Evil and suffering Flashcards
Define deontology
Ethical approach in which the rightness and wrongness of an act is judged by its conformity to duties, rules and moral obligations.
What are the origins of NML?
-Goes back to Aristotle and his idea of telos.
-Aquinas Christianised this idea.
What did Aristotle believe about natural justice?
-Independent and applies to everyone, it isn’t just following rules.
“That which is natural is unchangeable, and has the same power everywhere” - Nichomacean Ethics
What is the supreme good according to Aristotle?
-Found when our telos is fulfilled, which is union with God.
-Eudaimonia: happiness.
-Happiness is acquired by habituation
What quote from St Paul supports NML?
“They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts”.
-Idea that morality comes from within, given to us by God.
What is NML?
It is a deontological theory that argues there is a moral order inherent in the world, which humans can discover through reason.
It is derived from God and therefore has power everywhere.
What are key features of NML?
-Objective and universal.
-Immutable (unchanging).
-Accessible to all because all have reason.
What does Aquinas mean by human flourishing?
-Moral and intellectual development, which leads to personal fulfillment.
-Union with God, who is the ultimate good and source of all moral truth.
-NML guides individuals to flourishing.
Define ‘Beatific Vision’.
-Union with God.
-The only way to achieve true happiness.
-Ultimate goal of human life.
What are the Primary Precepts in NML?
Worship God
Ordered society
Reproduction
Educate
Preservation of life
What are Aquinas’ ideas + quote?
-Faith must be grounded in reason and God made mankind in his image and we all have the ability to reason.
-God created the world with a specific order and purpose, and humans, as rational creatures, can understand this moral order by observing nature and using their intellect
“The light of reason is placed by nature in every man, to guide him in his acts towards the end”.
What is Aquinas’ Summa Theologica + quote?
-Describes natural law as a moral code existing within the purpose of nature, set by God.
-It is universal and unchanging.
“The natural law is altogether unchangeable in its first principles.”
What are the Secondary Precepts in NML?
-Absolute + no exceptions.
-Derived from primary precepts using reason.
-Determine if an action is right/wrong based on whether it upholds primary precepts or not.
e.g ‘do not euthanise’, ‘do not abort’, ‘do not divorce’, etc.
What are Aquinas’ 4 types of laws?
Eternal law - laws that exist within creation because God put them there.
Divine law - revealed principles of morality from God e.g the message of the Bible.
NML - God’s eternal law humans can understand through reason.
Human law - formed by humans.
Define cultural relativism.
The view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to an individual within their own social context.
-Right and wrong are cultural-specific.
What is the Doctrine of Double Effect?
An action with negative side effects is acceptable, only if:
-The action itself is morally good or neutral.
-The bad effect is not intended, even though it is foreseen.
-The good effect is not achieved through the bad effect (the bad effect is not the means to the good end).
-It is proportionally more good than bad.
What are real and apparent goods?
-Real goods are actions that we think are good and are actually good according to NML.
-Apparent goods are actions that we think are good but they are not actually good according to NML (e.g euthanasia).
What are interior/exterior acts?
-Interior acts are a person’s intentions behind doing an act.
-Exterior acts are the actual action.
-In order for an act to be right, there needs to be a good intention and the action itself must be good.
What is the efficient and final cause?
-The Second and Forth of his 4 Causes.
-The final cause is ‘eudaimonia’, our telos/purpose describing human flourishing (Aristotle).
-The efficient cause is something that motivates us to do things e.g a doctor going to work to get paid.
What are the 4 Cardinal Virtues?
-Natural virtues to develop moral character
-Plato + Aristotle + Aquinas
Key quotes NML
“Humans never knowingly pursue evil” - Aquinas
“Natural law is unchangeable and has the same power everywhere” - Aristotle
“Good is done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided” - Aquinas
What is synderesis?
“Good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided”.
-It guides our conscience and if humans apply God-given reason it will lead to the right actions.
What are the 4 conditions of the DoDE?
-Nature of the act (must be morally good or neutral)
-Right intention
-Means-end (bad effect can’t be means by which good affect is achieved, it must only be the unintended side effect).
-Proportionality
NML on theft
-Theft can only be accepted if used to preserve a life.
-Proportionalism rules that the value of a life is proportionally greater than the injustice of theft.
-Ingentions behind the theft are good.
NML and lying.
-All forms of lying are wrong, even to save a life.
-Breaches primary precept ‘ordered society’.
-Contravenes Divine Law (commandments) and cardinal virtues of justice and courage.
BUT
-Evasive truths are acceptable e.g withholding the truth or telling a different truth.
What is manualism?
The Catholic Church tradition of producing manuals to train clergy in applying NML to situations.
-Made it fully deontological.
What is proportionalism?
-Moral goodness or badness of an action depends on the proportion between the good and bad consequences it produces.
-An action is morally acceptable if the good outweighs the bad.
Catholic Church response to proportionalism
-Fear ur could be misused and certain evil actions could be justified.
-E.g rape, abuse of children, torture (all actions never acceptable for Church even if it saves the lives of many).
NML weaknesses
-Outdated e.g it’s deemed unnatural to be a homosexual.
-Not everyone believes in God (not universal).
-Prioritises rules over virtues and principles.
-Too rigid, not very adaptable so can lead to unloving outcomes.
-Assumes a fixed, universal human nature, which doesn’t reflect the complexities of human life and cultural diversity.
-Human reason alone isn’t always sufficient for discerning moral truths, particularly in cases of moral disagreement.
Strengths of NML
-Universal and timeless.
-Easy to follow, clear cut and accessible day-to-day.
-DoDE allows for flexibility.
-Provides a rational, objective basis for morality.
-Transcends cultural differences.
-Promotes the common good and allows for the application of moral principles to complex situations.
Give 2 case studies that could be used.
Situation 1: A terminally ill patient receives increasing doses of morphine for pain management, knowing that the increased doses may lead to respiratory failure and a sooner death.
Situation 2: Sally knows where a nuclear bomb is hidden, and the bomb will kill 1 million people if not disarmed. Is it morally permissible to torture Sally to extract the location of the bomb in order to save those lives?
Give examples of issues with the Bible that suggest it isn’t a good source of moral authority.
“If anyone, even your own family suggest worshipping another God, kill them” - Deuteronomy
“A woman should learn in quietness and submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet”. - 1 Timothy
“For the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” - 1 Timothy
Give an example of an immoral decision made due to a legalistic religious authority.
Islamic legalism - 2002 the religious police of Saudi Arabia refused to let a group of girls escape from a burning building because they were wearing ‘inappropriate clothing’, which was against the will of Allah. One witness said he saw the women being beaten to prevent them leaving the school because they were not wearing abaya. 15 girls died.
Give an example of antinomianism approach to ethics.
-Translates as ‘against law’.
-Gnosticism.
-Gnostics claimed to have special knowledge, so they believed rules were no longer needed, they would just know what was right.
