The Thomistic Institute Happiness and Virtue: Can it be Good for You to Be Bad? – Prof. Thomas Osborne
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Dec 4, 2025 Thomas M. Osborne, Jr., a philosophy chair and expert on Aquinas, discusses the interplay between morality and happiness. He argues that vice inherently harms our nature as rational beings, emphasizing that true well-being is found in virtue, not mere pleasure. Osborne delves into how morality can be misperceived as merely useful, contrasting Aristotelian happiness with fleeting psychological gratification. Highlighting the importance of community, he asserts that individual good is intertwined with the common good, making virtue essential for genuine fulfillment.
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Justice Beyond Instrumental Value
- Thomas M. Osborne, Jr. frames justice as more than instrumental "best policy" thinking and asks whether justice has worth in itself.
- He contrasts appearing just for gain with being truly just, echoing Plato's challenge about whether vice can be advantageous.
Morality Is Tied To Human Nature
- Osborne highlights a long debate separating morality from human nature, referencing D'Ai's thought experiment about a world without morality.
- He stresses the problem of making morality dependent only on divine will or separate norms rather than human nature.
Happiness As Virtuous Activity
- Osborne outlines three topics: the human good, happiness as virtuous activity, and the relation of virtue to others via justice.
- He links happiness to activity in accordance with virtue, not mere pleasure.
