Sed Contra: A Podcast of Catholic Theology Quodlibet 21: Are Magnanimity and Humility Opposed?
Mar 5, 2026
A lively debate on whether magnanimity and humility can coexist and how Aquinas locates humility as right self-recognition. A clear distinction between intellectus and mens, plus a contrast of passive understanding with discursive reason. A frank discussion of original sin, its justice, and theological responses for unbaptized infants. Notes on academic life and building small Catholic intellectual communities.
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Snowed In Family Logistics
- Matthew describes being snowed in and walking to fetch his car to help his pregnant wife and toddlers through snowdrifts.
- The story highlights practical winter logistics and family effort during a snow emergency route in Baltimore.
Mens Versus Intellectus Distinction
- Mens is an Augustinian, broader term that covers the mind including intellect and will.
- Matthew Duganzik explains intellectus is narrower for Aquinas: the passive faculty of understanding, distinct from active ratio (reason).
Why Intellectus Makes Knowledge Real
- Aquinas treats intellectus as passive reception of truth, securing epistemological realism.
- Matthew contrasts this with Kant/Plato where the mind projects or recollects truth, which risks subjectivizing truth claims.