A FORTALEZA COMO FUNDAMENTO ÉTICO DO CUIDADO NA ANTROPOLOGIA DE TOMÁS DE AQUINO

This article addressed the theme of fortitude as an ethical foundation for the prac-tice of care based on the anthropology of Thomas Aquinas. The question thatguided the research was: how can care be ethically sustained in the face of vul-nerability, suffering, and fear that mark the human condition? The objective ofthe study was to demonstrate how the virtue of fortitude, in conjunction with pru-dence, grace, and other virtues, sought to offer solid criteria for persevering in thecare of oneself and others even in adverse contexts. The methodology adopted wastheoretical-bibliographic, analytical-interpretative in nature, based mainly on theSumma Theologiae, especially on issues related to habit, moral virtues, and for-titude, in dialogue with the ethics of care. As a result, it became evident thatfortitude, by ordering fear according to reason and sustaining the will in goodness,constitutes an indispensable element for a stable, rational, and truly human practiceof care, integrating vulnerability, moral responsibility, and charity.