Fr. Jaime Luciano Balmes - The Art of Thinking Well (1882), p. 118-119: Chapter VII - Logic in Accord with Charity

I. Wisdom of the law prohibiting rash judgments.

The Christian law which prohibits rash judgments is not only a law of charity, but of prudence and sound logic. Nothing more dangerous than to judge of an action, and above all of an intention, from mere appearances.

The ordinary course of things is so loaded with complicated events, men find themselves in such varied circumstances, they act from so different motives, they see objects with eyes so distinct, that we often regard as a whim or caprice, what we find, when examined closely and in presence of the circumstances, the most simple and natural thing in the world.

II. Examination of the maxim: "Think ill and you'll not be far astray".

The world thinks it gives an important rule of conduct when it says, "Think ill, and you'll not be far astray", and imagines it has thus emended the gospel morality.

"Don't be too candid" we are constantly told; "don't trust to words; men are very wicked; love comes from the hand, not from the lip"; as if the Gospel taught us to be imprudent and fools! as if Jesus Christ, when he told us to be simple as the dove, did not also advise us to be prudent as the serpent! as if He did not warn us not to trust every spirit, and to judge the tree by the fruit and finally as if, apropos of the malice of men, he did not read in the first pages of Sacred Scripture, that man is inclined to evil from his youth!

The pernicious maxim, which proposes nothing less than to secure freedom from error through malignity of judgment, is as contrary to sound reason as it is to Christian charity.

In fact, experience tells us that the greatest liar utters much more truths than lies, and the worst wretch does more good actions than indifferent or bad ones. Man naturally loves the truth, and that which is goody and withdraws from them only when his passions drag him away.

The liar lies when an occasion presents itself, when he thinks he can forward his interests, or flatter his foolish vanity; but outside these cases, he naturally tells the truth, and talks like other men. The thief steals, the roue commits debauchery, the quarrelsome fight, when the opportunity offers and their passion stimulates them.

If they were constantly abandoned to their evil inclinations they would be real monsters, their crime would degenerate into madness, and then public decorum and the good order of society would imperiously demand, that they should be separated from intercourse with their fellow-men.

We may infer from these observations, that to judge ill without due foundation, and to take malignity as the guarantee of success, is just as irrational as to assert that, given an urn with very many white balls and very few black ones, the probabilities are in favour of the black ones being drawn before the white.

"Scotus says a person denying [the principle of non-contradiction] ought to be soundly beaten with clubs. If he complains he is being injured, the response should be that he is not being injured until he concedes these two things, to be injured and not to be injured, cannot be true and false simultaneously." - Johann Scherzer, Axiomata Resoluta (Title 1, p. 45)

Ecclesiastes 2

So I said in my heart: “I will rejoice and enjoy pleasures and benefit from what is good.” But I realized that this, too, was vanity.

Themistocles, Lucullus, and many others eventually gave themselves over to pleasures, wearied by countless futile disputes and the ingratitude of men. Thus, men swing from one extreme to another, from toil to extravagant pleasures. This way of seeking tranquility is also called vanity here; it is not a reproach of things. On the contrary, God Himself, in His immense goodness, created this life with many delightful pleasures. We ought to enjoy food, drink, and other divinely provided blessings according to divine order, with invocation and thanksgiving. But vanity lies in seeking satisfaction in these things when true satisfaction is found in God. 

Moreover, many pains are mixed with these pleasures, as is expressed in various lamentations. Ovid says: “No pleasure is pure until some worry intervenes amidst the joys.” And Plautus remarks: “There is something so small among life’s pleasures that it is unpleasant.” Likewise, sorrow is the companion of satisfaction. Here, he says: “I realized that laughter is foolishness,” meaning that bodily pleasures are neither enduring nor complete. This statement is not far-fetched, but it indicates that men cannot find fulfillment in bodily pleasures, nor should they be discouraged to the point of turning away from God when pleasures are hindered or withdrawn. As mentioned earlier, we should not abandon God because of sad events or confusion in governance. Rather, we must fully obey God and await good things from Him.

Melanchthon , Philipp . Commentary on Ecclesiastes (Philipp Melanchthon Biblical Commentaries Book 4) (p. 29). Repositório Cristão. Kindle Edition.

This is followed by a lament about another adjacent pleasure, namely, grandeur and splendor in life and curiosity in the pursuit of many things. For this desire is no minor torment, since, beyond the necessities, with great effort and much labor, men pursue what is unnecessary.

He adds other pursuits, such as diligently increasing domestic affairs, which are sometimes futile and often harmful to large inheritances. Concerning all these things—pursuit of knowledge, wealth, as previously mentioned—he warns that good things are important and that we must serve our calling, learn what is necessary, and take care of family matters, but we must not think that tranquility can be found in these pursuits. Many futile tasks arise, and many errors occur. We should not consume ourselves with anxiety and sadness when the outcomes do not align with our efforts or expectations but should patiently accept God’s will and do what is necessary. 

