Fear of Freedom and Moral Responsibility: Ethics, Conscience, and the Figure of the “Nécias” in António Vieira’s Sermão de Santa Teresa

António Vieira, Baroque Thought, Conformity, Conscience, Ethical Inaction, Freedom, Humanistic Morality, Moral Agency, Religious Critique, Responsibility, Sermão de Santa Teresa 0 comments

A parable scene

AI-generated illustration by Prof. Jonathan Acuña Solano in March 2026

Introductory Note to the Reader

Regardless of one’s faith, creed, or philosophical inclination, ethics and morality remain the fundamental principles that should govern human action. This conviction is not new; it echoes the teachings of Aristotle in his Ethics, where the cultivation of virtue is understood as a conscious, deliberate practice rather than a passive inheritance. It is from this standpoint that the present reflection emerges.

Moral and ethical inaction, as well as blind conformity, are positions I firmly oppose. Although I was raised within the Catholic tradition, such a background does not, and should not, render one incapable of critical thought. On the contrary, it has compelled me to examine more closely how uncritical adherence to religious dogma can, at times, function as a mechanism to evade personal responsibility. When belief becomes automatic, it risks transforming into a form of ethical passivity.

Engaging with António Vieira’s Sermão de Santa Teresa has been instrumental in prompting a deeper reflection on my own moral and ethical condition. This work does not merely present a theological argument; it challenges the reader to confront the gap between external observance and internal conviction.

This essay was not written to persuade the reader to adopt any particular religious belief. Rather, it is conceived as an ethical and intellectual exercise, an invitation to question, to reflect, and to reassess what is often accepted without scrutiny. Vieira’s sermon, in this sense, becomes more than a religious text; it serves as a catalyst for examining the foundations upon which society constructs its notions of what is ethically and morally “correct.”

Jonathan Acuña Solano

Fear of Freedom and Moral Responsibility: Ethics, Conscience, and the Figure of the “Nécias” in António Vieira’s Sermão de Santa Teresa

Abstract

This essay explores the ethical and moral dimensions of Sermão de Santa Teresa by António Vieira through the theoretical lens of Erich Fromm’s Fear of Freedom. It argues that Vieira’s critique of the “nécias” (foolish virgins) reflects a broader condemnation of moral procrastination, ethical inaction, and conformity disguised as virtue. Drawing connections between Vieira’s Baroque theological discourse and Fromm’s distinction between authoritarian and humanistic morality, the essay demonstrates how both thinkers identify a shared human tendency to evade responsibility by relying on external structures of authority. Furthermore, the paper examines the figure of Santa Teresa as an ethical countermodel who embodies vigilance, interior freedom, and moral accountability. Ultimately, the analysis positions Vieira’s sermon as a timeless reflection on the dangers of delegated conscience and the necessity of ethical self-determination, independent of religious affiliation.

Keywords:

António Vieira, Freedom, Responsibility, Conscience, Moral Agency, Ethical Inaction, Conformity, Religious Critique, Baroque Thought, Humanistic Morality, Sermão de Santa Teresa

Resumen

Este ensayo explora las dimensiones éticas y morales del Sermão de Santa Teresa de António Vieira a través del marco teórico de Erich Fromm en El miedo a la libertad. Se argumenta que la crítica de Vieira hacia las “nécias” (las vírgenes necias) constituye una condena de la procrastinación moral, la inacción ética y el conformismo disfrazado de virtud. Al establecer conexiones entre el discurso teológico barroco de Vieira y la distinción de Fromm entre moral autoritaria y moral humanista, el ensayo demuestra cómo ambos pensadores identifican una tendencia humana compartida: la evasión de la responsabilidad mediante la dependencia de estructuras externas de autoridad. Asimismo, se analiza la figura de Santa Teresa como un modelo ético que encarna la vigilancia, la libertad interior y la responsabilidad moral. En última instancia, el texto posiciona el sermón de Vieira como una reflexión atemporal sobre los peligros de delegar la conciencia y la necesidad de una autodeterminación ética, independientemente de la afiliación religiosa.

Resumo

Este ensaio analisa as dimensões éticas e morais do Sermão de Santa Teresa de António Vieira à luz do pensamento de Erich Fromm em O Medo à Liberdade. Argumenta-se que a crítica de Vieira às “nécias” (as virgens insensatas) representa uma condenação da procrastinação moral, da inação ética e do conformismo disfarçado de virtude. Ao relacionar o discurso teológico barroco de Vieira com a distinção de Fromm entre moral autoritária e moral humanista, o ensaio demonstra como ambos identificam uma tendência humana comum: a fuga à responsabilidade por meio da dependência de autoridades externas. Além disso, analisa-se a figura de Santa Teresa como um modelo ético que encarna vigilância, liberdade interior e responsabilidade moral. Por fim, o ensaio propõe que o sermão de Vieira constitui uma reflexão intemporal sobre os perigos da delegação da consciência e a necessidade de autodeterminação ética, independentemente de qualquer credo religioso.

