Aquinas’ Natural theology vs Augustine & Karl Barth

Question 1

What is a strength of Aquinas’ ethics regarding human nature?

strength

Answer 1

Aquinas’ ethics offer a realistic and balanced view of human nature, acknowledging both the presence of good (reason and telos) and bad (original sin).

Question 2

How does Aquinas’ natural law ethics engage with autonomy in contrast to other perspectives?

strength

Answer 2

Aquinas’ natural law ethics involves an engagement with autonomy, allowing for the use of reason in moral decision-making, unlike the view of sola scriptura Protestants like Calvin who regard humans as passive receptacles for biblical commands.

Question 3

What is natural theology according to Aquinas?

strength

Answer 3

Natural theology is the view that human reason is capable of knowing God and His moral law.

Question 4

How does Aquinas defend the view of natural theology despite the presence of original sin?

strength

Answer 4

Aquinas argues that while original sin destroyed original righteousness, it did not eliminate human reason and its inclination towards the good, allowing for the possibility of knowing and following God’s moral law through reason.

Question 5

According to Aquinas, why is it only rational beings that can sin?

strength

Answer 5

Aquinas argues that only rational beings can sin because sinning requires a deliberate act of will guided by reason, which animals lack.

Question 6

How does Aquinas differ from Augustine regarding human nature and concupiscence?

strength

Answer 6

Aquinas diverges from Augustine by claiming that concupiscence can sometimes be natural to humans, particularly when our passions are governed by reason. This comprehensive approach to Christian morality emphasizes the use of reason to discover and act on the telos of human nature.

Question 7

What is a weakness of natural theology according to Karl Barth?

Weakness

Answer 7

Karl Barth argues that natural theology places a dangerous overreliance on human reason, which he believes is corrupted by original sin.

Question 8

How does Barth view the use of human reason in knowing God’s morality?

Weakness

Answer 8

Barth believes it is dangerous to rely on human reason to know anything of God’s morality, as he claims that our finite minds cannot grasp God’s infinite being.

Question 9

What does Karl Barth argue about the capacity of the finite to understand the infinite?

Weakness

Answer 9

Karl Barth argues that “the finite has no capacity for the infinite,” suggesting that our finite minds cannot fully comprehend God’s infinite nature.

Question 10

What danger does Barth associate with relying on human reason to understand God?

Weakness

Answer 10

Barth warns that believing earthly things discovered through reason are divine leads to idolatry, where humans worship created things as God. This can lead to dangerous ideologies and movements, such as nationalism and Nazism.

Question 11

According to Barth, what is the only valid means of understanding God’s revelation?

Weakness

Answer 11

Barth argues that after the corruption of the Fall, human reason cannot reach God or God’s morality. Therefore, only faith in God’s revelation in the Bible is valid for understanding God’s will and morality.

Question 12

Final judgement defending Aquinas:

Question 13

What criticism does the final judgment offer regarding Karl Barth’s argument against natural theology?

Final judgement defending Aquinas:

Answer 13

The final judgment argues that Barth’s argument fails to address Aquinas’ point that our reason is not always corrupted by original sin and that original sin has not destroyed our natural orientation towards the good.

Question 14

How does the final judgment characterize the effect of original sin on human nature?

Final judgement defending Aquinas:

Answer 14

The final judgment suggests that original sin can, at most, diminish our inclination towards goodness by creating a habit of acting against it, rather than completely destroying our natural orientation towards the good.

Question 15

What role can reason play in discovering knowledge of God’s existence and natural moral law according to the final judgment?

Final judgement defending Aquinas:

Answer 15

The final judgment argues that sometimes, with God’s grace, our reason can discover knowledge of God’s existence and natural moral law, suggesting the validity of natural moral law and natural theology.

Question 16

How does the final judgment characterize Aquinas’ view of human nature?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 16

The final judgment suggests that Aquinas has a balanced and realistic view of human nature, acknowledging both the presence of good and bad, and emphasizing the importance of human choice in moral decision-making.

Question 17

What criticism does the final judgment offer regarding Aquinas’ view of human reason and morality?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 17

The final judgment argues that being corrupted by original sin makes our reasoning about God’s existence and morality also corrupted, rendering us unable to reliably discover natural law.

Question 18

How does the final judgment characterize the reliability of human reasoning in discovering natural law?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 18

The final judgment suggests that the presence of original sin means that whatever a weak and misled conscience discovers about natural law is too unreliable to be trusted.

Question 19

What is the final judgment’s view on humanity’s belief in its ability to know anything of God?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 19

The final judgment contends that humanity’s belief in its ability to know anything of God is arrogant and reminiscent of the arrogance displayed by Adam and Eve in disobeying God.

Question 20

What comparison does the final judgment draw between human arrogance and historical events like Nazism?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 20

The final judgment suggests that the arrogance of natural theology, believing that humans can figure out right and wrong, is akin to the arrogant certainty of movements like Nazism in their own superiority, leading to disastrous consequences.

Question 21

What does the final judgment suggest about the human inability to rely solely on faith?

Final judgement critiquing Aquinas:

Answer 21

The final judgment argues that the arrogance displayed in natural theology is evidence of a human inability to be humble enough to solely rely on faith, implying that such reliance on reason leads to arrogance and moral corruption.