The Harmony of Goodness: Mutuality and Moral Living According to John Duns Scotus

In The Harmony of Goodness, Mary Beth presents the ethical vision of John Duns Scotus (1265-1308) in an integrated manner, bringing together aspects of virtue, moral reasoning, free choice, rational judgment, and spirituality as parts of a whole human life. As Ingham writes, My own reading of Scotus has been informed by his concern to speak of the morally good act as a beautiful work of art, and of the moral agent as a formed artist. I examine the moral philosophy of John Duns Scotus as if it were a wind chime: composed of several independent elements, all interrelated in such a way that their mutual interaction produces the harmony which is goodness (Introduction, xiv). This work examines the ethical thought of Scotus according to his notion of mutuality or relationship. It is this basic concept, and not freedom, which offers a fruitful avenue for discovery of the contemporary relevance of this Franciscan philosopher-theologian. This study brings to light Scotus' integrated vision of human moral living.