“Não se perderam as virgens nécias por não serem virgens, mas por serem nécias.”
“The foolish virgins were not lost because they were not virgins, but because they were foolish.” – António Viera

Introduction

The tension between freedom and obedience has long occupied both theological and philosophical inquiry and research. In the twentieth century, Erich Fromm famously argued that modern individuals frequently seek to escape freedom, not because it is denied to them, but because it imposes responsibility, anxiety, and self-determination (Fromm, 1941), perhaps something society does not prepare individuals for. Centuries earlier, the Jesuit preacher António Vieira addressed a remarkably similar ethical problem within a Christian framework. In his Sermão de Santa Teresa, Vieira confronts believers who cling to religious forms while avoiding the interior labor demanded by authentic faith.

This essay, my post 546 on my reflective journaling blog, argues that Vieira’s sermon articulates an ethical vision that closely parallels Fromm’s critique of moral evasion. Through an analysis of Vieira’s rhetoric, his use of biblical metaphor, particularly the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, and his portrayal of Santa Teresa as a model of moral agency, the paper demonstrates that Vieira condemns not freedom but the refusal to assume it and what it entails for the believer. By reading Vieira alongside Fromm, the sermon emerges not merely as devotional literature, but as a profound meditation on ethical adulthood, conscience, and the danger of delegated morality.

Theoretical Framework: Fromm’s Fear of Freedom

In Fear of Freedom, Fromm challenges the assumption that freedom is universally desired, that every single individual wants it to be experienced and lived. On the contrary, he contends that freedom produces isolation and anxiety, leading individuals to surrender their autonomy and self-determination in exchange for security:

“Freedom, though it has brought man independence and rationality, has made him isolated and, thereby, anxious and powerless” (Fromm, 1941, p. 35).

To escape this anxiety people are bound to face, individuals adopt mechanisms such as authoritarianism, destructiveness, and automaton conformity to cope with this “undesired” feeling. Of particular relevance to religious ethics is Fromm’s distinction between authoritarian morality, grounded in external authority and obedience, and humanistic morality, which arises from internalized ethical responsibility:

“Authoritarian conscience is the voice of an internalized authority; humanistic conscience is the voice of our own selves” (Fromm, 1941, p. 158).

This distinction provides a powerful lens through which to read Vieira’s sermon, which repeatedly attacks forms of religiosity that substitute external observance for interior transformation.

Historical and Rhetorical Context of Vieira’s Sermão de Santa Teresa

António Vieira (1608–1697) was a master of Baroque rhetoric, but his sermons are not merely ornamental. His sermons are ethical interventions aimed at reshaping the listener’s conscience. Preached in honor of Santa Teresa of Ávila, the Sermão de Santa Teresa uses the saint not as an unreachable icon, but as a mirror against which Christian complacency is exposed.

Vieira’s Baroque style, rich in antithesis, paradox, and biblical allegory, serves a moral purpose: to destabilize false certainties. His audience, largely composed of professed Christians, is accused not of ignorance but of moral delay. This delay is dramatized through the biblical parable of the virgins awaiting the bridegroom.

The Biblical Metaphor: Wise Virgins and Nécias

The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13) distinguishes between the wise (prudentes) and the foolish (stultae). Vieira intensifies the moral force of the passage by referring to the foolish virgins as nécias, a term that implies not mere ignorance, but willful negligence and ethical frivolity.

In Sermão de Santa Teresa, Vieira states:

“Não se perderam as virgens nécias por não serem virgens, mas por serem nécias.” (Viera, 2012)
(The foolish virgins were not lost because they were not virgins, but because they were foolish.)

This distinction is ethically crucial. The virgins in the parable possess the form of virtue but lack its substance. Their lamps are empty because they have failed to cultivate interior readiness. Vieira’s condemnation is not of sin in the conventional sense, but of moral irresponsibility.

From a Frommian perspective, the nécias represent individuals who postpone ethical selfhood. They rely on external markers of belonging rather than developing an internal moral compass. Their failure is not accidental; it is the consequence of evading responsibility until it is too late to make changes on their behavior or way of doing things.

