Love of Self and Love of God in Thirteenth-Century Ethics

Summary

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With the translation of Aristotle's Ethics into Latin at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the question of natural love encompassed philosophical themes, such as contemplation as the finis hominis, the proper object of contemplation, the dilemma of choosing the communal good over the individual good, and the primacy of the will or intellect. While many may argue that medieval moral theory is so greatly affected by theological concerns that it can never be considered an autonomous ethical philosophy, Osborne shows that many modern moral issues have equivalents in medieval thought.

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Extract

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Love of Self and Love of God in Thirteenth-Century Ethics

OSBORNE. Thomas M., Jr. Love of Self and Love of God in Thirteenth-Century Ethics. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2005. ix + 325 pp. Cloth. $60.00, paper, $30.00-The theme of this book is the medieval discussion of the question whether one can naturally love God more than one can love oneself. While this topic is certainly more appropriate to mo...

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