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Growth in Infused Virtue in the Work of Thomas Aquinas

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ABSTRACT Growth in Infused Virtue in the Work of Thomas Aquinas Jared Brandt, Ph.D. Chairperson: Robert Miner, Ph.D. Thomas Aquinas inherits two distinct conceptions of the virtuous human being. From Aristotle, he receives a vision of harmony and human achievement: through the process of habituation, the distinct parts of the virtuous soul are operating as one under the guidance of reason. From Augustine, Aquinas receives a vision of moral struggle and victory through divine assistance: the virtuous person is able to resist the inclinations of the flesh through virtues that are given by God and only fully actualized in the next life. This dissertation explores an underappreciated area of Aquinas’s thought—on the topic of growth in the infused virtues—where he brings these teachings of Aristotle and Augustine into a brilliant harmony. In order to fully understand and appreciate Aquinas’s teaching on growth in infused virtue, one must first understand the essence of the infused virtues and their increase. This is the goal of Chapters Two and Three. In Chapter Two, I explore Aquinas’s discussion of habits in the Summa Theologiae by tracing three important topics: the essence of habits, the cause of habits, and the increase of habits. In Chapter Three, I elucidate Aquinas’s teaching on the essence of the infused virtues and situate these important virtues within his picture of the flourishing human life. The fourth chapter lays out Aquinas’s teaching on growth in infused virtue. I develop a metaphysical account of increase in infused virtue and pay careful attention to the associated stages. The chapter concludes with a close examination of the important imperfections that Aquinas associates with the infused virtues. I demonstrate that growth in infused virtue— rather than the development of the acquired virtues (as many contemporary commentators suggest)—is an effective remedy for these imperfections. In the concluding chapter, I emphasize the ways in which Aquinas’s understanding of growth in infused virtue represents the deepest point of his harmony of Aristotle and Augustine. I also situate my project among two prominent interpretive trends in Thomistic literature and highlight two important implications of the project. Growth in Infused Virtue in the Work of Thomas Aquinas by Jared Brandt, B.A., B.A., M.A. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Philosophy Michael Beaty, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Dissertation Committee Robert Miner, Ph.D., Chairperson Michael Beaty, Ph.D. Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D. Robert B. Kruschwitz, Ph.D. Natalie Carnes, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2018 J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2018 by Jared Brandt All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... viii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Auctoritates in Tension ......................................................................... 1 1.2 Growth in Infused Virtue: A Key Site of Harmony .............................. 8 1.3 Outline................................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 17 Growth in Habitus in General ............................................................................... 17 2.1 The Essence of Habitus ...................................................................... 18 2.2 The Cause of Habitus.......................................................................... 41 2.3 The Increase of Habitus ...................................................................... 50 2.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 67 The Essence of Infused Virtue: A Particular Kind of Habitus ............................. 67 3.1 Virtue in General................................................................................. 67 3.2 Infused Virtue in Particular ................................................................. 83 3.3 The Necessity of the Infused Moral Virtues ....................................... 99 3.4 Infused Virtue in the Moral Life ....................................................... 110 3.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 125 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 126 Growth in Infused Virtue .................................................................................... 126 4.1 A Metaphysical Account of Growth in Infused Virtue ..................... 128 4.2 Stages of Infused Virtue.................................................................... 151 4.3 Imperfection in the Infused Virtues .................................................. 161 4.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 184 v CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................ 185 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 185 5.1 Summary of Discussion .................................................................... 185 5.2 Auctoritates in Harmony ................................................................... 188 5.3 Situating the Project .......................................................................... 192 5.4 Implications....................................................................................... 203 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 210 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The four main types of virtues. ........................................................................... 83 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are numerous people who have helped make this project possible and have aided in bringing it to completion. First, I would like to thank the Baylor Philosophy Department for their encouragement and support throughout my time at Baylor. A special thanks is due to my committee members for their attention and input at the various stages of the process. I am especially grateful to my director, Robert Miner, who first introduced me to the rewarding nature of a close reading of the Summa. His direction and constructive feedback were instrumental in guiding me through this project. Second, I am indebted to the Baylor Graduate School for their generosity and for providing programs like Conyers and BCU that kept me in community with other graduate students and helped clarify and maintain my sense of vocation. Third, two of my fellow philosophy graduate students deserve special mention: Nathan Cartagena and Brandon Dahm. Nathan was a constant conversation partner and source of encouragement throughout the process, and Brandon helped me to clarify my topic and provided guidance regarding contemporary Thomistic literature. Fourth, I could not have completed this project without the influence and support of my family. I wish to thank my parents for their support and involvement in my education, and for modeling Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:31. The McIntire family has been a consistent source of help and encouragement to Courtney and I, and Bailey’s presence was a blessing when the deadline was looming. I cannot adequately express the gratitude that I owe to Courtney— I could not have finished this project without her support and sacrifice, and her hard work viii has been an inspiration. Finally, I thank our daughter, Emma, for bringing so much joy into our lives and making the dissertation process more bearable. ix DEDICATION To Courtney x CHAPTER ONE Introduction Thomas Aquinas inherits two distinct conceptions of the virtuous human being. From Aristotle, he receives a vision of harmony and human achievement: through the process of habituation, the distinct parts of the virtuous soul are operating as one under the guidance of reason. From Augustine, Aquinas receives a vision of moral struggle and victory through divine assistance: the virtuous person is able to resist the inclinations of the flesh through virtues that are given by God and only fully actualized in the next life. In his teaching on human flourishing, Aquinas brings these two conceptions into a brilliant and complex harmony. This dissertation explores an underappreciated area of Aquinas’s thought—on the topic of growth in the infused virtues—where this harmony of Aristotle and Augustine is most clearly on display. 1.1 Auctoritates in Tension The project of harmonizing
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