Peripatetic-Scholastic Philosophy, Expressed from the Sources of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas and Adapted to the Education of Adolescents - Volume III - Michele De Maria

This third and final volume completes De Maria’s introductory course in Peripatetic-Scholastic philosophy, drawing together the moral and metaphysical foundations of the system as presented in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle.

The work focuses primarily on moral philosophy (ethics), presenting human action in relation to reason, will, and the attainment of the good. De Maria explains the structure of voluntary acts, moral responsibility, and the formation of virtue as stable dispositions that guide conduct toward rational order.

A central portion is devoted to the cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—presented as the principal habits that regulate human life. He also introduces the idea of natural law as the rational foundation of moral obligation, accessible to human reason and grounded in human nature itself.

The volume concludes with reflections on human happiness and the ultimate end of man, presenting fulfillment as the perfection of rational and moral life in accordance with truth and virtue.

Throughout, De Maria maintains a clear pedagogical structure, aiming to form disciplined moral reasoning in students while summarizing the essential elements of classical scholastic ethics in an accessible format.