Can knowledge qua knowledge be a virtue?

Abstract

Some theologians defined Paul's cognition during his trance as purely intellectual and unmatched by the same degree of love, contrasting it to another form of cognition, which engages the affective part of the soul. Chapter 6 examines this dichotomy, thereby examining the moral aspects of knowledge in scholastic society and thought. A comparative investigation of questions concerning the meritorious value of prophecy and other modes of knowledge reveals the formulation of a new concept of grace: grace of a type that does not make one worthy for salvation and may well reside in a sinner. The prominent examples of such grace were the pure intellectual talent of pagans or sinners and the charisma of gifted preachers. A dominant metaphor for sterile knowledge was of “remaining standing in the truth, without moving further to the good deed” (which is like knowing you must go the gym—but remaining on the sofa). These and related theoretical discussions lead to a discussion of charisma, ethic in the academic sphere, and the value of personal example in teaching within the newly-formed institution and to reflections about the internal search for truth and the external pressure on university members to supply for the needs of society—tensions which have been accompanying the academy ever since