Cambridge University Press Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good

Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Promise of the Common Good, first published in 2006, claims that contemporary theory and practice have much to gain from engaging Aquinas's normative concept of the common good and his way of reconciling religion, philosophy, and politics. Examining the relationship between personal and common goods, and the relation of virtue and law to both, Mary M. Keys shows why Aquinas should be read in addition to Aristotle on these perennial questions. She focuses on Aquinas's Commentaries as mediating statements between Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics and Aquinas's own Summa Theologiae, showing how this serves as the missing link for grasping Aquinas's understanding of Aristotle's thought. Keys argues provocatively that Aquinas's Christian faith opens up new panoramas and possibilities for philosophical inquiry and insights into ethics and politics. Her book shows how religious faith can assist sound philosophical inquiry into the foundation and proper purposes of society and politics. Review 'Key's book is valuable for two reasons. It makes visible and vivid the difference between the outlooks of Aquinas and Aristotle and it initiates a welcome dialogue between Aquinas and contemporary political philosophers on the relevance of the common good.' British Journal for the History of Philosophy Book Description This book, first published in 2006, shows how religious faith can assist philosophical inquiry in the purposes of society and politics. About the Author Mary M. Keys is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. She has received fellowships from the Erasmus Institute, University of Notre Dame, the Martin Marty Center for Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago, and the George Strake Foundation, among others. Her articles have appeared in American Journal of Political Science and History of Political Thought.