212. Cupidity as Root and Pride as Beginning of Sin

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Question 84: The Cause of Sin #

• Thomas examines how one sin can be the cause of another
• Three initial questions: whether cupidity is the root of all sins, whether pride is the beginning of every sin, and whether there are special capital vices beyond pride and avarice
• This leads to the enumeration of the seven capital vices

Cupidity as Root of All Sins #

• Definition of cupidity: Immoderate desire for wealth (as opposed to liberality, the virtue of proper use of money)
• Cupidity’s function: Provides the material faculty and universal means for perpetrating any sin
• Mechanism: Wealth is sought not as an end in itself, but as useful to every temporal end
• Key principle: “All things obey money” (Ecclesiastes) - money is the universal language enabling acquisition of means for any sinful desire
• Not the only root: Avarice arises from other sins (e.g., desiring money for ambition or to support gluttony), yet it remains the root “for the most part”

The Distinction from Virtue #

• Objection: If cupidity (desire of changeable good) is root of all sins, shouldn’t liberality (its opposed virtue) be root of all virtues?
• Response: Sin and virtue do not arise from the same source. Sin arises from desire of changeable goods; virtue arises from desire of unchangeable good (God)
• Charity as root of virtues: Charity (love of God) is the root of virtues, as stated in Ephesians 3: “rooted in charity and founded in charity” (radicated vs. founded - from nature vs. from art)

Wealth as Universal Enabler #

• Example: Wealthy businessman with multiple mansions can perpetrate any sin through possession of material means
• Wealth is instrumental to every temporal end, making it the most universally desirable good
• Because multiple goods can be acquired through money, money moves desire more than any particular good

Key Arguments #

Against Cupidity Being Root of All Sins #

Objection 1: Cupidity opposes liberality; liberality is not root of all virtues; therefore cupidity is not root of all sins

• Response: Different sources for sin and virtue (changeable vs. unchangeable goods)

Objection 2: Wealth is only useful (instrumental), not a final end; desire proceeds from desire of the end, not from desire of means

• Response: Cupidity is the root not because wealth is sought as ultimate end, but because it is useful to every temporal end; universal goods are more desirable than particular goods

Objection 3: Avarice often arises from other sins (ambition, gluttony) rather than being their source

• Response: In moral matters, we consider what happens “for the most part,” not what always happens. The will is not determined by necessity. Avarice is the root “for the most part” even if sometimes other evils give rise to it.

The Thomistic Nuance #

• Following the principle from natural philosophy: “not what always comes about, but what happens for the most part”
• Applied to morals: consider what is true “for the most part” since the will does not operate of necessity
• Therefore, avarice is root of every evil not because other evils never arise first, but because from it most frequently other evils arise

Important Definitions #

Cupidity (Cupiditas) #

• Narrow sense: Immoderate desire for wealth specifically; a special sin opposed to liberality
• Medium sense: Disordered desire for any temporal good; the genus of every sin
• Broad sense: General inclination of corrupt nature to desiring corruptible goods
• As root metaphor: Like a tree’s root drawing nourishment from earth, cupidity draws the whole tree of sin from love of temporal things

Changeable vs. Unchangeable Good #

• Changeable (commutable) good: Temporal, material goods that can be lost or transferred (wealth, property, sensible pleasures)
• Unchangeable (immutable) good: God, who is eternal and immutable; the proper object of virtue

Examples & Illustrations #

The Wealthy Businessman #

• Fabulously wealthy man with five mansions in different parts of the world
• Could acquire any temporal good through wealth
• Could commit any sin because money provided the faculty
• Clinton and Prince Andrew associated with him; eventually arrested for crimes involving teenage girls
• Illustrates: cupidity provides universal means for perpetrating every sin

Wealth Management Advertising #

• TV commercials promising to make wealth grow and protect existing wealth
• Illustrates the modern language around wealth as instrumental good
• “Manage your wealth” - wealth is tool for other ends, not ultimate end

High-Rise Manhattan Apartments #

• Prices constantly rising for luxury apartments
• Shows how wealth enables acquisition of ever more expensive goods
• Demonstrates money’s role in accessing temporal goods

The Ship Example #

• Student in California wanted to buy a ship to entertain friends on the Pacific
• Recognized he needed to make money first to achieve this goal
• Illustrates: wealth sought as means to temporal end (entertaining friends), not as end in itself

Wine Tasting #

• Berquist recounts wine tasting where he managed to secure good bottle (Château Gloria)
• Contrasts wines he cannot afford (Opus 1, $100+ bottles) with those he drinks
• Illustrates: one might desire money to buy expensive wines, showing cupidity arising from desire for luxury
• Shows cupidity as means to satisfy sensible appetite

Notable Quotes #

“The root of all evils is cupidity” (1 Timothy 6:10, Apostle Paul)

“All things obey money” (Ecclesiastes)

“Money speaks” - illustrating money as universal language

“For we see that through wealth a man acquires the faculty of perpetrating every sin whatsoever, and of fulfilling the desire of any sin”

“Not from the same arises virtue and sin, for sin arises from the desire of a changeable good… but virtue arises from the desire of an unchangeable good”

“Rooted in charity and founded in charity” (Ephesians 3) - showing charity as root of virtues

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Is cupidity the root of all sins? #

• Answer: Yes. Cupidity (disordered desire for wealth) is the root of all sins in the sense that wealth provides the material faculty for committing any sin. It is not because wealth is the ultimate end sought, but because wealth is instrumental to every temporal end. Money functions as the universal means for acquiring any temporal good that might be desired sinfully.

Q2: How does cupidity differ from virtue’s root? #

• Answer: Sin and virtue arise from opposite sources. Cupidity arises from desire of changeable goods (temporal things). Virtue, particularly charity, arises from desire of unchangeable good (God). Therefore, charity, which is love of God, is the root of all virtues, whereas cupidity is the root of all sins.

Q3: What about cases where other sins seem to cause avarice? #

• Answer: We must apply the principle that in moral matters, as in natural matters, we consider what happens “for the most part” rather than what always happens. While avarice sometimes arises from other sins (ambition, gluttony), it is still the root for the most part because other evils most frequently arise from it. The will is not determined by necessity.

Textual Issues #

• Student handout contains misprints: “utrum prefate potentiae” should be “predicte potentiae”
• The “utrum” (whether) heading is not part of Thomas’s original text but added by editors
• “Prefate” appears to refer to the preface/premium of the question
• Similar printing error in newspaper: “immorality of men” instead of “immortality of men” - changed the sense

Pedagogical Approach #

• Berquist emphasizes careful reading of Thomas’s actual text vs. editorial additions
• Uses concrete contemporary examples to illustrate abstract principles
• Explains the principle that moral considerations, like natural ones, deal with what happens “for the most part”
• Sets up the distinction between cupidity (root) and pride (beginning) that will be developed further