Topic 2 (Year 12): Natural moral law Flashcards
(16 cards)
Superior aims definition.
They are fundamental and cannot be seperated from the object.
Subordinate aims definition.
They are intrinsic to facilitate to superior aims.
Telos definition.
Purpose.
Eudaimonia definition.
Happiness that us defined as contemptment.
Synderesis definition.
“Do good and avoid evil” - this brings you closer to God.
Who was responsible for setting up the basis for natural law?
Aristotle.
What did Aristotle say?
He valued reason and believed that everything we do is leading towards the ultimate goal of happiness.
Who adapted Aristotle’s basis for natural law?
Aquinas.
What are the four laws Aquinas devised?
- Eternal law: the mind of God which humans cannot know.
- Divine law: the law of God revealed to people through the Bible, which Christians call the word of God.
- Natural law: everyone has a natural sense that ‘good is to be done and evil is to be avoided’, which some call human nature.
- Human law: these are everyday rules that govern our lives from the legal system at one end right down to notices.
What are Aquinas’ five primary precepts?
Preservation of life, ordered society, worship of God, education, reproduction.
What are the primary precepts used for?
They are rigid values that Aquinas believes are the telos of all humankind.
What are the secondary precepts? (2 points)
- They are adapted from primary precepts ans they set out how primary precepts can be used in society, and these can vary form the law to rules set up in families.
- They are practical human rules which govern the way in which we all lead our respective lives.
Examples of secondary precepts.
P - do not murder.
O - do not steal.
W - one day for Church: Sunday.
E - compulsory schooling.
R - no contraception.
What is the principle of double effect?
Something that comes into play when a given moral act has a good effect as well as an evil effect; this principle allows us to determine if such an act may be chosen without falling into sin.
What does Aquinas say about double effect?
He articulates this point to demonstrate that killing in self-defense can be justified.
What book contains the conditions for the application of double effect in a situation?
The ‘New Catholic Enclopedia’.
