El signo y las virtudes de la fe, la esperanza y el amor. Un examen filosófico en diálogo con Tomás de Aquino y sus intérpretes

Abstract

The research project “The sign and the virtues of faith, hope and love. A philosophical examination in dialogue with Thomas Aquinas and his interpreters ”is the third stage of an ambitious project on the relationship between the sign and virtue considered both in its historical development and in its mature and finished expression in the work of Thomas Aquinas . The first part of this project focused on the intellectual virtues, and more specifically on prudence and its relationship with the moral virtues; The second part, currently under development, has been dealing with the relationship between the sign and Plato's fundamental virtues, with an emphasis on moderation and justice. The third part, which is the project that we now present to be developed in 2020, would explore the Greek and Jewish origin of the reflection on faith, hope and love, as virtues or essential dispositions for the formation and salvation of the individual, before having been considered as theological virtues by Thomas Aquinas. As in the project currently underway, they will be studied first in the Greek tradition, mainly in Plato and the Stoics, and then in that great meeting point with the Jewish tradition that is the work of Philo of Alexandria. From there, we will skip St. Paul and patristics (mainly Ambrose of Milan and Gregory the Great will be considered) and, finally, his formulation will be addressed at the very center of medieval theology, that is, in the work of Thomas Aquinas. In relation to the perspective adopted, the project considers the virtues - in this case, faith, hope and love - in the context of a broad and systematic reflection on the nature of the linguistic sign. Showing why this perspective is necessary will be one of the objectives of the project.