Living the Good Life presents a brief introduction to virtue and vice, self-control and weakness, misery and happiness.
Intended as a text for students, beginners of philosophy will gain access to a key aspect of Aquinas\'s thought, namely, that true happiness is realized not in the animal Life of passion and greed but only in the reasonable pursuit of human goods, in which we find true peace and rest from the distractions of this world..
Most important, the virtue of prudence directs our deliberations to discover the true path of life.
The intellectual virtues train the mind toward the truth, so that we can find fulfillment in human understanding.
The virtue of justice directs our hearts to the Good of others, freeing us from egoism in order to seek a Good shared with others.
The moral virtues train our various desires toward the true good, helping us discard our misguided cravings and teaching us to enjoy what is truly worth pursuing.
Jensen ably guides readers through Aquinas\'s philosophy and explains the distinction between the moral and intellectual virtues.
In the human struggle to gain self-mastery, a person must overcome the capricious desires that enslave him to false goods.
In an unhealthy life, emotional impulses distort the vision of reason, entrapping one in futile pursuits.
According to Aquinas, in a healthy ethical life, reason guides the emotions and will to the true human good.
Jensen investigates the interior workings of the human mind, revealing the interplay of reason, will, and emotions.
Following the Socratic dictum know thyself, Steven J.
The book contrasts the thought of Aquinas with popular views, such as moral relativism, values clarification, utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, and situation ethics.
Living the Good Life presents a brief introduction to virtue and vice, self-control and weakness, misery and happiness
