Evil and suffering Flashcards
What are the Primary Precepts in NML?
Worship God
Ordered society
Reproduction
Educate
Preservation of life
What are the Secondary Precepts in NML?
-Absokute
-Derived from primary precepts using reason
-Have no exceptions
e.g ‘do not euthanise’, ‘do not abort’, ‘do not divorce’, etc.
What is the eternal law?
-NML
-Eternal law refers to the principles by which God governs the universe.
-Using reason, we can know what is right for humans and determine the natural law which is part of the eternal law.
What is the Doctrine of Double Effect?
-An action with negative side effects is acceptable, as long as the side effects are unintended and the action is proportionally more good than the side effect is bad.
What are real and apparent goods?
-NML
-Real goods are actions that we think are good and are acctually good according to NML.
-Apparent goods are actions that we think are good but they are not acctually 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 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 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 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 Chruch 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).
-Following firm rules can lead to unloving outcomes.
-Too rigid, not very adaptable.
-Nature changes but NML doesn’t.
