With the fanfare of the Super-bowl comes the interesting question for us Catholics to think about. Is this virtuous or not? We shall not make a definitive judgement of the Super-bowl itself, but we shall lay out the principles for us to follow with regards to whether there is Virtue in Games. The principles espoused here shall be taken directly form St. Thomas and his Summa Theologica, namely the second section of the second part of the Summa Q 168 Article 2, found here. We shall answer it in the same way St Thomas approaches it. We shall give a few objections, answer the question in detail, then answer the objections one by one.
Whether there can be virtue in games?
Objection 1. Seems not, for St Ambrose says (De Office. 1 23) "Our Lord said: 'Woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep.' Wherefore I consider that all, and not only excessive, games should be avoided." Now something virtuous should not be avoided, therefore games are not virtuous.
Objection 2. "Virtue is that which God forms in us, without us," and Chrysostom says [Hom. vi in Matth.]: "It is not God, but the devil, that is the author of fun. Listen to what happened to those who played: 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.'" Therefore there can be no virtue about games.
Objection 3. Aristotle says (Ethic. x, 6) that "playful actions are not directed to something else." (the only end is the fun itself. Ed.) But it is a necessary for virtue that the person in choosing should "direct his action to something else," as the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 4). Therefore there can be no virtue about games.
BUT
St. Augustine says (Music. ii, 15): "I pray thee, spare thyself at times: for it becomes a wise man sometimes to relax the high pressure of his attention to wo
Whether there can be virtue in games?
Objection 1. Seems not, for St Ambrose says (De Office. 1 23) "Our Lord said: 'Woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep.' Wherefore I consider that all, and not only excessive, games should be avoided." Now something virtuous should not be avoided, therefore games are not virtuous.
Objection 2. "Virtue is that which God forms in us, without us," and Chrysostom says [Hom. vi in Matth.]: "It is not God, but the devil, that is the author of fun. Listen to what happened to those who played: 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.'" Therefore there can be no virtue about games.
Objection 3. Aristotle says (Ethic. x, 6) that "playful actions are not directed to something else." (the only end is the fun itself. Ed.) But it is a necessary for virtue that the person in choosing should "direct his action to something else," as the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 4). Therefore there can be no virtue about games.
BUT
St. Augustine says (Music. ii, 15): "I pray thee, spare thyself at times: for it becomes a wise man sometimes to relax the high pressure of his attention to wo