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Taking Nature Graciously: A Thomistic Perspective on Habits
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2024
Abstract
When speaking of the odd behavior of a particular individual, it is common for people to say something like, “Well, I am just made that way,” or, “He can't help it; that's the way he is.” On the other hand, when considering future vistas for action, some suppose that that, everything in life can be a matter of choice, that we can choose our own gender, ethnicity, or identity. It seems to me that there are theological parallels to these anthropological positions. First, similar to mechanical determinism, some believe in a determined mechanism of sin that destroys human nature and makes free choice an illusion. Second, similar to views that human fulfillment is simply a matter of exercising our will, some argue that graced happiness is merely an extension of nature. To all of these positions, Aquinas has a response.
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References
1 This article is an adaptation of a talk given for the Aquinas Lecture Series, Blackfriars, Oxford, 18 Feb 2016.
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13 ST I, q. 19, a. 10. See also I-II, q. 17, a. 5.
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25 ST I-II, q. 94, a. 4,
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95 ST I-II, q. 28, a. 1.
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