Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 55

Summary - Essay Example It is argued secondly that hope is caused by merits, and therefore doesn’t qualify as a virtue. However, Aquinas contends that the occurrence of hope in itself is not based on merits but instead on the desire for happiness, which is virtuous. The last stated problem with hope being a virtue is the imperfect nature of hope, explained as a wish for something that is lacking. Aquinas states that while the desire is imperfect, hope is perfection in that it is reflective of faith in God’s rule and influence. The second article questions if eternal happiness is indeed the object of hope. Objections include denial that humans need to hope for eternal happiness since it is a constant state of the soul, examples of hope being for things other than eternal happiness, and the suggestion that hope deals with many difficulties other than eternal happiness. The replies to these issues state that eternal happiness is veiled and thus not experienced as a constant state by humans, prayers should not be for things other than eternal happiness, and all other desires should seem small in comparison to eternal happiness. In article three, Aquinas discusses the possibility of one person wishing for the eternal happiness of another. He argues that this is not possible since hopes for another person are not acts of hope at all, but are instead acts of love. Article four investigates the lawfulness of being hopeful in another person. The author’s position is that hope may be placed in a person as long as it is not believed to be virtuous hope, which is reserved for God. Discussion of the fifth article is very similar to the first. In response to arguments against the nature of hope as a theological virtue, Aquinas relates several examples that are meant to relate hope as being divinely based regardless of its superficial appearance. The distinction of hope from other theological virtues is the topic of article six. It is suggested that this