Moral Procrastination and the Illusion of Safety

Vieira repeatedly associates the nécias with delay and false security. They assume there will always be time, always another chance to comply with what is demanded of them. This illusion mirrors Fromm’s description of individuals who conform to social or religious norms while avoiding genuine self-determination.

In Fear of Freedom, Fromm writes:

“The individual ceases to be himself; he adopts entirely the kind of personality offered to him by cultural patterns” (Fromm, 1941, p. 150).

Similarly, Vieira warns that ritual without vigilance produces spiritual emptiness:

“Dormiam todas; mas umas dormiam com prudência, outras com descuido.” (Viera, 2012)
(They all slept; but some slept with prudence, others with negligence.)

“Sleep” here symbolizes moral inertia. The wise virgins sleep without abandoning responsibility; the nécias sleep to escape it. Vieira thus frames ethical failure as a choice, not a condition imposed from without.

Santa Teresa as an Ethical Countermodel

Against the figure of the nécias, Vieira presents Santa Teresa as a model of interior freedom and moral action and movement. Teresa’s sanctity does not arise from blind obedience but from relentless self-examination and ethical courage to do what is ethically correct.

Vieira emphasizes her vigilance:

“Teresa não esperou o Esposo dormindo, mas velando.” (Viera, 2012)
(Teresa did not await the Bridegroom asleep, but watchful.)

This vigilance aligns closely with Fromm’s concept of humanistic conscience. Teresa acts not because she fears punishment in her earthly living or in the afterlife, but because she has internalized moral responsibility as her priority in life. Her freedom is not freedom from obligation, but freedom to act ethically.

Fromm insists that maturity requires this internalization:

“Man must accept the responsibility for himself and the fact that only he himself can give meaning to his life” (Fromm, 1941, p. 290).

Teresa exemplifies this ethical adulthood, standing in stark contrast to the nécias, who seek salvation without transformation, with exercising ethical reponsibility.

Authoritarian Religion and Delegated Conscience

One of Vieira’s most striking insights in this sermon is his implicit critique of authoritarian religiosity operating at his time in history. By exposing the emptiness of the foolish virgins’ virtue, at least in the eyes of others, he suggests that obedience without conscience is morally dangerous; with his way of acting, people are bound to fall into an ethical fallacy. The nécias obey rules, maintain appearances, and belong to the community, yet fail ethically to commit to their moral responsibilities.

Around this idea, Vieira observes:

“Há muitas almas cheias de cerimônias e vazias de virtudes.” (Viera, 2012)
(There are many souls full of ceremonies and empty of virtues.)

This argument resonates powerfully with Fromm’s warning that authoritarian systems allow individuals to abdicate moral responsibility and act as others do because it is the social norm. People then act because that is the way everybody does without any ethical questioning. When ethics are outsourced, evil becomes easier, not harder to accept and normalize in society.

Freedom, Anxiety, and Ethical Courage

It needs to be noted that both António Vieira and Erich Fromm recognize that true freedom is unsettling and there is an underlying fear to face it. To keep one’s lamp filled requires constant effort and moral, ethical vigilance. The fear of this effort leads individuals to seek comfort in habit largely accepted by society, conformity to what everyone does to fulfill an ethical task and delay one’s questioning of what needs to be “correctly” (ethically) done. Vieira’s sermon, like Fromm’s analysis, exposes this strategy as ethical self-defeating and conforming to what everybody else does and is even well seen by moral, ethical authorities in each community.

The nécias fear the labor of freedom more than they fear exclusion; moral, ethical inaction is not questioned but conformed to socially accepted norms. Their tragedy lies not in ignorance but in avoidance or commitment to their moral, ethical duty. Teresa, by contrast, embraces the anxiety of vigilance and thus achieves ethical integrity.

Conclusion

Reading António Vieira’s Sermão de Santa Teresa through Erich Fromm’s Fear of Freedom reveals a profound ethical convergence across centuries. Both thinkers diagnose a fundamental human temptation: to escape freedom by substituting external forms for internal responsibility. Vieira’s nécias anticipate Fromm’s conformist individuals, while Santa Teresa embodies the courage required for ethical selfhood.

Ultimately, the sermon teaches that morality cannot be postponed, delegated, or simulated. Freedom demands vigilance, and faith, like ethics, requires the courage to remain awake. In this sense, Vieira’s sermon is not merely a religious exhortation but a timeless warning against the comfort of moral sleep and inaction.

San José, Costa Rica

Sunday, March 22, 2026