Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good

Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good, first published in 2006, claims that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas's normative concept of the common good and his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics. Examining the relationship between personal and common goods, and the relation of virtue and law to both, Mary M. Keys shows why Aquinas should be read in addition to Aristotle on these perennial questions. She focuses on Aquinas's Commentaries as mediating statements between Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and Aquinas's own Summa Theologiae, showing how this serves as the missing link for grasping Aquinas's understanding of Aristotle's thought. Keys argues provocatively that Aquinas's Christian faith opens up new panoramas and possibilities for philosophical inquiry and insights into ethics and politics. Her book shows how religious faith can assist sound philosophical inquiry into the foundation and proper purposes of society and politics. Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Part I Virtue, Law, and the Problem of the Common Good 1 Why Aquinas?: Reconsidering and Reconceiving the Common Good 1.1 The Promise and Problem of the Common Good: Contemporary Experience and Classical Articulation Rights Rhetoric and the Promise of the Common Good Religion, Realism, and the Problem of the Common Good Religion Utilitarianism as “Realism” 1.2 Why Aquinas? Centrality of the Concept and Focus on Foundations Aquinas on the Common Good and Aristotle’s Foundations 1.3 An Overview of the Argument by Parts and Chapters 2 Contemporary Responses to the Problem of the Common Good: Three Anglo-American Theories 2.1 Liberal Deontologism: Contractarian Common Goods in Rawls's Theory of Justice The Common Good of A Theory of Justice 2.2 Communitarianism or Civic Republicanism: Sandel against Commonsense "Otherness" 2.3 A Third Way? Galston on the Common Goods of Liberal Pluralism Value Pluralism and the Common Good Part II Aquinas's Social and Civic Foundations 3 Unearthing and Appropriating Aristotle's Foundations: From Three Anglo-American Theorists Back to Thomas Aquuinas 3.1 Aristotelianism and Political-Philosophic Foundations, Old and New 3.2 Aristotle's Three Political-Philosophic Foundations in Thomas Aquinas's Thought 3.3 The First Foundation and Aquinas's Commentary: Human Nature as "Political and Social" in Politics I Aquinas and “the Philosopher” Aquinas and Aristotle’s Politics: A Brief History Aquinas on Aristotle’s First Foundation in Politics I 4 Reinforcing the Foundations: Aquinas on the Problem of Political Virtue and Regime-Centered Political Science 4.1 The Second Foundation and Aquinas's Commentary: Human Beings and Citizens in Politics III Aristotle’s Second Foundation Aquinas’s Commentary on the Second Civic Foundation 4.2 Faults in the Foundations: The Uncommented Politics and the Problem of Regime Particularity 4.3 Politics Pointing beyond the Polis and the Politeia: Aquinas's New Foundations Aquinas's Own Foundations: Natural Law and the Inclination to Moral Virtue Natural Right and Natural Law: Aquinas’s “Tendentious Glosses” on Nicomachean Ethics V.7 5 Finishing the Foundations and Beginning to Build: Aquinas on Human Action and Excellence as Social, Civic, and Religious 5.1 Community, Common Good, and Goodness of Will 5.2 Natural Sociability and the Extension of the Human Act 5.3 Cardinal Virtues as Social and Civic Virtues – with a Divine Exemplar The Four Cardinal Virtues From Aristotle to the Platonists, Cicero, and Augustine Close Contenders for Cardinal Virtues Part III Moral Virtues at the Nexus of Personal and Common Goods 6 Remodeling the Moral Edifice (I): Aquinas and Aristotelian Magnanimity 6.1 Aristotle on Magnanimity as Virtue 6.2 Aquinas's Commentary on the Magnanimity of the Nicomachean Ethics 6.3 The Summa Theologiae on Magnanimity and Some "Virtues of Acknowledged Dependence" Gratitude Humility 7 Remodeling the Moral Edifice (II): Aquinas and Aristotelian Legal Justice 7.1 Aristotle on Legal Justice Aristotle’s Legal Justice 7.2 Aquinas's Commentary on Legal Justice in the Nicomachean Ethics General Justice as a Specific Moral Virtue Legal Justice as Agent-Perfecting Political Regimes and the Problematic of Legal Justice 7.3 Legal Justice and Natural Law in the Summa Theologiae Prioritizing the Common Good before the Law Natural Law and Aquinas’s Legal Justice The Dialectical Return to Human Law and Politics The End of the Dialectic: Equating Moral with Political Virtue? Defending the Moral Priority of Legal Justice Part IV Politics, Human law, and Transpolitical Virtue 8 Aquina's Two Pedagogies: Human Law and the Good of Moral Virtue 8.1 Aquinas's Negative Narrative, or How Law Can Curb Moral Vice 8.2 Beyond Reform School: Law's Positive Pedagogy According to Aquinas 8.3 Universality and Particularity, Law and Liberty 8.4 Thomistic Legal Pedagogy and Liberal-Democratic Polities 9 Theological Virtue and Thomistic Political Theory 9.1 The Problematic Political Promotion of Theological Virtue 9.2 Infused Moral Virtue and Civic Legal Justice 9.3 Thomistic and Aristotelian Moderation for the Common Good Works Cited Index Why Aquinas? : Reconsidering And Reconceiving The Common Good -- The Promise And Problem Of The Common Good : Contemporary Experience And Classical Articulation -- Why Aquinas? : Centrality Of The Concept And Focus On Foundations -- An Overview Of The Argument, By Parts And Chapters -- Contemporary Responses To The Problem Of The Common Good : Three Anglo-american Theories -- Liberal Deontologism : Contractarian Common Goods In Rawls's Theory Of Justice -- Communitarianism Or Civic Republicanism : Sandel Against Common-sense Otherness -- A Third Way? : Galston On The Common Goods Of Liberal Pluralism -- Unearthing And Appropriating Aristotle's Foundations : From Three Anglo-american Theorists Back To Thomas Aquinas -- Aristotelianism And Political-philosophic Foundations, Old And New -- Aristotle's Three Political-philosophic Foundations In Thomas Aquinas's Thought -- The First Foundation And Aquinas's Commentary : Human Nature As Political And Social In Politics -- Reinforcing The Foundations : Aquinas On The Problem Of Political Virtue And Regime-centered Political Science -- The Second Foundation And Aquinas's Commentary : Human Beings And Citizens In Politics -- Faults In The Foundations : The Uncommented Politics And The Problem Of Regime Particularity -- Politics Pointing Beyond The Polis And The Politeia : Aquinas's New Foundations -- Finishing The Foundations And Beginning To Build : Aquinas On Human Action And Excellence As Social, Civic, And Religious Community, Common Good, And Goodness Of Will -- Natural Sociability And The Extension Of The Human Act -- Cardinal Virtues As Social And Civic Virtues With A Divine Exemplar -- Remodeling The Moral Edifice : Aquinas And Aristotelian Magnanimity -- Aristotle On Magnanimity As Virtue -- Aquinas's Commentary On The Magnanimity Of The Nicomachean Ethics -- The Summa Theologiae On Magnanimity And Some Virtues Of Acknowledged Dependence -- Remodeling The Moral Edifice : Aquinas And Aristotelian Legal Justice -- Aristotle On Legal Justice -- Aquinas's Commentary On Legal Justice In The Nicomachean Ethics -- Legal Justice And Natural Law In The Summa Theologiae -- Aquinas's Two Pedagogies : Human Law And The Good Of Moral Virtue -- Aquinas's Negative Narrative, Or How Law Can Curb Moral Vice -- Beyond Reform School : Law's Positive Pedagogy Of Virtue According To Aquinas -- Universality And Particularity, Law And Liberty -- Thomistic Legal Pedagogy And Liberal-democratic Polities -- Theological Virtue And Thomistic Political Theory -- The Problematic Political Promotion Of Theological Virtue -- Infused Moral Virtue And Civic Legal Justice -- Thomistic And Aristotelian Moderation For The Common Good. Mary M. Keys. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 239-247) And Index.

Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good claims that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas’s normative concept of the common good and his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics. Examining the relationship between personal and common goods, and the relation of virtue and law to both, Mary M. Keys shows why Aquinas should be read in addition to Aristotle on these perennial questions. She focuses on Aquinas’s Commentaries as mediating statements between Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and, Aquinas’s own Summa Theologiae, showing how this serves as the missing link for grasping Aquinas’s understanding of Aristotle’s thought, in relation to Aquinas’s own considered views. Keys argues provocatively that Aquinas’s Christian faith opens up new panoramas and possibilities for philosophical inquiry and insights into ethics and politics. Her book shows how religious faith can assist sound philosophical inquiry into the foundation and proper purposes of society and politics.

Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good claims that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas s normative concept of the common good and his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics. Examining the relationship between personal and common goods, and the relation of virtue and law to both, Mary M. Keys shows why Aquinas should be read in addition to Aristotle on these perennial questions. She focuses on Aquinas's Commentaries as mediating statements between Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and Aquinas's own Summa Theologiae , showing how this serves as the missing link for grasping Aquinas's understanding of Aristotle's thought in relation to Aquinas's own considered views. Keys argues provocatively that Aquinas's Christian faith opens up new panoramas and possibilities for philosophical inquiry and insights into ethics and politics. Her book shows how religious faith can assist sound philosophical inquiry into the foundation and proper purposes of society and politics. Claiming that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas's normative concept of the common good (as well as his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics), this book shows how religious faith can assist philosophical inquiry into the foundation and purposes of society and politics