Aquinas and the Nicomachean Ethics

288 Pages·2013·1.41 MB·English

by  Professor Tobias Hoffmann

more information - www.cambridge.org/9781107002678

AQUINAS AND THE
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS
Aristotle’sNicomacheanEthicsisthetextthathadthesinglegreatest
influenceonAquinas’sethicalwritings,andthehistoricalandphilo-
sophicalvalueofAquinas’sappropriationofthistextprovokeslively
debate.Inthisvolumeofnewessays,13distinguishedscholarsexplore
howAquinasreceives,expandson,andtransformsAristotle’sinsights
about the attainability of happiness, the scope of moral virtue, the
foundation of morality, and the nature of pleasure. They examine
Aquinas’s commentary on the Ethics and his theological writings,
above all the Summa theologiae. Their essays show Aquinas to be a
highly perceptive interpreter, but one who also brings certain pre-
suppositions to the Ethics and alters key Aristotelian notions for his
ownpurposes.TheresultisarichandnuancedpictureofAquinas’s
relation to Aristotle that will be of interest to readers in moral phi-
losophy, Aquinas studies, the history of theology and the history of
philosophy.
Tobias Hoffmann is Associate Professor of Philosophy at The
Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. His most recent
bookisCreaturaintellecta(2002)andhehaseditedseveralantholo-
gies,includingACompaniontoAngelsinMedievalPhilosophy(2012).
Jo¨rnMu¨llerisProfessoroftheHistoryofPhilosophyattheUniversity
ofWu¨rzburg.HismostrecentbookisWillensschwa¨cheinAntikeund
Mittelalter(2009)andhehaseditedseveralanthologies,includinga
collectionofcommentariesonPlato’sPhaedo(2011).
Matthias Perkams is Lecturer in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
attheUniversityofJena.HismostrecentbookisSelbstbewusstseinin
der Spa¨tantike (2008). He has edited several anthologies and Latin-
Germantexteditions,mostrecentlyPeterAbaelard,TheologiaSchol-
arium(2010).

AQUINAS AND THE
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS
edited by
¨ ¨
TOBIAS HOFFMANN, JORN MULLER, AND
MATTHIAS PERKAMS
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AquinasandtheNicomacheanethics/editedbyTobiasHoffmann,
JornMuller,andMatthiasPerkams.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-00267-8(hardback)
1.Thomas,Aquinas,Saint,1225?–1274. 2.Aristotle.Nicomacheanethics.
I.Hoffmann,Tobias,1967–editorofcompilation.
b765.T54A683 2013
171(cid:3).3–dc23 2013011403
isbn978-1-107-00267-8Hardback
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Contents
Contributors pagevii
Acknowledgements viii
Abbreviations ix
1 Introduction 1
TobiasHoffmann,Jo¨rnMu¨ller,andMatthiasPerkams
2 HistoricalaccuracyinAquinas’scommentaryontheEthics 13
T.H.Irwin
3 StructureandmethodinAquinas’sappropriationof
Aristotelianethicaltheory 33
MichaelPakaluk
4 Duplexbeatitudo:Aristotle’slegacyandAquinas’sconceptionof
humanhappiness 52
Jo¨rnMu¨ller
5 Aquinasonchoice,will,andvoluntaryaction 72
MatthiasPerkams
6 Losablevirtue:Aquinasoncharacterandwill 91
BonnieKent
7 Aquinas’sAristoteliandefenseofmartyrcourage 110
JenniferA.Herdt
8 Beingtruthfulwith(orlyingto)othersaboutoneself 129
KevinFlannery,S.J.
9 AquinasonAristotelianjustice:defender,destroyer,subverter,
orsurveyor? 146
JeffreyHause
v
vi Contents
10 Prudenceandpracticalprinciples 165
TobiasHoffmann
11 Aquinasonincontinenceandpsychologicalweakness 184
MartinPickav´e
12 PhiliaandCaritas:someaspectsofAquinas’sreceptionof
Aristotle’stheoryoffriendship 203
MarkoFuchs
13 Pleasure,asupervenientend 220
KevinWhite
14 Aristotle,Aquinas,Anscombe,andthenewvirtueethics 239
CandaceVogler
Bibliography 258
Indexofnames 273
Contributors
kevin flannery, s. j. isProfessoroftheHistoryofAncientPhilosophy
attheGregorianUniversityinRome.
marko fuchs is Research Associate in Philosophy at the University of
Bamberg.
jeffrey hause isAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyandofClassicaland
NearEasternStudiesatCreightonUniversity.
jennifer a. herdt isProfessorofChristianEthicsatYaleUniversity.
tobias hoffmann isAssociateProfessorofMedievalPhilosophyatThe
CatholicUniversityofAmerica.
t.h.irwinisProfessorofAncientPhilosophyintheUniversityofOxford.
bonnie kent is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California,
Irvine.
jo¨rn mu¨ller isProfessoroftheHistoryofPhilosophyattheUniversity
ofWu¨rzburg.
michael pakaluk is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Depart-
mentofPhilosophyatAveMariaUniversity.
matthias perkams is Lecturer in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at
theUniversityofJena.
martin pickave´ is Canada Research Chair in Medieval Philosophy at
theUniversityofToronto.
candace vogler istheDavidB.andClaraE.SternProfessorofPhilos-
ophyattheUniversityofChicago.
kevin white is Associate Professor of Medieval Philosophy at The
CatholicUniversityofAmerica.
vii
Acknowledgements
Wearegratefulabovealltotheauthorsfortheirexcellentcontributionsto
thisvolume.OurthanksarealsoduetoHilaryGaskinforhervaluablesug-
gestions,aswellastoherstaffatCambridgeUniversityPress.Additionally,
wewouldliketoexpressourgratitudetoFrancisFeingold,whoundertook
linguisticrevisions,proofreadthemanuscript,andcompiledtheindex,and
toElenaMarchettiforheradviceinfindingasuitablecoverimage.Finally,
wewouldliketothanktheAlexandervonHumboldtFoundationandThe
CatholicUniversityofAmericafortheirsupportofthisproject.
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