Justice and Charity

P. Krom Michael

Description

This book introduces Thomas Aquinas's moral, economic, and political thought, differentiating between philosophy (justice) and theology (charity) within each of the three branches of Aquinas's theory of human living. It shows how Aquinas's thought offers an integrated vision for Christian participation in the world, equipping readers to apply their faith to the complex moral, economic, and political problems of contemporary society. Written in an accessible style by an experienced educator, the book is well-suited for use in a variety of undergraduate courses and provides a foundation for understanding Catholic social teaching.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology
• Philosophy of religion

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 21 juillet 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493424368
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2020 by Michael P. Krom
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Control Number: 2019048613
ISBN 978-1-4934-2436-8
Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Dedication
To my students
Contents
Cover i
Half Title Page ii
Title Page iii
Copyright Page iv
Dedication v
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Chapter Guide xiii
Introduction 1
Part 1: Moral Theory 9
1. The Natural Desire for Happiness (Moral Philosophy) 11
2. Grace and Perfect Happiness (Moral Theology) 45
Part 2: Economic Theory 71
3. The Goods of the Earth and the Good Life (Economic Philosophy) 73
4. The Goods of the Earth and Perfect Happiness (Economic Theology) 95
Part 3: Political Theory 117
5. The Common Good in the Earthly City (Political Philosophy) 119
6. The Twofold Citizenship of the Christian Wayfarer (Political Theology) 153
Part 4: The Perennial Teaching of the Angelic Doctor 175
7. Aquinas’s Moral, Economic, and Political Theory Today 177
Postscript 221
Appendix: Schema of the Virtues 225
Bibliography 227
Index 237
Back Cover 239
Acknowledgments
I have dedicated this book to my students because they both inspired this project and assisted me in its execution. Were it not for the opportunity to teach Thomistic Philosophy each fall, and for the kinds of discussions their interests generated, I would never have gone down this path. This book, then, is an attempt to charitably render a debt of gratitude, and I hope I have been successful in this. Many of them read earlier versions of this book; their critical feedback helped me to clarify my own thought as well as provide a clearer presentation to future readers. If my students are to be thanked for their assistance, it is only just that I take responsibility for any of this book’s shortcomings.
The monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey have provided me with the opportunity to teach the seminarians and collegians under their charge, and for this I thank them. In addition to their leadership roles in the college and the personal encouragement many of them have given me, their commitment to a life of prayer and work has been a witness and reminder to me of what academic life is all about. While I cannot thank them all, I should especially mention Archabbot Douglas Nowicki as chancellor of Saint Vincent College, Br. Norman Hipps as president, Fr. Rene Kollar as the dean who supported this project, Fr. Pat Cronauer as dean of Saint Vincent Seminary, and Fr. Andrew Campbell as my spiritual director. More importantly, the monks of Saint Vincent are to be thanked for reminding me that the purpose of writing is Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus (so that in all things God may be glorified).
I am blessed to work in a collegial environment, and with this in mind I should especially acknowledge the members of the philosophy department, George Leiner, Eric Mohr, Sr. Mary Veronica Sabelli, Gene Torisky, and Margaret Watkins. Sr. Mary Veronica is to be especially thanked for our many conversations over lunch on topics ranging from Thomistic metaphysics to Italian pronunciation. In addition, I should thank those who have helped me by patiently reading parts of the manuscript or at least hearing out some of the ideas: Jerome Foss, Jason Jividen, Matthew Minerd, John Martino, Stephen Little, Kody Cooper, Adam Tate, and the blind reviewers. Further thanks go to Jonathan Sanford, Monte Brown, Chris Edelman, Daniel Kempton, Steve Cortright, Graham McAleer, and Grattan Brown for inviting me to give lectures to students at their respective colleges and universities. Finally, the editorial staff at Baker Academic has been wonderful to work with; I should especially thank Dave Nelson for his support and advice along the way, and Eric Salo as well as the rest of the editorial team for helping to make this work presentable.
In all of this, I have tried to keep in mind that my primary vocation is to my family, and I thank them for letting me slip away more often than I would have liked to see this project to completion. My wife, Jessica, loves and supports me in spite of my tendency to unleash philosophical ramblings when I should be doing more important things like helping get kids to bed or putting the groceries away. My children are fortunately too unworldly to realize that it is not normal to engage in platonic dialogues while doing yardwork or playing Frisbee, and so James, Isaac, Henry, Margaret, Malcolm, and even little Evelyn have been great partners in pursuit of Wisdom.
