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11. Virtue and Truth
- The Catholic University of America Press
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136 11 V irtue and Truth All men by nature desire to know. Aristotle The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates, in Plato’s apology Intellectual Virtues Ethics does not tell us the truths of science; it does not teach us mathematics or physics; nor does it teach us how to be a doctor or an architect. We might be surprised to find, then, that Aquinas lists science as a virtue, and that various skills, such as medicine or architecture, also count as virtues (I-II, 57). Our surprise may be dispelled when we remember that ethics does not so much concern rules of right and wrong as it concerns guidelines of how to lead a good life. A truly fulfilling human life will realize our human capacities, especially those associated with reason. We are distinct from all other animals in that we can reason; we alone can understand the world around us. 137 virTUe anD TrUTh Should not our fulfillment, then, include the development of our minds? And since ethics concerns our fulfillment, then should not the development of our minds, as well as our hearts, be counted as virtue? If we are to lead a human life, and not merely an animal life, then we should understand the world around us. Animals certainly have some sort of knowledge—they have sensation and memory and a bit of instinctive know-how—but ultimately they do not understand the things around them. They do not know the causes of things, as we do through our studies of science; they do not grasp the natures of things, nor do they do mathematics or ask philosophical questions. Our minds far surpass the animals’. A fulfilling human life, then, must develop this unique mind. We are not satisfied with mere sensation or mere memory, since we have the ability to grasp the reasons for things. This need to get beyond sensation is reflected even in our appreciation of sensible beauty. The beauty of a symphony is not found simply in certain pleasant sounds, but in the order and structure of those sounds, which is grasped by reason. Animals have no artistic appreciation, even if they are pleased by the sounds of music, for they don’t grasp the order of the whole. Similarly, the beauty of a painting rests upon an order of the parts. Indeed, our enjoyment of science or of philosophy can also be somewhat aesthetic, for by understanding the interrelation of the many causes in the universe we come to perceive a magnificent order, unified into a beautiful composition (II-II, 180, 2, ad 3). Who can look at the wonder of the genetic code without seeing its beauty, or who can fail to grasp the beauty behind the workings of the solar system? Indeed, Einstein suggested that the general theory of relativity is recommended by the sheer [44.222.146.114] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 13:03 GMT) 138 virTUe anD TrUTh beauty of its mathematics. This beauty of science is more wholly intellectual than is the beauty of sensation, but in either event the mind is engaged. Human reason is also involved in the fulfillment we find in certain skills. The accomplishment of becoming a good doctor or a good architect is a development of our mental capacity of reason. Even physical skills, such as carpentry, use the mind to realize how best to achieve their goals. Similarly, the challenge behind fishing is in part a mental exercise, and even the enjoyment of playing a game of baseball or football is not all physical ; we direct our bodies with the understanding we have in our minds, for which reason we don’t find animals playing games like baseball. In short, directing our actions through reason is itself a human fulfillment. We recognize a special accomplishment in using our understanding in order to achieve our goals, which is why we all naturally take pride and enjoyment in developing certain skills. To become good at something is profoundly satisfying. Unfortunately, many jobs in our society today are mindless and do little to fulfill human capacities. Someone on the factory line who drills the same screw thousands of times a day has thereby hardly developed his reasoning. These various mental achievements, then, are fittingly called virtues. Literally a virtue refers to a strength, and both knowledge and skills are strengths. More precisely, we have seen that a virtue is a strong disposition to act well. A good doctor certainly...