Comparison and evaluation of the moral significance of emotions

362 Pages·2016·1.14 MB·English

TThhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff NNoottrree DDaammee AAuussttrraalliiaa
RReesseeaarrcchhOOnnlliinnee@@NNDD
Theses
2000
CCoommppaarriissoonn aanndd eevvaalluuaattiioonn ooff tthhee mmoorraall ssiiggnniifificcaannccee ooff eemmoottiioonnss iinn
AAqquuiinnaass,, tthhee MMaannuuaalliissttss aanndd CCaatthhoolliicc MMoorraall TThheeoollooggyy 11996600--11999900
Thomas Ryan
University of Notre Dame Australia
Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses
Part of the Religion Commons

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Copyright Regulations 1969

WARNING
The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this
material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act.
Do not remove this notice.
PPuubblliiccaattiioonn DDeettaaiillss
Ryan, T. (2000). Comparison and evaluation of the moral significance of emotions in Aquinas, the Manualists and Catholic Moral
Theology 1960-1990 (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/25
This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by
ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in
Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND.
For more information, please contact
[email protected].
COMPARISON AND EVALUATION

OF THE MORAL SIGNIFICANCE

OF EMOTIONS IN AQUINAS, THE MANUALISTS AND

CATHOLIC MORAL THEOLOGY 1960-1990.

THOMAS RYAN, S.M.

Supervisor
Dr. Peter Black, C.Ss.R.

Thesis
Submitted for the partial fulfilment
of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the College of Theology
University of Notre Dame Australia

Fremantle, Western Australia
July 1999

1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A project such as this makes one realise how much one owes to so many people. I
should like to say thank you to them all.

Firstly, to my parents Teresa and John Ryan who, with all their children, gave us all
both encouragement and opportunity to develop our gifts together with a certain
flexibility of faith and attitudes.

Secondly, to my Marist family, the priests of the Society of Mary in New Zealand
and Australia who, as teachers and confrères, have never ceased, personally or by
policy, to place great weight on nurturing people and their talents for the sake of the
Kingdom.

Finally, I am grateful to my colleagues in the College of Theology in the University
of Notre Dame Australia. To Dr. Peter Black, C.Ss.R. for his careful and affirming
supervision; to Professor Michael Jackson and Associate Professor Eileen Lenihan
RSJ (College of Education) whose constant support as colleagues and friends have
contributed to the completion of this project.

*********************

2
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration and Acknowledgements

Chapter

1. THE PROBLEM 12

Defining the Problem 12

Historical Context 20

Related Research 31

Methodology 35

Definition of Terms 43

Significance of the Study 46

Limitations of the Study 47
Format of the Study 48

2. EMOTION: A WORKING DEFINITION 50

3. BENCHMARKS FOR EMOTIONS AND MORALITY IN
AQUINAS I: FOUNDATIONS 78
Context 79

Structural Considerations 79

Doctrinal Considerations 82

The Nature and Function of Emotions 85

3
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page

Chapter

3. (continued)

The Moral Significance of Emotions 94

Emotions as Morally Good or Evil 95

Emotions as Intrinsically Good or Evil 96

Emotions and Practical Reason:
A Working Blueprint 101

Overview and Comments 111

4. BENCHMARKS FOR EMOTIONS AND MORALITY
IN AQUINAS II: SPECIFIC ISSUES 116

The Moral Significance of the Positive Emotions 117

Love, Fittingness, Pleasure 117

Desire (Concupiscentia) 125

Pleasure as Delight (Delectatio) and Joy (Gaudium) 127

The Moral Significance of the Negative Emotions 131

Pain (Dolor) and Sadness (Tristitia) 131

Duty of Self-Care and the Negative Emotions 134

Virtue, Character and the Negative Emotions 139

4
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page

Chapter

4. (continued)

The Moral Significance of the Affective Virtues
in Character 143

Necessity of the Affective Virtues 145

Location of the Affective Virtues 148

The Immanence of the Affective Virtues 149

Emotions as Instruments of Virtue 150

Habituation, Transformation, Character
and Affective Virtues 152

Affective Virtues and the Mean 154

Acquired and Infused Virtues and Human Affectivity 157

Overview and Evaluation 160

5. EMOTIONS AND THE MORAL LIFE IN
THE MANUALIST TRADITION c. 1960 173

The Moral Significance of the Emotions 173

Emotions and the Human Act 173

Context 173

Definition and types of emotions 175

Antecedent and Consequent emotions 178

5
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page

Chapter

5. (continued)

Fear 181

Habitual Impediments to the human act 186

Affective virtues and character 189

Theological Anthropology in the Manualists 206

Context 207

Content 209

Comparison and Contrast within Manualists and with Aquinas 213

6. EMOTIONS AND MORAL LIFE IN RENEWING
CATHOLIC THEOLOGY 1960-1990 220
The Moral Significance of the Emotions 221
Emotions and the Human Act 221
Context 221
Content 223
Antecedent and Consequent emotions 224
Fear 227
Dispositions and Habits 228

6
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page
Chapter
6. (continued)
Understanding the emotions 229
Continuity with Aquinas and the Manualists:
Peschke 229
Retrieval from within a Tradition: Maguire 230
Creative Interpretation from within a Tradition:
Grisez 233
Discontinuity and Development: Haring 236
(i) Context 237
(ii) Psychological Structure of the emotions 239
(iii) Object of the emotions 241
(iv) Nature of the emotions 242
(v) Categories of the emotions 244
Summary 245
Affective Virtues and Character 247
Context 247
Virtues in general 248
Fundamental Direction: the Ruling Passion 249
Morality of the “Heart.” 250
Systems and the diversity of virtues 251

7
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page
Chapter
6. (continued)
The Affective Virtues 252
Temperance 253
Fortitude 254
Affective Virtues: Divergent Approaches 255
Innovation from within a Tradition: Grisez 255
A Renewed Moral Theology: Peschke
and Haring 256
Theological Anthropology in the selected
post-conciliar authors 261
Context 261
Content 262
Comparison and Contrast amongst authors with
Manualists and Aquinas 265
Comparison and Contrast amongst selected authors 266
Comparison and Contrast with Manualists & Aquinas 267
Dynamics of Human Subjectivity 268
Aspects of Morality 271
Moral Vision and Vocation 272

8
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

Page
Chapter

7. CONTEMPORARY SOUNDINGS AND BENCHMARKS 274

The Moral Significance of the Emotions 274

Emotions and the Human Act 274

Emotions and Morality: A view from Moral Philosophy 274

Moral Significance of Emotions 276

Emotions and Moral Reasoning 280

Moral Reasoning: Alternative of “Seeing” Differently 282

Mutual Tutoring of Reason and Emotion:
The Psychological Dynamic 288

Psychological Foundations 289

Thinking and Emotion in Collaboration 292

Emotions in Relation to Virtue and Character 293

Self-esteem: Foundations of Identity 293

Empathy and the Moral Life: The Shelton Model 297

Psychological Foundations 298

Empathy, Morality of the Heart
and Christian Vision 303

9