Magnanimity Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The 2013 Townsend Lecture at Berkeley

Certain traits of the magnanimous man of the Nicomachean Ethics seem incompatible with gratitude and humility. Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas are the first commentators of the Latin West who had access to the integral portrayal of... more

Certain traits of the magnanimous man of the Nicomachean Ethics seem incompatible with gratitude and humility. Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas are the first commentators of the Latin West who had access to the integral portrayal of magnanimity in the Nicomachean Ethics. Surprisingly, they welcomed the Aristotelian ideal of magnanimity without reservations. The paper summarizes Aristotle’s account of magnanimity, discusses briefly the transformation of this notion in Stoicism and early scholasticism, and analyzes Albert’s and Thomas’s interpretation of Aristotle. Thomas is found to be a more faithful and ingenious interpreter than Albert. He addresses and solves a number of philosophical problems of Aristotle’s account that still puzzle contemporary interpreters.

● Source: Pawel Tarasiewicz, “The Servient Character of Political Power According to St. Thomas Aquinas,” Studia Gilsoniana 3 (2014): 399-413 [ISSN 2300-0066] ● Summary: The author attempts to justify the thesis of the servient character... more

● Source: Pawel Tarasiewicz, “The Servient Character of Political Power According to St. Thomas Aquinas,” Studia Gilsoniana 3 (2014): 399-413 [ISSN 2300-0066] ● Summary: The author attempts to justify the thesis of the servient character of political power. By his analyses, he arrives at two conclusions. First, the ultimate goal of service fulfilled by political power should be identical with the natural goal of every human being, meaning a life of virtue. Hence, service to the cause of the citizens’ virtue requires that the fundamental duties of power include the protection of public peace, the promotion of actions towards the common good, and striving for a common abundance of worldly possessions. Second, to elect those in political power it is necessary to make sure that aspirants to such are characterized by the appropriate level of virtuous development. Each candidate should be first and foremost a person possessing a high moral quality (virtus boni viri), where prudence and magnanimity appear to be virtues especially fitting power (virtutes boni principis). ● Keywords: Political Philosophy; Political Parties; Government; Leadership; Virtue Ethics; Politics; Elections; Common Good; Human nature; Civic Virtue; Virtue; Morality; Prudence; Political Power; Body politics; Magnanimity; Public Peace and Unity; National government; Life of virtue.

I contend that Adam Smith and David Hume offer re-interpretations of Aristotle's notion of greatness of soul, focusing on the kind of magnanimity Aristotle attributes to Socrates. Someone with Socratic magnanimity is worthy of honor,... more

I contend that Adam Smith and David Hume offer re-interpretations of Aristotle's notion of greatness of soul, focusing on the kind of magnanimity Aristotle attributes to Socrates. Someone with Socratic magnanimity is worthy of honor, responds moderately to fortune, and is virtuous - just and benevolent. Recent theorists err in claiming that magnanimity is less important to Hume's account of human excellence than benevolence. In fact, benevolence is a necessary ingredient for the best sort of greatness. Smith's "Letter to Strahan" attributes this greatness to Hume. It encourages us to admire Hume as an exemplar of human excellence, to seek Hume's virtues for ourselves, and to approve of the "[l]ove of literary fame" which Hume calls his "ruling passion."

Предмет исследования — добродетель «великодушие», обнаруживающая в контексте историко философского подхода не только моральное, но и эпистемологическое измерение. Анализируется акту ализация данной добродетели в трудах Аристотеля, Декарта... more

Предмет исследования — добродетель «великодушие», обнаруживающая в контексте историко философского подхода не только моральное, но и эпистемологическое измерение. Анализируется акту ализация данной добродетели в трудах Аристотеля, Декарта и Ницше, где она выступает на пересе чении этики и теории познания, характеризуя практики стремления к истине в науке и философии. Актуальность такого исследования концепта великодушия соотносится с тематикой и методами современного направления «эпистемология добродетелей», подчеркивающего роль ценностей и доб родетелей в познании, а также с современной философской рефлексией оснований науки в целом.