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REDISCOVERY OF THE CONCEPT OF TOLERANCE IN THOMAS AQUINAS ON THE BACKGROUND OF THESIS ABOUT THE CONNECTION OF VIRTUES
Abstract
A person who can be, in fact, indifferent to the values is often termed as to be tolerant. In contrast, Thomas Aquinas was on the opinion that every moral act, including the act of tolerance, rises from virtuous dispositions, and thus from internalized values. The aim of this paper is to discover and emphasize the importance of the thesis about the connection of virtues for proper understanding of the concept of tolerance in Thomas Aquinas. All virtues are connected on the natural plane in the prudence and through prudence with the other moral virtues and on the supernatural plane in the charity. Methodologically, we proceeded from the exploration of Summa Theologica articles dealing with the analysis of the notion tolerantia and its synonyms, and with the individual cases of tolerance (particularly tolerance of the Jews and unbelievers' rites, heretics and prostitutes). We have found the connection of tolerance with prudence in Thomas' designation of right reason (recta ratio) of tolerance in preventing a greater evil by bearing (tolerating) a lesser one. We have identified the connection of tolerance with charity in the effort to bring a brother acting detrimentally for common good back to the community of believers. We found out that the tolerance in Thomas Aquinas is unthinkable without the prudence, determining the right reason in matters of action, which is in avoiding the disorder, turmoil, scandal or disruption in community, and without the justice intending the common good. The connection of tolerance with the fortitude is in the right disposition of human passion of sorrow. The duty of Christian charity in relation to tolerance is not only to motivate the tolerant attitude, but also to try to turn the disruptors of peace away from doing evil. The idea that the external attitude of tolerance has to proceed from the values internalized in the reason, will and affection is also a topical issue nowadays.
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