The Renewal of Virtue Ethics: the Character of Moral Development | Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
Aug 14, 2024
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Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P., a Professor of Moral Theology and director at the Angelicum, dives deep into the revival of virtue ethics. He discusses the historical influences on moral development, including pivotal events that reshaped societal views. Exploring the relationship between grace, practical reasoning, and moral judgment, he draws parallels between skill mastery and moral growth. Fr. Sherwin emphasizes the intertwining of faith, hope, and love as crucial to character formation, providing a holistic view of ethics grounded in both philosophy and spirituality.
The evolution of intellectual freedom in the Catholic tradition showcases a historical shift in understanding human nature and virtues, particularly post the 12th-century trauma.
The Baroque period's theological challenges prompted the Catholic Church to reform moral theology, but risks in adopting voluntarism complicated its teachings.
Integrating grace into moral theology emphasizes the relationship with God as essential for genuine virtue development, akin to mastering a skill.
Deep dives
Historical Context of Intellectual Freedom
The podcast discusses the evolution of intellectual freedom within the Catholic tradition, tracing its roots back to early medieval thought and the challenges faced during significant historical events. A pivotal period highlighted is the 12th century, marked by the great famine which instigated a trauma in people's perception of the natural world, altering their confidence in its goodness and divine connection. Intellectual figures like Don Scotus emerged as the discourse shifted to a more cautious stance regarding human nature and virtues, leading to a focus on the will rather than a holistic understanding of human faculties. This transition reflects a broader trend throughout history where certain interpretations of freedom and knowledge began to dominate the intellectual landscape.
Impact of the Baroque Period on Theology
The Baroque period significantly influenced the Catholic Church's approach to moral theology, necessitated by the Protestants' strong theological challenges. The Council of Trent's reforms aimed to strengthen bishops' roles and ensure clergy's education, ultimately leading to the establishment of seminaries. This era also produced a series of theological manuals that delineated moral and spiritual teachings, attempting to provide structure in a time of theological upheaval. However, the church's response risked adopting elements of the very voluntarist and nominalist thought it sought to counteract, thus complicating its theological consistency.
The Role of Grace and Moral Theology
The discussion emphasizes the necessity of integrating grace into moral theology, reflecting a vision wherein ethics is deeply intertwined with a person's relationship with God. This relationship aids in the understanding that moral actions cannot be viewed independently from the graces that inform them, as grace acts as a catalyst for moral growth. It examines how a dualistic separation of grace and moral living can impede spiritual progress, urging a unified approach to human action in a theological context. Through analogies from music and skill acquisition, the podcast illustrates that moral life, much like artistic performance, thrives on internalized principles guided by love and grace.
Human Nature, Virtue, and Stages of Growth
A critical aspect covered is the relationship between human nature, virtue, and the stages of spiritual growth outlined by theologians like Aquinas. This dialogue posits that acquiring virtue parallels the process of mastering a skill, where initial stages involve adherence to rules, gradually emerging into a deeper understanding of ethical living influenced by grace. The analogy of musical training illustrates how individuals transition from rudimentary obedience to internalized excellence driven by authentic engagement with moral truths. Ultimately, this growth reflects a journey towards authentic moral goodness, inviting individuals to embrace their innate capacity to engage with divine grace.
Faith, Hope, and Charity in Virtue Ethics
The podcast underscores the foundation of virtue ethics within the Christian tradition, establishing that faith, hope, and charity shape the moral landscape for believers. This framework is articulated through scriptural references which affirm that genuine growth in virtue originates from a relationship with God, nurtured by theological virtues. As listeners are guided through the biblical passages, the transformative nature of charity emerges as essential to fulfilling moral obligations and pursuing a virtuous life. By understanding moral actions as reflections of divine love in practice, individuals are subsequently empowered to cultivate virtues in their daily lives.
Fr. Michael Sherwin explores the historical shift from virtue-based ethics to a more voluntarist approach in Catholic moral theology, particularly during the Baroque period. He argues that this shift led to a fragmentation of theological disciplines and a focus on rules and consequences rather than human flourishing. The renewal of virtue ethics is presented as a necessary step to heal this fragmentation and return to a more integrated understanding of moral theology that includes grace, human nature, and the pursuit of happiness in Christ.
This lecture was given on July 4th, 2024, at Glencomeragh House.
Michael S. Sherwin, O.P. is Professor of Fundamental Moral Theology and director of the Institute of Spirituality here at the Angelicum. Fr. Sherwin comes to the Angelicum after almost twenty years of teaching at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He has also taught at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California, where he received his initial formation as a Dominican and was ordained a priest in 1991. Author of articles on the psychology of love, virtue ethics and moral development, his monograph, By Knowledge and By Love: Charity and Knowledge in the Moral Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (CUA Press, 2005) has become a standard Thomistic reference, while Alasdair MacIntyre has described Fr. Sherwin’s published collection of essays, On Love and Virtue (Emmaus Academic, 2018) as “theological reflection at its best.”
Fr. Sherwin also serves as chaplain to the Association nationale des cavaliers catholiques, an equestrian pilgrimage organization, and has collaborated with both Dave Brubeck and his son Chris Brubeck in celebration of the Scriptures at the crossroads between Jazz and classical music.
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