Natural Law Flashcards
(33 cards)
What concept influenced Aquinas’ Natural Law ethics?
Aristotle’s concept of telos, that all things have a nature orienting them towards their good end.
What is Natural Law ethics?
The theory that God designed human nature with the ability to know general moral precepts, guiding us towards glorifying God.
What are Aquinas’ four tiers of law?
Eternal law, Divine law, Natural law, and Human law.
What is the Eternal Law?
God’s omnibenevolent plan for the universe, beyond human understanding.
What is the Divine Law?
The Bible.
What is the Natural Law?
The moral orientation built into our nature by God.
What is the Human Law?
Laws humans create that should reflect Natural and Divine law.
What is synderesis?
The God-given ability to know to do good and avoid evil.
What are the primary precepts of Natural Law?
Preserve life, reproduce, educate, live in society, and worship God.
What is a secondary precept?
A specific moral judgement derived from applying primary precepts to a situation.
What is the principle of double effect?
Some actions have both good and bad effects; it is morally acceptable if the bad effect is unintended.
What is the intentionality condition in double effect?
The bad effect must not be the intended outcome.
What is the nature of the act condition?
The bad effect must not be intrinsically evil, like killing an innocent person.
What did J.S. Mill say about biblical divine law?
It was only relevant to a barbaric, ancient time.
Why might Natural Law be outdated?
It was developed in a medieval context with different socio-economic needs.
What has changed since Aquinas’ time?
Effective contraception, support for single parents, and overpopulation.
What is a counter to the outdated critique?
Aquinas would argue God’s laws are eternal and society is wrong, not the law.
Why does modern science reject telos?
Science explains phenomena without needing purpose or telos.
What did Francis Bacon say about telos?
That it is unscientific.
What does Sean Carroll say about purpose in the universe?
Purpose is not built into the universe’s structure.
How can Aristotle’s acorn example be explained today?
Through DNA and material/efficient causation, not telos.
What is a counter to science rejecting telos?
Polkinghorne: science can explain ‘what’, but not ‘why’.
What is Fletcher’s critique of Aquinas on cross-cultural morality?
If Natural Law was universal, moral agreement should be greater.
What do Freud and Skinner argue shapes morality?
Culture and social conditioning.