Abbreviations CAP Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle’s “Politics.” Translated by Richard J. Regan. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2007. Catechism or CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church . New York: Doubleday, 1995. Available at http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm. Compendium Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church . Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2009. Available at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_ councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html. CST Catholic social thought DR Aquinas, De regno . Translated by R. W. Dyson. In St. Thomas Aquinas: Political Writings . New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. SCG Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles . Translated by Anton C. Pegis, FRSC. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1991. Summa or ST Aquinas, Summa Theologiae . Translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. 2nd ed. Available at http://www.newadvent.org/summa.
References provide the relevant division within the text. For example, ST II-II.25.3ad1 refers to Summa Theologiae , Secunda secundae (second part of the second part), question 25, article 3, reply to the first objection. I have used translations that are widely available so that the nonspecialist reader can easily access them. In the case of ST , more recent translations are available, but readers would most likely be working with the online version. In places where I amend the translation for my purpose, I indicate this with a bracket and provide a note justifying the change.
Chapter Guide
St. Thomas Aquinas follows the Aristotelian tradition of dividing practical philosophy, or the “philosophy of human affairs,” into (1) moral philosophy, (2) economics, and (3) political philosophy. In addition, he distinguishes between the truths we can know via reason (philosophy) and those we can know via revelation (theology). After exploring Aquinas’s teachings, we will look at the relevance of Aquinas today in light of Catholic social thought (CST). Thus, the book is divided as follows.
Part 1: Moral Theory
Chapter 1: The Natural Desire for Happiness (Moral Philosophy)
Outline: the goal of moral philosophy is to promote a proper understanding of natural, imperfect happiness and the means to obtaining it; in particular, natural happiness requires the formation of the cardinal virtues, of which justice is the most important; the natural desire for happiness leads one to recognize the limitations of acquired virtue, thus pointing to the need for grace.
Chapter 2: Grace and Perfect Happiness (Moral Theology)
Outline: the goal of moral theology is to promote a proper understanding of perfect happiness and the means to obtaining it; in particular, perfect happiness requires the infused virtues, of which charity is the most important, in conjunction with the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit; knowing the person and life of Christ is central to living rightly, and one grows in virtue via participation in sacramental life.
Part 2: Economic Theory
Chapter 3: The Goods of the Earth and the Good Life (Economic Philosophy)
Outline: while the goods of the earth should be used so as to promote the happiness of all, this is best achieved by a system of private ownership; yet the owners of the goods of the earth have a moral responsibility to use them for the good of others; most importantly, justice is the virtue by which one determines the proper ownership and use of such goods.
Chapter 4: The Goods of the Earth and Perfect Happiness (Economic Theology)
Outline: in theological tradition, to be rich means to be in least need of the goods of the earth, and thus, to the extent that one owns such goods, to be most ready to share them with others; doing so requires following the order of love and grasping the theological meaning of value; charity guides one in such acts of giving.
Part 3: Political Theory
Chapter 5: The Common Good in the Earthly City (Political Philosophy)
Outline: political philosophy’s aim is to promote life in accordance with the acquired virtues, and thus human law must be rooted in natural law as applicable to the particular circumstances of the community; this is what it means to promote the common good; put differently, the law must determine how justice can be best served in the lives of the citizens; this chapter concludes with a discussion of the just limits of obedience to political authority.
Chapter 6: The Twofold Citizenship of the Christian Wayfarer (Political Theology)
Outline: political theology’s aim is to promote perfect happiness in the Body of Christ, the Church; this requires determining the best relationship between the Church and the state in particular circumstances, pointing all people toward God as the fount of