How Opposites (Should) Attract: Humility as a Virtue for the Strong

This article first examines pervasive present‐day attitudes toward humility (‘ T he C ontemporary D istaste for H umility’) before turning to T homas A quinas and Z hu X i for their more positive treatments of this disposition (‘ T homas A quinas and Z hu X i on H umility’). It then considers their ideas about how humility is related to our human limitations (‘ H umility G rounded in O ur F inite N ature and K nowledge’), before surveying how they think it should be expressed in our relationships with our neighbours (‘ H umility in C ommunity’). The article looks at what T homas and Z hu have to say about excessive pride in rulers (‘ H umility and A uthority’) before closing in the C onclusion with some thoughts about the viability of humility as a virtue for the strong, and its especial importance in contemporary politics.