Aquinas on Connaturality and Education

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Connatural knowledge is knowledge readily acquired by beings possessing a certain nature. For instance, dogs have knowledge of a scent-world exceeding that of human beings, not because humans lack noses, but because dogs are by nature better suited to process olfaction. As various ethicists have argued, possession of the virtues involves a sort of connatural knowing. Here, connatural knowledge emerges as a knowledge by inclination which systematically tracks the specific moral interests we humans possess precisely because we are human. In this essay we explore the importance of connaturality for moral education.

Keywords

Eastern philosophy, Education, Ethics, St. Thomas, Thomas Aquinas, Oriental civilization

Discipline

Philosophy

Research Areas

Humanities

Publication

Aquinas, Education and the East

Volume

4

Editor

T. Brian Mooney, and Alan Tapper

First Page

27

Last Page

45

ISBN

9789400752610

Identifier

10.1007/978-94-007-5261-0_3

Publisher

Springer

City or Country

Dordrecht

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5261-0_3

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