Phil 453: Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues
Freddoso
Decio 324/631-7327
E-mail: Alfred.J.Freddoso.1@nd.edu
Home page: http://www.nd.edu/~afreddos
Purpose----Texts----Requirements---- Syllabus----Term Paper----Notes on the Prima Secundae----Notes on the Secundae Secundae-----Outline of the Treatise on Cardinal Virtues
Purpose of Course:
A part-lecture/part-discussion course for majors, the purpose of which is to provide the student with an opportunity to come to understand in some depth St. Thomas's general account of virtue and his detailed treatment of the four cardinal virtues. After perusing the Treatise on Virtue and certain other elements from the First Part of the Second Part of the Summa Theologiae (the Prima Secundae), we will spend the bulk of the semester examining questions 47-170 of the Second Part of the Second Part (the Secunda Secundae).
Texts:
The texts for the course are the Treatise on Virtue (Oesterle translation--Notre Dame Press) and questions 47-170 of
the Secunda Secundae itself. Background material is available on my web site under Phil 406 and Phil 301.
Requirements:
- Short summaries. During the course of the semester each student will be expected to prepare two
brief summaries (20-30 minutes) which are to be presented to the class and to serve as the basis for that day's discussion. A copy of the presentation should be provided for each student on the day the presentation is to be given. These summaries will deal with certain specialized questions which St. Thomas takes up in the Secunda Secundae. As such, they are meant to supplement the instructor's lectures on the more general aspects of the treatises on the cardinal virtues. The idea is that you will be an 'expert' on the questions you summarize. (Class participation + summaries = 25% of course grade)
- Exams. A final exam at the time scheduled by the registrar. (25% of course grade)
- Term Paper. You are required to write a 15-20 page paper, worth 50% of the course grade. A 2-3
page proposal, plus outline, is to be submitted for approval on or before April 8; the paper itself is
to be handed in on or before the last class day. (Warning: These deadlines are absolutely
non-negotiable). See below for more details.
Tentative Syllabus
I. Introduction
- 1/15: Lecture: Introduction to Summa Theologiae 2 and key elements of the treatise on action from Summa Theologiae 1-2.
II. Treatise on Virtue in General
- 1/20: Lecture: Habit in general
Reading: Treatise on Virtue, questions 49-54
- 1/22: Lecture: Moral and intellectual virtue in general
Reading: Treatise on Virtue, questions 55-60
- 1/27: Lecture: Introduction to the cardinal and theological virtues
Reading: Treatise on Virtue, questions 61-67
III. Treatise on Prudence
- 1/29: Lecture: Prudence in general
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 47-48
- 2/3: Lecture: The parts of prudence and the gift of counsel
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 49-52
- 2/5: Discussion: The vices and precepts pertaining to prudence
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 53-56
IV. Treatise on Justice
- 2/10: Lecture: Right, justice, injustice, and judgment
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 57-60
- 2/12: Lecture: The subjective parts of justice and their acts
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 61-63
- 2/17: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through deeds
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 64-66
- 2/19: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through words used in court
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 67-71
- 2/24: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through words used outside of court
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 72-76
- 2/26: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through commerce, and the integral parts of justice
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 77-79
- 3/3: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: religion and its interior acts
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 81-83
- 3/5: Lecture: The potential parts of justice: religion and its exterior acts
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 84-91
- 3/17: Lecture: The potential parts of justice: the vices opposed to religion
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 92-100
- 3/19: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: piety and the gift of piety, respectfulness, gratitude, and vindication
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 101-108 & 121
- 3/24: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: truthfulness
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 109-113
- 3/26: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: friendliness, liberality, and equity, and the precepts pertaining to justice
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 114-119 & 122
V. Treatise on Fortitude
- 4/2: Lecture: Fortitude in itself, its highest act, the vices opposed to it, and the gift of fortitude
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 123-127
- 4/7: Discussion: The integral and potential parts of fortitude: magnanimity and magnificence
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 128-135
- 4/9: Discussion: The integral and potential parts of fortitude: patience and perseverance, and the precepts pertaining to fortitude
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 136-140
VI. Treatise on Temperance
- 4/14: Lecture: Temperance in itself and its integral parts
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 141-145
- 4/16: Discussion: The subjective parts of temperance: abstinence from food and sobriety
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 146-150
- 4/21: Discussion: The subjective parts of temperance: chastity and virginity
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 151-154
- 4/23: Lecture: The potential parts of temperance: continence, kindness, and meekness
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 155-159
- 4/28: Lecture: The subjective parts of temperance: modesty and humility--and the nature of the sin of the first parents
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 160-165
- 4/30: Discussion: The subjective parts of modesty: studiousness, modesty in words, modesty in outward appearance
Reading: Summa Theologiae 2-2, questions 166-170
The Term Paper
The main project for this course is a 15-20 page paper which is to be submitted on or before the
last class day; a 2-3 page proposal is due on or before April 9. In what follows I will try to
give you some clear indication of what I am looking for in both the paper and the proposal.
- Comments about the paper:
a. The paper is meant to be a 'philosophical' paper rather than a 'research' paper. You
might, for example, articulate a thesis, whether positive or negative, and defend it by
replying to objections. Alternatively, you might do a mainly interpretive paper which
delves into issues that are not obvious on a first reading of St. Thomas's text or which
brings together material from diverse sections of the Secunda Secundae. (In other words, I
expect you to do more than simply repeat what is in the text.) There may, of course, be
some piece of secondary literature on St. Thomas that you want to incorporate into your
discussion. So in this sense some research may be called for.
b. The topic of the paper should be connected in some fairly recognizable way with our
readings and discussions. That is, it should focus on some issue or small set of issues that
come up in Summa Theologiae 2-2. Moreover, it should be a manageable topic which will
allow you to delve more deeply into specific arguments and objections. This, of course, is
easier said than done, but I am here to help you do it.
c. The paper is a fairly long one, and so you will have to plan it carefully. I expect the
paper to move forward at well-marked junctures instead of merely talking around one or
another point in order to fill space. I especially do not want a paper consisting primarily of
loosely connected observations about some topic. Further, every paper must begin with an
introduction that tells the reader exactly what you mean to do in the paper and how each
section of the paper is related in general to your topic.
d. I expect the paper to be stylistically and grammatically beyond reproach. I will take off
for sloppy sentence-structure, misspellings, dangling participles, etc. Proofreading is
absolutely essential.
- Comments about the proposal:
a. The proposal should contain two parts, viz., a narrative and an outline. The narrative
should be a two-page (or so) description of the thesis or interpretation you wish to defend
and of the steps by which you will defend it. (The thesis may of course be primarily
negative--you may want to show, say, that what St. Thomas says about, say, fornication, is dead wrong.) In order to write this sort of narrative you already have to have a
fairly detailed idea of what you want to do and the series of steps by which you propose to
do it. In general, your strategy must be to construct a logical sequence of steps which will
correspond to the main divisions of the paper. Here is one possible example of what I have
in mind: (i) exposition of St. Thomas's view on such-and-such, (ii) three criticisms, (iii)
objections to the criticisms, (iv) reply to the objections. There are other possibilities as
well; the main thing is to order your paper in a coherent and logical sequence.
b. The outline that accompanies the narrative should make graphically clear the main
divisions and subdivisions in the text. This outline should include more than just the three
or four main headings; I want to see some subheadings within each of those main divisions,
so that I will have a reasonably clear idea of how the paper is supposed to progress.
I encourage you to try your ideas out on one another and I also encourage you to consult with me before
the proposal deadline if you think it will be helpful--either after class or by making an appointment to
see me at some other time.