from the source. If we are bound and limited to the present, if we can only perceive the universe through the viewpoint of the temporal and the material, then we will always be aware of the divide between sight and sound. The prophetic vision at Mount Sinai, however, granted the people a unique perspective, as if they were standing near the source of Creation. From that vantage point, they were able to witness the underlying unity of the universe. They were able to see sounds and hear sights. God’s revelation at Sinai was registered by all their senses simultaneously, as a single, undivided perception. Rav Kook Dear Pastor Amstutz, 28 March 1953 …My criticism of the Yahwistic God-image is for you what the experience of the book was for me: a drama that was not mine to control. -
Leibniz: the Last Great Christian Platonist
chapter 3 Leibniz: The Last Great Christian Platonist Jack Davidson Many of the Platonic doctrines are … most beautiful.1 ∵ Leibniz (1646–1716) was the last great philosopher in the rich tradition of Christian Platonism that began before Augustine (354–430) and ran through Pseudo-Dionysius (early sixth century), John Scottus Eriugena (c. 800– c. 877), Anselm (1033–1109), Nicholas of Cusa (1401–64) and Marsilio Ficino’s (1433–1499) Florentine Academy. With the advent of figures like John Locke (1632–1704), David Hume (1711–1776), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), philosophy became both mundane and largely secular. This chapter focuses on the most influential of the 17th-century German Platonists, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. As anyone who knows of the history of Platonism from Plato onward realizes, classifying Leibniz as a Platonist is to place him in the company of philosophers who hold (sometimes wildly) different views, so some specifi- cation is necessary. These days, “Platonism” is used by scholars of ancient philosophy to describe what they take to be actual doctrines in the Platonic canon, doctrines Plato developed or continued to hold in the dialogues after the early, Socratic dialogues, e.g., the theory of the Forms.2 In contemporary metaphysics, “Platonism” refers to the view that certain abstract truths, like those of mathematics and logic, exist independently of time and space and human thought. Frege, Gödel, and Russell were all Platonists in this sense, as 1 D ii 222/l 592. Leibniz citations in the text and notes are by abbreviation keyed to the bibli- ography. -
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.