Newer Drafts by Peter Gruber
This draft was heavily researched but ultimately composed in haste. I hope to rework this at a la... more This draft was heavily researched but ultimately composed in haste. I hope to rework this at a later point to make the organization less formulaic. I also hope to add significant depth to the discussion of honor and shame. Until then, here it is.
Man is by his nature a social being. He does not exist in a vacuum; rather, he exists in relation... more Man is by his nature a social being. He does not exist in a vacuum; rather, he exists in relation to other individuals, to society, to the universe as a whole, and ultimately to God. His relations are governed by the virtue of justice, which is to give each his due. The most important implication of this is that man only has an obligation not only to pursue his own private good but the common good of the whole as well. Of his nature, man is ordered toward the common good; supernaturally, man is ordered toward communio with God and with others through the Church.
Older Drafts by Peter Gruber
When Henri de Lubac published Surnaturel in 1946, he ignited a debate that has left its mark at t... more When Henri de Lubac published Surnaturel in 1946, he ignited a debate that has left its mark at the intersection of philosophy and theology. Advancing a view of human nature as intrinsically ordered toward one final end in the beatific vision, de Lubac left behind distinctions that twentieth-century Neo-Scholastics saw as crucial to understanding human nature, such as “pure nature.” With the debate rekindled in recent years, contemporary critics of de Lubac advance a dynamic conception of a separate natural end within a strict duplex ordo of nature and grace. Both of these approaches explain the supernatural elevation of nature, albeit through different vehicles: de Lubac through the natural desire for the supernatural, and his critics though the Thomistic idea of ‘obediential potency.’ Their approaches differ primarily in their fundamental assumptions about human nature. These fundamental assumptions have ramifications in other fields. Bringing the debate to bear on other contemporary discussions, I assess the inviability of New Natural Law due to its rejection of a unified natural end, and instead propose a return to Thomistic Natural Law that has its basis in a robust understanding of human nature.
An underdeveloped exegetical/theological look at Ezekiel 43:1-7, completed for a Catholic seminar... more An underdeveloped exegetical/theological look at Ezekiel 43:1-7, completed for a Catholic seminary scripture class on the prophets.
Alfred J. Ayer"s presentation of logical positivism in Language, Truth, and Logic did not survive... more Alfred J. Ayer"s presentation of logical positivism in Language, Truth, and Logic did not survive the philosophical turmoil of the twentieth century, as the limits of linguistic analysis were illuminated by later philosophers in the analytic tradition. Ayer"s emotivist understanding of ethical theory similarly fell by the wayside, leaving behind traces in popular culture but ultimately failing as a philosophy. Alasdair MacIntyre, although he came on the scene too late to contribute directly to its demise, argues against the emotivism of the logical positivists and sets up a rival version of ethical theory in his seminal work, After Virtue. MacIntyre"s ability to rehabilitate the classical notion of virtue depends much on his ability to demonstrate the inadequacies and failings of other ethical theories. In this paper, I will examine how effectively MacIntyre"s critique of emotivism counters Ayer"s particular version.
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Newer Drafts by Peter Gruber
Older Drafts by Peter Gruber