Current and Past Research

Research Interests

My research interest focuses on the ethics of Thomas Aquinas. More generally, I am interested in ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics in the 13th/14th century philosophy.

Currently my work centers onpractical rationality in Thomas. In particular, my research concentrates on the notion of weakness of will, free decision, knowledge by connaturality, and prudence.

A further research interest regards 13th century commentaries on the Nicomachean Ethics.

Work in Progress

Under Contract

• Thomas Aquinas and the Nicomachean Ethics, co-edited with Jörn Müller and Matthias Perkams, to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2012. Contents:

Contents:

• Method and Structure in Aristotle's and in Aquinas's Ethics / Michael Pakaluk
• Happiness [EN 1; 10.6-8] / Jörn Müller
• Moral Virtue [EN 2] / Bonnie Kent
• Action Theory [EN 3.1-5] / Matthias Perkams
• Bravery and Counterfeit Virtues [EN 3.6-9] / Jennifer Herdt
• Temperance and Incontinence [EN 3.10-12; 7.1-10] / Martin Pickavé
• Homiletic Virtues [EN 4] / Kevin Flannery
• Justice [EN 5] / Jeffrey Hause
• Intellectual Virtues [EN 6] / Tobias Hoffmann
• Pleasure [EN 7.11-16; 10.1-5] / Kevin White
• Friendship [EN 8-9] / Marko Fuchs
• Aquinas's Contribution to the "Historical" Understanding of Aristotle / Terence Irwin
• Of Virtue: Thomistic Neo-Aristotelianism and Contemporary Virtue Ethics / Candace Vogler

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• A Companion to Angels and Medieval Philosophy, to be published by Brill in 2010.

Contents:

• Separate Substances and Angels in Neo-Platonism / Matthias Vorwerk
• Aquinas on the Demonstrability of Angels / Gregory Doolan
• Metaphysical Composition of Angels in Bonaventure, Aquinas and Godfrey of Fontaines / John Wippel
• The Individuation of Angels from Bonaventure to Duns Scotus / Giorgio Pini
• The Location of Angels / Christopher Martin
• Angelic Time and Motion: Thomas Aquinas to Duns Scotus / Richard Cross
• Angelic Cognition: Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas / Harm Goris
• Scotus on Angelic Cognition / Timothy Noone
• Angelic Language and Communication / Bernd Roling
• Augustine and Anselm on Angelic Sin / Peter King
• Voluntarists and Intellectualists on Angelic Sin / Tobias Hoffmann.

• Johannes Duns Scotus: Freiheit, Tugenden und Naturgesetz, to be published in the series Herders Bibliothek der Philosophie des Mittelalters, in 2011.

Translation to German of Quaestiones in Metaphysicam 9.15; Ordinatio 2.6.2 and 3.36–37

Other Work in Progress

• A monograph on Thomas’s ethics that focuses in particular on the unity of reason and affection.
  

Recently Completed Work

Two projects are on weakness of will have been brought to conclusion:

• A conference in Jena (Germany) in August 2004, which focuses on akrasia / incontinentia in Medieval Philosophy, organized in collaboration with Theo Kobusch (Bonn), Jörn Müller (Bonn), and Matthias Perkams (Jena). — Publication:

  Das Problem der Willensschwäche in der mittelalterlichen Philosophie / The Problem of Weakness of Will in Medieval Philosophy. Co-edited with Jörn Müller and Matthias Perkams. Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie médiévales Bibliotheca 8. Leuven, Paris, and Dudley, Mass.: Peeters, 2006. See TOC & abstracts.

• A Lecture Series at School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America, in which the problem of the Weakness of the Will was studied throughout the history of Western Philosophy. The Lecture Series took place in the Fall of 2004. — Publication:

  Weakness of Will from Plato to the Present. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy 50. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2008. See TOC.

Last updated: December 14, 2009