History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 245 - What Comes Naturally - Ethics in Albert and Aquinas
Jan 17, 2016
Exploring the beliefs of medieval thinkers on pagan virtue, the role of God in achieving virtue, the scholastic position on virtue acquisition, Albert the Great's theory of virtue and happiness, and Aquinas' perspective on natural virtue and divine infusion.
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Augustine's Rejection Of Pagan Virtue
- Augustine held that apparent pagan virtue was false because it lacked orientation toward God.
- This view aimed to block Pelagian claims that humans can merit salvation without divine grace.
Virtue Parallels Divine Illumination
- Medievals often held that God must work in us for moral goodness, paralleling divine illumination in knowledge.
- Texts like Peter Lombard's Sentences present virtue as a divine gift rather than purely natural attainment.
Aristotle's Habituation Versus Infusion
- Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics explains moral virtue as acquired by habituation and training.
- This naturalistic account conflicted with the strict Augustinian claim that all virtue is infused by God.