Dear Friends,
Welcome to Part VIII of our course, Wisdom is the Way. In today’s meditation, we continue our exploration of principles — specifically, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. As discussed in our introduction to The Cardinal Virtues, our aim is not simply to know the meaning of virtue but to embody virtue in daily life. The next meditation in our course is an exercise on — The Art of Examined Living.
***As a reminder, you can find links to related meditations and podcasts at the end of each meditation!
Theological Virtues: An Introduction
Do we actually need virtues beyond the cardinal virtues of courage, temperance, wisdom, and justice? Yes — at least according to the thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. With inspiration from figures like Aristotle, Augustine, and several others, Aquinas concludes the need for seven virtues (the cardinal and theological virtues).
Aquinas devotes roughly a quarter of his Summa Theologica (or theological summary) to his theory of the virtues. He adopts from Aristotle the idea that through repetition, we acquire the virtues (as well as the vices). The reason virtues are essential to Aquinas’s ethics is based on his belief that we cannot act morally without guiding principles.
Faith
What is the opposite of faith? When we think of faith, we often assume doubt is the opposite. In an interview with Simon Critchley (author of Bald: 35 Philosophical Shortcuts), he explained, “Doubt is not the enemy of faith; on the contrary — it’s certainty.”
