Aquians’ Natural Moral Law Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is natural moral law
there is right and wrong that all people can discover through human reasoning and purpose because it is within them naturally
Example of a deontological ethical theory when used and interpreted in the Catholic Church
“Good is that which all things seek after”- aquinas synedris rule
Aquinas 1st principle in NML= all things have a natural apprehension towards the good, so we should trust our reasoning power when making moral decisions
Aquinas’ 4 fold division of law
Eternal law- gods ultimate understanding of good and bad
Divine law- gods law revealed to humanity
Natural law- facts about good nd bad that can be worked out through reason
Human law- legal laws created by governments
How do humans know murder is wrong
By appealing to reasonable, not just because scripture says so
Therefore, according to aquinas’ 4 fold division natural laws is…
The realisation of god’s eternal law through human reasoning within us
How do humans know right from wrong according to aquinas
If we know that humans have the reasoning power to determine what is good, and humans are naturally geared towards the good, then aquinas says we can work out what is truly good simply by appealing to our human reasoning
In order to achieve this rightness, humans must do things which helps them to achieve their telos. What does aquinas believed that human purpose/telos consists of
Beatitude- achieve a state of perfect happiness or fulfilment, achieved thr the entirety of humanity being in union w god. It=his is the highest good and the final end for which all humans are created-links to hicks Christ like soul making theodicy
Human flourishing- consists of living in accordance with their natural inclinations e.g. humans have the natural inclination to group together to form close knit communities and form sexual relations with the opposite sex, and cultivate virtues such as wisdom and courage that will enable them to live well in this life
Individual telos- derives from a persons natural effort and abilities
From these purposes and the knowledge he gains from reason and scripture, aquinas forms his 5 primary precepts which derived from human inclination towards the good
Preserve life
Reproduce
Strive for common good
Find truth
Worship god
From his 5 primary precepts, he derived secondary precepts which provide more practical guidance on good action. What does aquinas acknowledge about secondary precepts?
Aren’t universally fixed and can vary based on practical reason. He is NOT a relativists in the sense that he rejects objective moral truths- he believes that the primary precepts to do good and avoid evil are absolute and unchanged. However, he allows that the secondary precepts ma differ because of various human factors such as culture, tradition, and historic circumstances.
How can we use Aquinas’ secondary precepts to defend the Kombai tribe
They act in good faith because they genuinely believed that witches causes harm, therefore by eliminating this ‘black magic’, they are protecting the wild from greater harm which aligns with the precepts to preserve life, and ordered society
What did aquinas originally intend for his NML to be interpreted as
Teleological- virtue based ethics aiming towards the 5 inclinations towards human good
BUT
The Catholic Church changed it to a rule based ethics through manulism
What is manulism
Produce rule-books that lists out all the moral law tat a catholic needs to follow, akin to a car manual, providing them all the rules and how to apply them in certain situations. Thus, becoming a deontological source
Why is manulism more useful as a normative ethical theory than NML
Provides a list of objective moral laws that help every catholic should be entitled to - it is consistent and applicable to all e.g. the Catechism of the Catholic Church changed
Why is manulism not effective
Less useful as a normative ethical theory than aquinas NML as it leads to no perosnal development or character building to which servais pinckaers supported
What does pinckaers believed about the manulism about NML problematic
“the moral theology of the manuals last sight of the essential question”
This approcah focussed excessively on legal obligations and casuistry (ability to folllow rules), neglects deeper questions of how to genuinely live a virtuous and fulfilling life in Christ
He emphasies a return to a moral theology rooted in the pursuit of happiness and virtue, drawing from the teachings of st aquinas and the insights of scripture.
Problem from moving from primary to secondary precepts
People hav different interpretations of what is good
Primary precepts might contradict each other in some situations
Different cultures see different things as right
Aquinas readily acknowledges that, although primary precepts remain unchanged, secondary precepts may vary depending on the situation.
However, he comes up with other guidance which attempts to solve these issues.. what are they?
Aquinas believed that the ‘good’, the main precept from which the others are derived, can be aided by the ‘virtues’ ( COUNTER= people have different interpretations of what is good)
What are the ‘virtues’ according to aquinas
There are 7 virtues
Cardinal virtues listed by Aristotle, are achieved only through human reasoning ability:
- prudence(judgement)
-justice
-fortitude(courage)
-temperance(self-control)
Theological virtues are given to humans by god’s grace:
Faith
Hope
Love
Therefore aquinas does provide guidance on how a person should decide what is good
However, the primary precepts might contradict w each other in some situations
Double effect, ectopic terminations
Conflict w reproduction and preserve life
