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Objection 1: It seems that flattery is not a sin. For flattery
consists in words of praise offered to another in order to please him.
But it is not a sin to praise a person, according to Prov.
31:28, "Her children rose up and called her blessed: her
husband, and he praised her." Moreover, there is no evil in wishing
to please others, according to 1 Cor. 10:33, "I . . . in
all things please all men." Therefore flattery is not a sin.
Objection 2: Further, evil is contrary to good, and blame to
praise. But it is not a sin to blame evil. Neither, then, is it a
sin to praise good, which seems to belong to flattery. Therefore
flattery is not a sin.
Objection 3: Further, detraction is contrary to flattery.
Wherefore Gregory says (Moral. xxii, 5) that detraction is a
remedy against flattery. "It must be observed," says he, "that by
the wonderful moderation of our Ruler, we are often allowed to be rent
by detractions but are uplifted by immoderate praise, so that whom the
voice of the flatterer upraises, the tongue of the detractor may
humble." But detraction is an evil, as stated above (Question
73, Articles 2,3). Therefore flattery is a good.
On the contrary, A gloss on Ezech. 13:18, "Woe to them that
sew cushions under every elbow," says, "that is to say, sweet
flattery." Therefore flattery is a sin.
I answer that, As stated above (Question 114, Article 1, ad
3), although the friendship of which we have been speaking, or
affability, intends chiefly the pleasure of those among whom one
lives, yet it does not fear to displease when it is a question of
obtaining a certain good, or of avoiding a certain evil.
Accordingly, if a man were to wish always to speak pleasantly to
others, he would exceed the mode of pleasing, and would therefore sin
by excess. If he do this with the mere intention of pleasing he is
said to be "complaisant," according to the Philosopher (Ethic.
iv, 6): whereas if he do it with the intention of making some gain
out of it, he is called a "flatterer" or "adulator." As a rule,
however, the term "flattery" is wont to be applied to all who wish to
exceed the mode of virtue in pleasing others by words or deeds in their
ordinary behavior towards their fellows.
Reply to Objection 1: One may praise a person both well and ill,
according as one observes or omits the due circumstances. For if while
observing other due circumstances one were to wish to please a person by
praising him, in order thereby to console him, or that he may strive
to make progress in good, this will belong to the aforesaid virtue of
friendship. But it would belong to flattery, if one wished to praise
a person for things in which he ought not to be praised; since perhaps
they are evil, according to Ps. 9:24, "The sinner is praised
in the desires of his soul"; or they may be uncertain, according to
Ecclus. 27:8, "Praise not a man before he speaketh," and
again (Ecclus. 11:2), "Praise not a man for his beauty"; or
because there may be fear lest human praise should incite him to
vainglory, wherefore it is written, (Ecclus. 11:30),
"Praise not any man before death." Again, in like manner it is
right to wish to please a man in order to foster charity, so that he
may make spiritual progress therein. But it would be sinful to wish to
please men for the sake of vainglory or gain, or to please them in
something evil, according to Ps. 52:6, "God hath scattered the
bones of them that please men," and according to the words of the
Apostle (Gal. 1:10), "If I yet pleased men, I should not
be the servant of Christ."
Reply to Objection 2: Even to blame evil is sinful, if due
circumstances be not observed; and so too is it to praise good.
Reply to Objection 3: Nothing hinders two vices being contrary to
one another. Wherefore even as detraction is evil, so is flattery,
which is contrary thereto as regards what is said, but not directly as
regards the end. Because flattery seeks to please the person
flattered, whereas the detractor seeks not the displeasure of the
person defamed, since at times he defames him in secret, but seeks
rather his defamation.
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