Virtues of the will : the transformation of ethics in the late thirteenth century

In Virtues Of The Will, Bonnie Kent Traces Late Thirteenth-century Debates About The Freedom Of The Will, Moral Weakness, And Other Issues That Helped Change The Course Of Western Ethics. She Argues That One Cannot Understand The Controversies Of The Period Or See Duns Scotus In Perspective Without Paying Due Attention To His Immediate Predecessors: The Influential Secular Master Henry Of Ghent, Walter Of Bruges, William De La Mare, Peter Olivi, And Other Franciscans. Seemingly Radical Doctrines In Scotus Often Turn Out To Be Moderate In Comparison To Other Near-contemporary Views, And Striking Scotistic Innovations Often Turn Out To Be Something Approaching Commonplaces Of Franciscan Thought. This Study Presents The Controversies Of The Period Less As A Reaction By Theologians Against Philosophy Than As Genuine Philosophical Debates About Problems Raised By Aristotle's Thought. And It Presents Scotus's Teachings Less As A Break With Tradition Than As A Reasonably Natural Response To Issues Debated By His Predecessors. The Overall Aim Is To Recover Part Of A Late Thirteenth-century Dialogue About The Will And Morality. By Explaining In A Clear, Accessible Style The Sometimes Complex Issues Debated During This Period, Virtues Of The Will Helps Readers Understand Not Only The Historical And Doctrinal Context But Also The More Enduring Philosophical Problems Posed By Aristotle's Teachings. 1. Heroes And Histories. The Golden Age Of Scholasticism. The Golden Age Revisited: Scholastic Ethics. Some Caveats -- 2. Aristotle Among The Christians. Radical Aristotelians. Bonaventure: Collationes In Hexaemeron. Walter Of Bruges. The Condemnation Of 1277. Giles Of Rome And The Propositio Magistralis. William De La Mare. Peter Olivi. Richard Of Middleton. Augustinianism In Retrospect -- 3. Voluntarism. From Free Decision To Free Will. Voluntarism In The Late Thirteenth Century. The Imperial Will As A Moved Mover. Freedom As Total Activity. The Cause Sine Qua Non. Freedom And Partial Efficiency -- 4. Moral Weakness And The Problem Of Sin. Akrasia In Brief. The Corruption Of Reason. Moral Weakness And Evil. The Advantageous And The Just -- 5. Virtues Of The Will. The Aristotelian Background. Stoic Sages And Christian Saints. Merit And Free Decision. Just Actions And Ordered Emotions. Virtues Of The Will. Reconsidering Scotus. Bonnie Kent. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 255-263) And Index. This study aims to provide a more balanced account of how Christian thinkers, including Aquinas, transformed Aristotle's psychology and ethics. It traces late 13th-century debate about the freedom of the will, moral weakness and other issues that helped change the course of Western ethics.