ABSTRACT
Beneath every educational activity lie distinct anthropological commitments, including the significance of the virtues for character formation. Virtue ethics has three main concepts: excellence or virtue, practical or moral wisdom, and happiness or flourishing. Wisdom is the intellectual virtue that perfects and completes virtues of character. Thomas offers a basic Christian anthropology – a conception of human nature which underpins moral virtue. Christian virtue ethics focuses on the overall purpose of life, namely to live well and, with God’s help, achieve excellence as a human person. The thought of Thomas was dominant in Catholic educational philosophy until the middle of the twentieth century. Character virtues aim first and foremost at the good of the community, which is served through reasonable virtuous activity.
