Natural Law Theory

Question 1

Influences

Answer 1

Aquinas was a Christian: he believed that God created the world establishing a sense of order that humans have to keep. everything has a final cause, a telos. He is influenced also by Aristoteles and his virtues.

Question 2

NLT: formulation

Answer 2

God created the world establishing an order for everything and putting a telos in everything he made. We need to respect his will through actions that help us to achieve the purpose he gave us.

Question 3

God’s gift to humans

Answer 3

Human reason, which helps us to understand God’s wull and plans for us

Question 4

Hierarchical Structure

Answer 4

• Eternal Law: God’s will and wisdom. There is no chance for us to understand this law itself because we are finite being.
• Divine law: Scripture (Bible) and Church’s teaching
• Natural Law: the human disposition to know what is naturally right throught human reason
• Human law: the society’s legal system

Question 5

Five Primary Precepts

Answer 5

• Procreate
• Educate the young
• Protect the innocent
• Live in an ordered society
• Worship God

Question 6

Secondary precepts

Answer 6

All those actions which help us to follow the Primary Precepts

Question 7

Aquinas and the virtues

Answer 7

• Three revealed virtues:
• Faith: believe in God and his actions
• Hope: Be confident about God’s provvidence
• Love: Love other people inconditionally and without worry about yourself
• Four Cardinal virtues:
• Prudence: understand our finite nature and don’t try to break our limits (Ulisse nell’Inferno dantesco)
• Temperance: be humile and don’t become overwhelmed by own feelings. follow human reason avoiding strong and negative feelings. Be moderate
• Courage: Be strong and not have feat in defending God’s name.
• Justice: Be fair with other people, follow the herarchical structure, taking responsibilities, not trying to escape from God’s plans.

Question 8

The Doctrine of Double effects

Answer 8

Aquinas argued that sometimes actions follow a precept but break another one. To solve this conflict he argued that as long as your final purpose is to respect a precept you are actually acting right.

Question 9

Internal and External Actions

Answer 9

Aquinas argued that a moral action should be performed with a good intention. A good action with bad intention is not a real good action and it doesn’t respect God’s plans.

Question 10

Real and apparent goods

Answer 10

Sometimes we think that our actions fit with primary precepts (for example giving to charity) but they aren’t really following the precepts (maybe because the charity is corrupt). the action is good anyway because the intentions were.