natural moral law

Question 1

What did Aquinas believe about God?

Answer 1

• God is immutable (changeless)
• God is good + creation reflects his goodness

Question 2

What did Aquinas believe about final goal + humanity?

Answer 2

Everything has a final goal + the final goal of humanity is eudaemonia

Question 3

What is the name for God given reason?

Answer 3

Recta ratio

Question 4

What are the 4-fold divisions of law?

Answer 4

Eternal law, Divine law, Natural moral law + Human law

Question 5

What’s eternal law?

Answer 5

God’s law - we will never be able to fully understand it

Question 6

What is the synderesis rule?

Answer 6

Human inclination to do good + avoid evil

Question 7

What’s divine law?

Answer 7

Scriptural revelation; Bible + Jesus

Question 8

What is natural moral law?

Answer 8

Discovered through human reason + not revelation

Question 9

What is human law?

Answer 9

Created to uphold natural law

Question 10

What is the main element or natural moral law?

Answer 10

Reasoning

Question 11

Who was Aquinas influenced by?

Answer 11

Aristotle

Question 12

What are the 5 primary precepts?

Answer 12

Ordered society, reproduce, worship God, care for innocent, preserve life

Question 13

What do the primary precepts come from?

Answer 13

We deduce from the natural world using our reasoning

Question 14

What is Aquinas’ basic principle?

Answer 14

Seek/pursue what is good + avoid evil

Question 15

What does NML encourage?

Answer 15

Encourages ppl to deduce moral codes from the natural world

Question 16

What is the name of the human inclination to do good + avoid evil?

Answer 16

Synderesis rule

Question 17

What is recta ratio?

Answer 17

God given reason

Question 18

What are secondary precepts?

Answer 18

Shows humans how to apply primary precepts to spec. situations in more their lives

Question 19

What’s the issue w secondary precepts?

Answer 19

Aquinas doesn’t give a hierarchy of the P.P so in an issue where S.P conflict, what do we do?

Question 20

What’s an example of a secondary precept for preservation of innocent life?

Answer 20

Do not kill (SP)

Question 21

What’s an example of a secondary precept for worship God?

Answer 21

Set one day a week aside for worship (SP)

Question 22

What’s a real good?

Answer 22

The use of right reason leading to an action that leads us to perfection or eudaimonia

Question 23

What’s an apparent good?

Answer 23

Misguided reason leading to an action that appears to be good but isn’t (e.g. of accidental adultery)
Can be forgiven w confession

Question 24

What’s the principle of double effect (PODE)?

Answer 24

It’s ethically permitted to perform an action w a good intention which leads to a bad effect

Question 25

What's an example in terms of pregnancy for the principle of the double effect?

Answer 25

Ectopic pregnancy "we can save your life but will have to terminate the baby" NOT "we terminate the baby to save your life"

Question 26

What does the principle of the double effect say you can't do?

Answer 26

You can never do a 'bad' action to bring about a good consequence

Question 27

What is an example of the principle of double effect in terms of terrorism?

Answer 27

You can bomb an enemy factory; foreseeing but not intending the death of innocent nearby civilians BUT just bombing the civilians intentionally is not allowed

Question 28

What are the 4 conditions for the principle of the double effect?

Answer 28

Nature of the act condition Means end condition Good intention condition Proportionality condition

Question 29

What's an example of the principle of double effect in terms of a huge accident?

Answer 29

If paramedics arrive to the scene of a big accident + the victim is severely injured, unlikely to make it; the para. may administrate a large amount of morphine to 'ease the pain' but unintentionally euthanise them

Question 30

What is the nature of the act condition (PODE)?

Answer 30

Morality of the action must be good or at least neutral

Question 31

What's the means end condition (PODE)?

Answer 31

Bad consequence must not be intended

Question 32

What is the good intention condition (PODE)?

Answer 32

The bad consequence may be foreseen but not intended; intention must be to achieve good effect

Question 33

What is the proportionality condition (PODE)?

Answer 33

Good effect must at least be proportionate in sig. to bad effect

Question 34

What is proportionalism?

Answer 34

In NML there are absolute rules that must be followed UNLESS theres a proportionate reason to justify not following rules in a certain context

Question 35

When is proportionalism applied?

Answer 35

In a highly unusual/exceptional circumstance using Recta Ratio + synderesis rule as guidance

Question 36

What needs to be taken into account w proportionalism?

Answer 36

- Intention of moral agent - Value of good effect weight against disvalue of bad

Question 37

What is Aquinas' example for proportionalism?

Answer 37

A starving man stealing food to survive

Question 38

What are 2 strengths of proportionalism?

Answer 38

- Its use in Just War theory shows that it works + is robust - In situations where applied, it makes sense

Question 39

What are 2 weaknesses of proportionalism?

Answer 39

- Magisterium denounced it bc of its claim that there's no intrinsic evil (what about rape, slavery etc) - Calculation of value + disvalue seems consequentialist

Question 40

What are 4 strengths of NML?

Answer 40

- Morality is about what's intrinsically good or evil - NML system acknowledged ppl can make mistakes - Eudaimonia may fit well w non religious ppl - Absolute rules

Question 41

What are 3 other strengths of NML?

Answer 41

- In line w Aristotle's V.E. ~ focus of development of moral character - Adaptable - If ppl think it's too rigid we can app. proportionalism + double effect

Question 42

What's a weakness of NML in terms of atheism?

Answer 42

Some forms can app. to atheists but Aquinas assumed it was natural for all humans to worship God

Question 43

What's a weakness of NML in terms of alienation?

Answer 43

Aquinas assumes we can reason - what about ppl w learning difficulties? He alienates millions of ppl

Question 44

What's a weakness of NML in terms of immorality?

Answer 44

Can lead to immoral outcomes - CC provides help for HIV/AIDS patients but NML prohibits contraception which increases spread