History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 229 - Do the Right Thing - Thirteenth Century Ethics
Jun 21, 2015
The podcast explores the concept of conscience and its role in moral decision-making. It discusses the emergence of the faculty of will in 13th-century ethics, the interpretation of Aristotle's ethical virtues, and the debate on habitual virtues and the tendency to pervert good into evil. It also delves into following one's conscience and the role of reason in ethical decision-making.
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Tube Seat Example Introduces Conscience
- Imagine offering your Underground seat to a pregnant woman and being asked why you did it by a philosopher.
- This scenario introduces medieval interest in conscience as explaining why we act on moral judgments.
Two-Faced Soul Bridges Traditions
- Medieval ethics blended Augustine's will-focused tradition with newly available Aristotelian ideas.
- They adapted Avicenna's 'two-faced soul' to explain practical and intellectual virtues oriented toward body and God.
Contemplation Overtakes Civic Virtue
- Early commentators read Aristotle through Christian asceticism, privileging contemplation and resisting bodily desire.
- They judged worldly virtues inadequate for ultimate happiness without divine afterlife beatitude.