Natural (Moral) Law

Question 1

What does legalism mean?

Answer 1

A set of prefabricated moral rules or laws

Question 2

What does deontological mean?

Answer 2

Ethics is concerned with the nature of acts themselves, rather than their outcome - they are right and wrong intrinsically

Question 3

What does telos mean?

Answer 3

The end or purpose

Question 4

What does Aristotle believe everything has?

Answer 4

A purpose

Question 5

How is purpose revealed?

Answer 5

By its design

Question 6

What is the aim of telos?

Answer 6

To fulfil telos is the supreme good to be sought

Question 7

What happens if something does not reach its purpose?

Answer 7

It has not realised its potential

Question 8

What is Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma?

Answer 8

Views 2 possible versions of the universe

1) God (1) moral laws (2) humans (3), God commands moral laws because they are absolutely true in themselves and separate from God

2) God (1) humans (2) God commands humans to do certain things and are good, because God has commanded them

Question 9

What is Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma?

Answer 9

Views 2 possible versions of the universe

1) God (1) moral laws (2) humans (3), God commands moral laws because they are absolutely true in themselves and separate from God

2) God (1) humans (2) God commands humans to do certain things and are good because God has commanded them

Question 10

What is a quote from Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma?

Answer 10

“Loved by the God because it is pious, or pious because it is loved?”

Question 11

What are the problems that the Euthyphro dilemma proposes?

Answer 11

If there is an objective standard of right or wrong, what does that make of God?

Question 12

What is Divine Command theory?

Answer 12

The view that moral rules are true because they have been commanded by God

Question 13

Who are three critics against the traditional Natural Law?

Answer 13

A.J. Ayer, Emil Brunner and Leibniz

Question 14

What is A.J. Ayer’s criticism?

Answer 14

• commanding something does not make it right
• no morality can be founded on authority, even if the authority is divine

Question 15

What is the criticism of Emil Brunner?

Answer 15

• if things were not commanded by God, they would not be right or wrong
• “hate your neighbour” could have been the command
• DCT makes moral codes appear arbitrary

Question 16

What is Leibniz’s criticism?

Answer 16

Why praise God for what he’s done, as he would equally be praised for doing the contrary

Question 17

What is Natural Moral Law based on?

Answer 17

Reason alone - used to understand moral teachings and revelations

Question 18

What does Aquinas propose for Natural Moral Law?

Answer 18

Anything created by an agent will end b the choice of the same agent, the end is the objective - therefore those that reflect God will end up where they were destined to be by God

Question 19

What are the four laws?

Answer 19

Human
Eternal - principle made by God, only know by God
Natural - theory that an eternal, absolute moral law can ve discovered by reason
Divine - the bible reflects this

Question 20

What is Natural Moral Law?

Answer 20

An absolutist theory based on the belief that there is a natural order to the world and that natural order has been designed by God

Question 21

What are Primary Precepts?

Answer 21

These are the natural laws that are set in stone, the path towards the ultimate purpose

Question 22

What are the 5 Primary Precepts?

Answer 22

1) Worship God
2) Defend the innocent
3) Reproduce
4) Ordered society
5) Education

Question 23

What do we learn through the primary precepts?

Answer 23

The Secondary Precepts

Question 24

What are secondary precepts?

Answer 24

These vary from the law of the land to accept codes of behaviour

Question 25

What is an example of a secondary precept?

Answer 25

PP - Reproduce SP - permits IVF and surrogacy, but condemns abortion

Question 26

What is 'Hard Determinism'?

Answer 26

All human action is casually determined, we never act freely, so are not morally responsible for our actions

Question 27

What are real and apparent goods?

Answer 27

- a real good is in accordance to the natural moral law - an apparent good is a mistake, however not intentionally chosen - through an error of reason

Question 28

What are exterior and interior acts?

Answer 28

Both the intention and act are important - 'exterior' is acting in a good way for the wrong reason' - 'interior' is acting in a good way within itself This is similar to MacIntyres Exterior and Interior reasonss

Question 29

What is casuistry?

Answer 29

The process of applying NML principles to specific situations, done in a logical way with logical consequences

Question 30

What is the Doctrine of Double Effect?

Answer 30

If doing something morally good has a morally bad side-effect, it's ethically OK to do it providing the bad side-effect wasn't intended

Question 31

What is proportionalism?

Answer 31

Asserts that one can determine the right course of action by weighing up the good and the necessary evil caused by the action

Question 32

Who is proportionalism associated with?

Answer 32

Bernard Hoose and Richard McCormick

Question 33

What does Hoose argue?

Answer 33

Humans can never live in a world of perfect morals, since society is inherently flawed since the sin of Adam and EVe

Question 34

What is the solution to not living in a world of perfect morals?

Answer 34

We must strive towards a moral compromise, not perfection

Question 35

What are Hoose's 'Ontic Goods'?

Answer 35

Those that alleviate suffering - justice - integrity - dignity

Question 36

What is Hoose's interpretation of NML?

Answer 36

It is a system of guidelines rather than absolutes

Question 37

When was proportionalism developed?

Answer 37

1960s - in response to Humanae Vitae and its views on contraception

Question 38

What are ontic evils?

Answer 38

They are not immoral but cause pain and suffering - different to 'moral evil'

Question 39

What does McCormick argue for proportionalism?

Answer 39

Recognises that free will is an important part of human nature

Question 40

What are intrinsically evil acts?

Answer 40

Those that go against both Primary and Secondary precepts

Question 41

Where does proportionalism stand in ethics?

Answer 41

Mid-way between deontological ethics and teleological ethics