Sin: A Thomistic Psychology

by Steven J. Jensen

Publisher:

Catholic University of America

, 2018

Overview

If the human soul is made for good, then how do we choose evil? On the other hand, perhaps the human soul is not made for good. Perhaps the magnitude of human depravity reveals that the human soul may directly choose evil. Notably, Thomas Aquinas rejects this explanation for the prevalence of human sin. He insists that in all our desires we seek what is good. How, then, do we choose evil? Only by mistaking evil for good. This solution to the difficulty, however, leads Aquinas into another conundrum. How can we be held responsible for sins committed under a misunderstanding of the good? The sinner, it seems, has simply made an intellectual blunder. Sin has become an intellectual defect rather than a depravity of will and desire. Sin: A Thomistic Psychology grapples with these difficulties. A solution to the problem must address a host of issues. Does the ultimate good after which we all strive have unity, or is it simply a collection of basic goods? What is venial sin? What momentous choice must a child make in his first moral act? In what way do passion, a habitually evil will, and ignorance cause human beings to sin? What is the first cause of moral evil? Do human beings have free will to determine themselves to particular actions? The discussion of these topics focuses upon the interplay of reason, will, and the emotions, examining the inner workings of our moral deliberations. Ultimately, the book reveals how the failure to maintain balance in our deliberations subverts our fidelity to the one true good.

Key Features

• Focuses upon the interplay of reason, will, and the emotions.
• Explains our desires seek what is good and sometimes mistaking evil for good.
• Shows sin has become more than an intellectual defect.

Praise for the Print Edition

Jensen helps us to get the root of sin and its causes - ignorance, passion, and an evil will - as well as to understand how our lives should be ordered to God

--Denver Catholic

Jensen has established himself as an important voice among con-temporary Thomists, and this is yet another fine book of careful reasoning and engagement with a wide array of scholars. And, thinking now of this book’s suitability for research and classroom use, this is the rare work of contemporary scholarship that both advances our understanding of the thinker as well as the topic at hand and holds a place in an intermediate or advanced undergraduate class. As readers of his The Good Life know, Jensen is a teacher first and foremost, and even in books like this one, where he is directly engaged with other scholars, he never loses sight of those students who are thinking on these things for the first time.

--Journal of Moral Theology

Steven Jensen is a superb, careful reader of Thomas Aquinas. He demonstrates command of the breadth of the Thomistic corpus, interprets well those texts he deploys, and is immersed in contemporary scholarship on the matters at hand. His line of argumentation is airtight. An outstanding piece of scholarship.

--William C. Mattison III, University of Notre Dame

Product Details

• Title: Sin: A Thomistic Psychology
• Author: Steven J. Jensen
• Publisher: Catholic University of America
• Print Publication Date: 2018
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 306
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?-1274; Sin › Christianity--History of doctrines--Middle Ages, 600-1500; Good and evil › History of doctrines--Middle Ages, 600-1500
• Resource ID: LLS:SNTHMSTPSYCHLGY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-11-08T21:16:39Z

About Steven J. Jensen

Steven J. Jensen areas of research include ethics, medieval philosophy, Thomas Aquinas, action theory, biomedical ethics, natural law, and human dignity. He can speak on philosophy, biomedical ethics, faith and reason, logic and Thomistic ethics.