Abelard's Concept of Ethics (1)

In the history of moral theory in the Middle Age, the contribution of Thomas Aquinas is generally accepted. His theory of “habitus”, for example, opened up a perspective to understand moral dispositions of human beings in general, including virtue and vice, and even some theological concepts such as gift of the Holy Spirit. In developing his moral theory, Aquinas referred very often to the works of Aristotle, whether of ethical or another nature, which became gradually available for the preceeding 150 years. This fact would lead us to the conclusion that moral theory, or ethics, became only possible after that immense translation of the Aristotelian corpus. There was, however, an exception, namley, Ethics of Abelard. Abelard called ethics or moral philosophy “the end of all doctrines” or “the supreine philosophy”. He also identified ethics with “knowledge of natural law”. This concept of ethics or moral philosophy has its roots in the understanding of pagan philosophy in patristic literature, especially in Augustine's works, and in the concept of natural law in the biblical tradition, but Abelard has originality in accepting ethics or moral philosophy as his own, which had been understood as pagan. (to be continued)