Philosophy Seminar Series: Caroline Wall: Passive Virtues in America

Aquinas recognizes a distinction between the "natural" virtues of man, those which have their beginnings in man's rational nature and are in his power to realize, and another set of virtues—faith, hope, charity—which rely on a "passive principle" to be acquired, and which make man suitable as a citizen of "God's household" and a recipient of "heavenly bliss." In 1899, Pope Leo XIII reiterated the human need for these passive, "angelical" virtues, and identified overreliance on the natural virtues and the role of liberty in allowing man to perfect himself as heretical. The name he chose for this heresy was "Americanism." I will make the case not only that the concept of a "passive virtue" is coherent, but also that American moral philosophy has been an outspoken advocate on its behalf. I will talk about the role of "receptivity" in American transcendentalism, and then discuss grace and tolerance as two passive virtues that have found footing in America.