This conclusion is presented in the text itself, saying that tranquility is in God’s hands. He gives wisdom and joy to the man who pleases Him and affliction to the sinner. Therefore, he does not reproach things or the pursuit of knowledge but desires that we obey our calling and find rest in God. Whether our efforts succeed or fail, we must not neglect our vocations, nor should we become irritated with God if we do not achieve equal success. We must not neglect necessary studies, even if we cannot learn everything, for knowledge does not prevent death or many other miseries. As he says here, “The wise man dies just like the ignorant.” He recounts what we see happening before our eyes and does not want our calling to be neglected because of these events. Aristotle was wise and died in exile. It is said that he died of grief because he could not resolve the ebb and flow of the Euripus.

Therefore, everything must be referred to the oft-repeated rule: we must use things as they were ordained, serve in political administration, attend to family affairs, learn what is necessary, and acknowledge God, who has ordered all these things, giving thanks for all these gifts. If something happens differently, we must patiently endure His will and find rest in Him, as has often been said: “Submit to God and pray to Him.”

Melanchthon , Philipp . Commentary on Ecclesiastes (Philipp Melanchthon Biblical Commentaries Book 4) (p. 31). Repositório Cristão. Kindle Edition.

St. Thomas Aquinas’s Works in English

https://isidore.co/aquinas/

TikTok Channel for Theology and Philosophy

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMSGDD9Kj/

“In true liberal education... the essential activity of the student is to relate the facts learned into a unified, organic whole, to assimilate them as...the rose assimilates food from the soil and increases in size, vitality, and beauty.”

The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric

William Shakespeare: The Complete Plays

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/19bde485-a9c1-4809-8884-e872b2b67b44

The life of study is austere and imposes grave obligations. It pays, it pays richly; but it exacts an initial outlay that few are capable of. The athletes of the mind, like those of the playing field, must be prepared for privations, long training, a sometimes superhuman tenacity. We must give ourselves from the heart, if truth is to give itself to us. Truth serves only its slaves.

Sertillanges, A.D.. THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE, Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods - Sertillanges (p. 7). Lebooks Editora. Kindle Edition.

Why I don't take atheists and skeptics seriously(Part I):

Syllogism 1 – On Logic and Philosophy

Major premise: Anyone who dismisses a system as “illogical” must first understand its best logical and philosophical arguments.

Minor premise: Many modern skeptics dismiss Christianity without studying its historic theologians and philosophers (e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Anselm and post Reformation scholastics) who rigorously applied logic, philosophy, and multiple languages.

Conclusion: Many modern skeptics dismiss Christianity’s logic without understanding it, which is itself illogical.

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Syllogism 2 – On Intellectual Tradition

Major premise: An intellectually shallow tradition cannot produce centuries of profound philosophical, theological, and scientific works.

Minor premise: Christianity has produced such works across history, influencing law, ethics, literature, science, and politics.

Conclusion: Therefore, Christianity is not intellectually shallow, making the “anti-intellectual” accusation historically ignorant.


Syllogism 3 – On Skeptical Irony

Major premise: Rejecting a tradition without studying it is an act of ignorance.

Minor premise: Modern atheists often reject Christianity without engaging its deep intellectual tradition.

Conclusion: Therefore, modern atheists sometimes reject Christianity on the very grounds (ignorance) they accuse Christians of.

Scheibler, Christoph. Work of Logic in Four Parts

"Philosophy is the knowledge of existing things as they are, that is, of their nature. Philosophy is the knowledge of things both divine and human, that is, of visible and invisible things. Philosophy is the meditation on natural death. For life is twofold: the natural, according to which we live; and the elective, by which we more intensely affect and strive to retain the present life. For death is twofold: the natural, which is the separation of the soul from the body; and the elective, by which we scorn the present life for the future one to which we are redeemed. Philosophy, item, is to be made like God, which happens, both through wisdom, that is, the true knowledge of the good, and through justice, which equitably gives to each his own, and
does not judge out of respect for persons; and then finally through sanctity, which exceeds justice. For it is characteristic of the good to do good to those in whom it resides.

Philosophy, moreover, is the art of arts, and the science of sciences: for Philosophy is the mother of every art. Some, however, distinguish art from science in this way, that the latter is more certain than the former, and while the former sometimes errs, the latter never does. Others, indeed, distinguish them such that art is whatever is carried out by the ministry of the hands; while Science is truly every rational art. Namely, Grammar, Rhetoric, and the like. Philosophy, finally, is the love of wisdom: but God is true wisdom. Therefore, the love for God is, in the end, true Philosophy

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