The Parts of Prudence and Scientific Solutions for Weakness of Will

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Published: Dec 1, 2013
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.38.2013.541
Keywords:
practical wisdom Thomas Aquinas happiness cognitive perfection weakness of will

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Christopher Kaczor
Loyola Marymount University

Abstract

This essay outlines a view of practical wisdom drawing on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. In it, I discuss the presuppositions of practical wisdom, namely the ordering to the end of true human happiness. Next, the focus shifts to the “parts” or elements of practical wisdom in order to highlight the intellectual aspects of practical wisdom as a cognitive perfection. Finally, the essay addresses prudence as practical, the actual carrying out of the right deed, at the right time and in the right way. Here, the conclusion of the essay considers the findings of contemporary science in the search for remedies for weakness of will.

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How to Cite
Kaczor, Christopher. 2013. “The Parts of Prudence and Scientific Solutions for Weakness of Will”. Diametros, no. 38 (December):128-33. https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.38.2013.541.
Issue
No. 38 (2013)
Section
Special topic – THE MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF THOMAS AQUINAS AND CONTEMPORARY PRACTICAL ETHICS

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Author Biography

Christopher Kaczor, Loyola Marymount University

Christopher Kaczor Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy University Hall, Suite 3600 Loyola Marymount University One LMU Drive Los Angeles, CA 90045-8415 USA e-mail: christopher.kaczor@lmu.edu WWW: http://myweb.lmu.edu/ckaczor/
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References

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. W.D. Ross, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009.

McGonigal Kelly, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It, Avery, New York 2011.

Plato, Protagoras, trans. S. Lombardo, K. Bell, Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis 1992.

Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, available at http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/sth0000.html.