Aquinas’ Natural Law Theory Flashcards
Natural Law
in order to understand what is good for any particular thing, Aristotle argued that we had to look at its final cause or purpose
Aristotle believed that the final purpose of a human was eudaimonia - flourishing and happiness
Four Types of Law
Eternal laws: God created the world according to laws, humans cannot understand all of these, we are too limited
Divine law: law is limited but God chose to reveal some of his through holy books and prophets
Human law: humans can use the natural and divine laws to work out more detailed rules about how to live
Natural laws: by looking at the world, we can work out using reason the purpose of things
Casuistry
using reason to apply natural law to actions
Primary Precepts
worship God
live in ordered societies
reproduce
learn and seek knowledge
defend the innocent
Real & Apparent Goods
real good: follows your purpose
apparent good: seems good on the surface but does not follow your purpose
Interior & Exterior acts
interior acts: intentions
exterior acts: what we actually do
Principle of Double Effect
it is acceptable to do an action which breaks a precept if and only if this is the unintended side effect of another good action which maintains the primary precepts
Strengths of Natural Law
offers a set of universal rules
allows us to say whether an action is right or wrong without looking at consequences
avoids the danger of selfishness and bias in ethical decision making
has been used for centuries by Roman Catholic Church
Weaknesses of Natural Law
modern science rejects the idea that everything strives towards a purpose
outdated - natural law could argue that women have traditionally stayed at home to rear the children and therefore this is their natural purpose
it is difficult to draw a line between which natural laws apply to humans and which do not
Aquinas’ Natural Law relies belief on God
logically inconsistent
Cardinal Virtues
Prudence
Justice
Temperance
Fortitude
Theological Virtues
Faith
Hope
Charity
