Phil 453: Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues

Phil 453: Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues

Freddoso

Decio 324/631-7327

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
1/22: Lecture: Moral and intellectual virtue in general
1/27: Lecture: Introduction to the cardinal and theological virtues

III. Treatise on Prudence

1/29: Lecture: Prudence in general
2/3: Lecture: The parts of prudence and the gift of counsel
2/5: Discussion: The vices and precepts pertaining to prudence

IV. Treatise on Justice

2/10: Lecture: Right, justice, injustice, and judgment
2/12: Lecture: The subjective parts of justice and their acts
2/17: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through deeds

2/19: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through words used in court
2/24: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through words used outside of court
2/26: Discussion: Vices opposed to commutative justice through commerce, and the integral parts of justice

3/3: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: religion and its interior acts
3/5: Lecture: The potential parts of justice: religion and its exterior acts
3/17: Lecture: The potential parts of justice: the vices opposed to religion

3/19: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: piety and the gift of piety, respectfulness, gratitude, and vindication
3/24: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: truthfulness
3/26: Discussion: The potential parts of justice: friendliness, liberality, and equity, and the precepts pertaining to justice

V. Treatise on Fortitude

4/2: Lecture: Fortitude in itself, its highest act, the vices opposed to it, and the gift of fortitude
4/7: Discussion: The integral and potential parts of fortitude: magnanimity and magnificence
4/9: Discussion: The integral and potential parts of fortitude: patience and perseverance, and the precepts pertaining to fortitude

VI. Treatise on Temperance

4/14: Lecture: Temperance in itself and its integral parts
4/16: Discussion: The subjective parts of temperance: abstinence from food and sobriety
4/21: Discussion: The subjective parts of temperance: chastity and virginity

4/23: Lecture: The potential parts of temperance: continence, kindness, and meekness
4/28: Lecture: The subjective parts of temperance: modesty and humility--and the nature of the sin of the first parents
4/30: Discussion: The subjective parts of modesty: studiousness, modesty in words, modesty in outward appearance

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.