Original title:  The Modification of Human Acts by Habits in the Thought of Francisco Suárez
Authors: KEATLEY, Joshua Thomas
Document type: Doctoral theses
Year: 2026
Language: eng
Abstract: This dissertation investigations Francisco Suárez's theory of habits as principles of human acts, building on recent scholarship on the 16th century Jesuit's action theory and ethics. The study investigates the systematic connections between Suárez's ontology, philosophical psychology, and ethics. Suárez defines habit as a permanent quality that aids and facilitates operation, distinguishing it from powers and acts. Habits are causally powerful, telically-oriented particulars that modify human powers, create action loops, and enhance agential control. The thesis examines how habits, as virtues and vices, affect moral freedom and the interaction between intellect and will. The work attempts to situate Suárez's work within the scholastic tradition, especially his via media between Aquinas and Scotus. It deals with questions about the existence, causality, and axiological status of habits, a key theme being the tension between rational self-perfection and libertarian self-determination. Key areas of focus include the place of habits in the framework of Suárez's Disputationes Metaphysicae, the causal profile of habits, and their implications for virtue ethics. The study also seeks to elucidate how Suárez derives his ethical framework from an ontology of dispositional properties, contributing to a deeper understanding of human freedom and moral psychology.
Keywords: Action Theory; Francisco Suárez; Habi; Second Scholasticism; Virtue Ethics
Citation: KEATLEY, Joshua Thomas.  The Modification of Human Acts by Habits in the Thought of Francisco Suárez. České Budějovice, 2026. disertační práce (Ph.D.). JIHOČESKÁ UNIVERZITA V ČESKÝCH BUDĚJOVICÍCH. Teologická fakulta

Institution: University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available in the Digital Repository of University of South Bohemia.
Original record: http://www.jcu.cz/vskp/82137

Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-778780


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Universities and colleges > Public universities > University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Academic theses (ETDs) > Doctoral theses