The Perfection of Powers and Integration of the Person: St. Thomas Aquinas and Karol Wojtyła on Virtue
Keywords:
Karol Wojtyla, St. Thomas Aquinas, virtue, human person, reasonAbstract
One of the main influences on Karol Wojtyla, or St. John Paul II, is St. Thomas Aquinas; at the very foundation of Wojtyla’s philosophy is a profound understanding of St. Thomas’s philosophy, which served as an anchor as Wojtyla navigated through the philosophy of phenomenology. One common notion or concept that both philosophers wrote extensively about is virtue, which is the focus of this paper. By relating and synthesizing their respective notions, a positive and more holistic understanding of virtue can be provided. While they have their respective notions of virtue, owing to their respective philosophical backgrounds, they both offer valuable insights into the nature and importance of virtue in achieving human flourishing, developing the moral well-being of individuals, and forming moral character. Generally, for St. Thomas, virtue is the perfection of power, which for Wojtyła or St. Pope John Paul II is moral proficiency expressed in the integration of the person. This paper is divided into four parts: the first is a general discussion on virtue, the second is a discussion of St. Thomas’ notions of habit and virtue, the third is Wojtyła’s notion of human act and virtue, the fourth is an attempt at synthesizing the thoughts of St. Thomas and Wojtyła on virtue.
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