Pagan Virtue: An Essay in EthicsClarendon Press, 1990 - 242 pages The study of the virtues has largely dropped out of modern philosophy, yet it was the predominant tradition in ethics fom the ancient Greeks until Kant. Traditionally the study of the virtues was also the study of what constituted a successful and happy life. Drawing on such diverse sources as Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Shakespeare, Hume, Jane Austen, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Sartre, Casey here argues that the classical virtues of courage, temperance, practical wisdom, and justice centrally define the good for humans, and that they are insufficiently acknowledged in modern moral philosophy. He suggests that values of success, worldliness, and pride are active parts of our moral thinking, and that the conflict between these and our equally important Christian inheritance leads to tensions and contradictions in our understanding of the moral life. |
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action active admire amour propre anger angry Aquinas Aristotle Aristotle says Aristotle's attitudes behaviour believe body brave character child Christian claim consciousness Cordelia Coriolanus courage describe desire disposition egoism emotion envy essentially Ethics evil expression F. R. Leavis fear feel friendship grace gratitude hate hatred Hegel hence honour human Hume Ibid idea imagine includes instance intentions Jane Austen justice Kant King Lear lack Lear Lear's look loyalty magnanimous man's Mansfield Park Martha Nussbaum means Michael Oakeshott mind moral Moral Luck nature Nietzsche noble object one's oneself ourselves pain particular passion perhaps person Phenomenology philosopher phronesis physical picture pietas play pleasure Plutarch political possible practical wisdom Priam pride qualities rational relation respect role Sartre sect seems self-conscious sense sexual shame simply skills sloth someone sort spirit suffering suggest Summa T. S. Eliot temperance things thought tradition trans understand values vanity virtue wish