The Root of Friendship: Self-Love and Self-Governance in Aquinas

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This book owes its existence to the generous support of many individuals . As a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville and especially through the instruction and research of John Crosby, I became convinced of the importance of the notion of subjectivity for an adequate account of the human person. Many years later, conversations on the importance of subjectivity for modern and contemporary thought with my colleagues, Msgr. Gregory Schlesselmann and Vincent Wargo, at Cardinal Muench Seminary prompted my research into Aquinas’s notion of self-love. This research and continued conversations with John Crosby led to my contention that Aquinas’s understanding of self-love constitutes an account of subjectivity . The American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly published my essay “Aquinas on Subjectivity: A Response to Crosby,” which contained the essential argument for this position. While coming to see many inadequacies in the details of that argument (addressed in chapter 1), I continue to affirm that Aquinas’s notion of self-love includes in a very fundamental manner a description of subjectivity. Under the direction of Linda Zagzebski, my dissertation at the University of Oklahoma addressed Aquinas’s arguments on selfgovernance . Continued thought and research on Aquinas’s views on self-love after the publication of the article named above allowed ix g x Acknowledgments me to see the profound connections between his account of selflove and self-governance. I began work on a manuscript addressing these connections, which ultimately culminated in this book. I wish to thank all of the reviewers at the Catholic University of America Press, with a special mention given to Rose Mary Hayden Lemmons and Matthew Levering, for their insightful comments and suggestions for improvement. Connected to the above was the work of acquisitions editor James Kruggel, to whom I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude, and the other editorial support received, particularly the efforts of Theresa Walker and Philip Holthaus Thanks to Linda Zagzebski for her continued support and encouragement for both this project and my career in general. Dennis Cooley deserves special mention for his persistent exhortations to keep writing. For various editorial and other forms of support, I thank Carol Andreini, Brad Benton, Cheryl Flood, J. T. Kennelly, Angela Smith, and John White. Finally, to my wife, Dorothy, I extend my thanks both for the patience and understanding shown to me throughout the writing process, especially during the obstacles experienced along the way, and for her continued loving support. ...