Can We Be Good On Our Own? Ancient Pagans and Modern Scientists on Thomistic Moral Virtue

Angela Knobel, Candace Vogler, Daniel Lapsley, and Emily Austin on April 26, 2024 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. What would pagan philosophers and modern psychologists (or ‘scientists-of-mind’) make of what Thomas Aquinas says about the work of grace in the moral life? Thomas Aquinas holds that moral virtues can be cultivated in humans by habits, but he also holds that God can infuse the moral virtues into a human being. Can humans become good on their own? Or do they require external assistance? This symposium will consider the question of infused moral virtue: how does Aquinas describe the bestowal of moral virtues on an individual by God? How is his description related to the classical account of virtues acquired by virtuous action? How does modern science make sense of these insights? --- This symposium was cosponsored by the University of Notre Dame Press and made possible through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.