This dissertation develops and applies this causal method, both as a means of interpreting Thomas' account of temperance, and as a tool for constructing a theory of temperance for today. Temperance, I claim, is a disposition that develops through both discipline and grace; it can be defined as the modulation of attraction for the sake of right relationship . For Thomas, this virtue takes on different forms when applied to different spheres of life, such as food, drink, sex, but also the desire for knowledge, the regulation of material possessions, or even play. Today, temperance is especially required in the use of energy resources, the consumption of products, and the use of contemporary media. Temperance does not repress desire, but forms and redirects it, placing it at the service of right relationship to oneself, others, the earth and God. It does limit and restrain desire, but always for the sake of deeper and more meaningful goods. Temperance therefore modulates harmoniously between the restraint and the redirection of desire, the fast and the feast.
Temperance is often misunderstood as proposing a purely negative ideal of repression and constraint. The dissertation claims that, on the contrary, temperance is a positive and attractive virtue, and one that is urgently needed in our consumer society.