ARTICLE 9

Whether virtues are acquired by acts.

1. Objections: It would seem that they are not.

 a. All virtue and grace is from God  obj. 1 to 7, 18.

 b. Virtue, of its very nature, cannot be

    from our acts.      obj. 8, 10, 12, 20 to 22

 c. Virtue is caused by an extrinsic agent obj. 9 and 21.

 d. Virtuous acts cannot cause virtuous

    habits        obj. 11, 13, 14, 17.

 e. Virtue is from nature     obj. 15 and 16.

2. On the contrary

 a. Virtue is destroyed by bad acts, and so

    can be caused by good acts    1 and 3.

 b. Virtue is caused by our acts   2.

3. Body

 a. The good for man,

  (1) as man: is that he know the truth and subject his lower appetites to his higher.

  (2) as a citizen,

   (a) of a natural society: is that he be duly ordered to the other citizens.

   (b) of a supernatural society: is that he be in the state of grace.

 b. The virtues of man's supernatural state cannot be acquired by our acts, but are infused by God. But man can, by his acts, acquire those virtues which do not exceed his nature.

 c. Virtues are acquired in the

  (1) intellect: by receiving intelligible species. Because our rational powers are objectively indetermined, they can acquire a habit to a determined object or mode of operation.

  (2) appetites: by an inclination towards a determined object, i.e., a disposition impressed on them by reason.