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On moral sainthood, and why it ain’t worth having
When I grew up as a Catholic in Rome, Italy, I was taught the notion that the most praiseworthy role models (other than Jesus, of course) are the saints. Saints are people who devote their entire existence to help others — think Francis of Assisi, or Mother Theresa (though there are doubts about the saintliness of the latter).
And yet there was always something manifestly unconvincing about the notion that we should aspire to the life of a saint. For one, it is psychologically entirely unattractive. Then again, it’s difficult to argue — once one takes on board certain unspoken philosophical assumptions — that saints aren’t praiseworthy. Indeed, as praiseworthy as they come.
I was finally able to put my finger exactly on what the problem is when I read one of the classics of modern philosophy: “Moral saints,” by Susan Wolf, published in 1982 in The Journal of Philosophy. Wolf’s lucid analysis makes the paper a good candidate for mandatory reading not just in college, but even in high school. A lot of people would be disabused of the notion of saint-as-role-model, and there would be a lot less moral guilt hanging around the planet. Let me explain.
Right at the beginning of the paper, Wolf gives us a clear definition of what she means by moral saint. She also tells us what her thesis is going to be:
