Ever wondered why some friendships last a lifetime while others fade away?

Dive into Aristotle's timeless wisdom on the three levels of friendship – utility, pleasure, and virtue – and discover how these connections shape our lives and happiness. Friendships of utility are formed when people derive some benefit from each other.

Aristotle explains, "Those who love each other for their utility do not love each other for themselves but in virtue of some good which they get from each other".

These relationships are often transient, lasting only as long as the mutual benefit exists.

For example, business partnerships or neighbours who trade favours might fall into this category.

It is only when one grows older and more mature that one can truly appreciate the classics.

Last night, I finished re-reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations for the first time.

Here are the greatest insights from one of the most important philosophical texts in Western history. Love of family, love of truth, love of justice.

– Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Meditations)

What is the best form of government?

A monarchy, an aristocracy, a democracy, or something in between?

In this thread, we'll explore St Thomas Aquinas' view on the ideal form of government, and why this medieval thinker's political philosophy still resonates with us today. St Thomas Aquinas believed that in theory, monarchy was the best form of government.

In De Regno, he argues that unity and peace are best achieved under the rule of one person (hereditary or elected), comparing it to how God rules the universe or how the soul governs the body.

He states, "If to provide itself with a king belong to the right of any multitude, it is not unjust that the king set up by that multitude be destroyed or his power restricted, if he tyrannically abuse the royal power".

St Thomas Aquinas on matters relating to foreigners.

Man's relations with foreigners are twofold: peaceful, and hostile: and in directing both kinds of relation the Law contained suitable precepts. The Israelites offered three opportunities of peaceful relations with foreigners.

First, when foreigners passed through their land as travellers. Secondly, when they came to dwell in their land as newcomers. And in both these respects the Law made kind provision in its precepts. Thirdly, when any foreigners wished to be admitted entirely to their fellowship and mode of worship.

What if the secret to eternal happiness was found in three simple yet profound virtues?

In this thread, I’ll explain the transformative power of the three theological virtues, and how these can improve your relationship with God and your neighbour. Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and all that He has revealed to us through scripture and tradition. It is also a commitment to living according to His will.

Faith allows us to assent to divine truths, even when they surpass our human understanding.

Are you striving to live a good and virtuous life, but struggle to find the right balance?

In this thread, I’ll explain Aristotle's Golden Mean, where true virtue lies not in extremes but in the delicate balance between excess and deficiency. Aristotle maintains that the virtues exist in the Golden Mean (or middle) between two vices of excess (too much) and deficiency (too little).

For example; courage is a virtue, but excessive courage is a vice (recklessness), and the deficiency of courage is also a vice (cowardice).

Have you ever wondered why Catholic and Orthodox Christians venerate saints while claiming to worship only one God?

In this thread, I’ll explain the hierarchy of honours, and how the distinctions between dulia, hyperdulia, and latria help us understand Christian theology. Dulia is the veneration or honour given to the saints, recognising them as servants of God and worthy of imitation on account of their heroic virtue.

It involves personal or public devotions, praying for their intercession (assistance), and honouring their relics or shrines.

Within the Western tradition, there are four distinct forms of love.

In this thread, we examine storge, philia, eros, and agape love, and how these distinctions help us understand the Greatest Commandment within the Old and New Testaments. The first and lowest form of love is storge. This is a love characterised by a natural bond of affection wherein one becomes accustomed to another's presence.

Aristotle believed that in order to live a good life, one must live virtuously.

In this thread, we investigate the four cardinal virtues which serve as the foundation of Western ethics, philosophy, and moral theology. Prudence (phronesis) or practical wisdom is the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on reason and experience. It also enables an individual to discern the right course of action in a given situation in accordance with one's state in life.

In Christian theology, there are four types of laws that are integral to understanding our religious and moral obligations.

What are these laws, and what authority do they have when making ethical decision? Eternal law is the overarching order established by God's wisdom. Eternal Law is the ultimate source of all other laws, reflecting God's plan for creation.

Eternal Law is immutable and applies universally to all, directing them towards their ultimate end.

We have a moral obligation to follow just laws.

However, in order for a law to be just, it must fulfil the following conditions: In order for a law to be just, it must be an ordinance of reason, formulated by legitimate authority, for the common good of the community which it governs.

I just finished reading Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

Here are my 9 favourite quotes from this literary masterpiece. Here one must leave behind all hesitation,
Here every cowardice must meet its death.

– Dante Alighieri (Inferno, Canto III)

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are divine endowments that perfect the virtues of believers, making individuals more receptive to God's guidance and enabling them to live a life in accordance with His will.

These gifts help Christians grow in holiness, strengthen their faith, and allow them to overcome life's challenges. Wisdom allows us to see things from God's perspective in order to recognise the true value of people, events, and things within salvation history. It helps us prioritise and make decisions that align with Divine Providence.

Aristotle's cardinal virtues have profoundly impacted the development of Western philosophy, ethics, and theology.

By cultivating the virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, Aristotle maintained that individuals could achieve happiness or human flourishing (eudaimonia), which he considered the highest good or purpose (telos) of one's existence. The virtue of prudence (phronesis) or practical wisdom involves the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on reason and experience. It also enables an individual to discern the right course of action in a given situation in accordance with one's state in life.

"Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do."

Within the Christian tradition, the Seven Deadly Sins are a classification of vices that are considered particularly destructive to one's spiritual growth. Pride is considered the most egregious of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is an unwillingness to live in accordance with the truth, an inordinate desire for excellence or glory beyond one’s state in life, and judging oneself greater than one is.

"Pride goeth before destruction." – Proverbs VI.18

Here are my 15 favourite quotes from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s magnum opus, The Brothers Karamazov. The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.

I just finished rewatching Game of Thrones for the first time since the season finale in 2019.

As one of the many people who read A Song of Ice and Fire before the HBO series, I instantly fell in love. Although many of us were heartbroken when the series ended, watching it for a second time all these years later made me appreciate it all the more.

Below are 24 of my favourite quotes from the novel and series that defined a generation. 1. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.

– Eddard Stark