METAPHYSICS AND ETHICS: THE CLASSICAL TRADITION OF CATHOLIC MORAL THEOLOGY

Catalog description

This course explores certain metaphysical foundations necessary for understanding the classical tradition of Catholic moral theology. Drawing upon Aristotle’s works, we will discuss such themes as the four causes, hylomorphism, and a unified teleology. Turning to Aquinas’s theological development of these themes, we will explore human personhood in light of the doctrine of creation and its metaphysical implications. The last section of the course will treat eternal and natural law as well as man’s creation in grace and man’s twofold motion toward the final, supernatural, beatific end.