1.6 Natural Moral Law Flashcards
What are normative ethics
ethical theories which inform us of how to behave
Define telos
end goal/purpose
What is the end goal for natural moral law?
eudaimonia
What is eudaimonia according to NML
human flourishing and union with God
What is absolute morality
fixed
What is relative morality
subjective
What are teleological ethics?
morality is based on the consequences of actions
What are deontological ethics?
there are intrinsically right or wrong actions
Who proposed NML?
St Aquinas
Who was Aquinas influenced by?
Aristotle
What is good according to aristotle?
humans achieving their purpose
According to Aquinas where does purpose come from?
the bible and human reason
Define synderesis principle
rule that good should be persued and evil should be avoided
What are the 4 fold divisions of law?
- eternal
- divine
- natural
- human
What are the 5 primary precepts
- preservation
- ordered society
- worship of God
- education
- reproduction
What are secondary precepts?
rules stemming from the primary precepts
Finish Aquinas’ quote : “NML is god’s order set …
within the parameters of the universe
What is the roman catholic church’s version of NML
A more strict and rules based approach
What are real goods?
actions which are actually good
what are apparent goods?
actions which seem good in the moment e.g. adultery
What are interior acts?
intention
What are exterior acts?
the act itself
What are the 4 cardinal virtues
- prudence
- justice
- courage
- moderation
What is the doctrine of double effect
it is always wrong to do a bad action intentionally but you can do a good action even if it will lead to bad consequences
What example is used to highlight DoDE?
The doctor and morphine
How can people avoid mistakes when applying DoDE?
by following the 4 conditions of DoDE
What are the 4 conditions of DoDE?
- nature of the act
- means-end
- right intention
- proportionality
Who proposed proportionalism?
Hoose and McCormick
What is proportionalism?
Never go against set rules unkless there is a proportionate reason to do so
How can proportionalism be used?
Bt weighing up intrinsic evil of an act and balance it out against the consequences
One strength of proportionalism
Takes context into account
One disadvantage of proportionalism
can justify intrinsically evil acts
Finish Aquinas’ quote: “the secondary principles may be changed …
“in some particula cases of rare occurrences”
What is manualism?
scholars who wrote manuals on moral theology
How did the RCC narrow Aquinas’ NML?
by being more concerned with rules than virtues
One strength of NML
set rules which are easy to follow
One weakness of NML
too absolute
