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The Thomistic Institute

Friendship for Young Adults: A Practical Thomistic Approach | Prof. John Cuddeback

The Thomistic Institute

The Thomistic Institute

Christianity, Society & Culture, Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Catholic, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Thomism, Catholicism

4.8729 Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2022

⏱️ 65 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This talk was given on December 10, 2021 at Ashland University. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: John A. Cuddeback, PhD, is professor of Philosophy at Christendom College, where he has taught for twenty-five years. He lectures widely on topics including virtue, fatherhood, friendship, and household, and his professional writings appear in various academic journals and books. His book True Friendship is being republished by Ignatius Press. His blogging at BaconFromAcorns and LifeCraft is renowned for applying an ancient wisdom to life today.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This talk is brought to you by the Thomistic Institute.

0:03.3

For more talks like this, visit us at tamisticinstitute.org.

0:10.5

I'll tell you just a word about my approach.

0:13.9

I count myself blessed, they've been trained, brought up in the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas.

0:26.1

And so I try to do philosophy like he did.

0:33.1

He very much was, you can say, in a tradition as regards philosophy that goes back to the Greeks.

0:41.5

And Socrates, Plato, Aristotle really stand out there. Christians have said pretty much all along,

0:49.9

and there seems to have been a great gift, as a word, divine dispensation, whereby there was a special insight, great success in using the light of natural reason, they're among those amazing

0:56.5

Athenians. And so they're, of course, the ones who coined the term philosophy. And so I try to

1:04.4

philosophize with their spirit, which I think Christianity then took up and is very much

1:09.9

exemplified in St. Thomas Aquinas.

1:12.5

How did they see wisdom? Pardon me, philosophy, the love of wisdom. And so I think it's important

1:20.8

to note one can do philosophy, one can study philosophy, and not necessarily do it with the same spirit as these men.

1:32.3

One can study it and take it as an area of expertise, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one is

1:37.5

pursuing wisdom. And so I just want to say that I try to see it as pursuing wisdom. It's about coming to know the truth.

1:48.9

I have confidence as they did that our reason can come to no fundamental truth. It still has to

1:54.7

be approached with great humility. And we always have to be very much aware, as you know,

1:58.9

Socrates made very clear of recognizing

2:01.1

what we don't know, but nonetheless, to move forward with confidence that we can see certain key

2:06.3

truths. When it comes to this astounding topic, I never tire of going back to it again and again,

2:12.0

again. Why? Fundamentally, most obviously, because it's changed my life. And I've been teaching these things

2:19.5

for, well, probably a little longer than you all have been alive. And I've seen it change people's

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