Introduction to Morality Flashcards
The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that
every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God.
There is _________________________ only in the context of humanity.
responsibility or morality
Context of Morality
- Morality is founded on the natural and eternal laws of God.
- From the bases of our experiences, we want to be good because of our belief in salvation.
- Man is reward-oriented creature.
- We are lucky that God, in his wisdom, knows how to reward us properly not only later in heaven but already here on earth.
- Our moral lives can’t be fully lived, understood, and explained through our reasoning alone.
According to _______________ “Morality is that part of Theology that searches for the norms of free human conduct in the light of God’s revelation.”
Franz Bockle
According to Franz Bockle (German theologian)
Morality is?
“Morality is that part of Theology that searches for the
norms of free human conduct in the light of God’s
revelation.”
2 elements according to Bockle:
- Morality is concerned with free human conduct
- Morality is guided by God’s revelation
Morality presupposes freedom
Morality is concerned with free human conduct
Freedom means we can make choices about our lives/actions
Morality is concerned with free human conduct
Morality concerns with what we do with our freedom
Morality is concerned with free human conduct
Man has more than reason or human intelligence to guide his actions
Morality is guided by God’s revelation
Revelation means “God unveiled himself in human history, by inviting people to share his very life.”
Morality is guided by God’s revelation
God’s self-disclosure is known as salvation history
Morality is guided by God’s revelation
God’s self-disclosure is known as
salvation history
Is fulfilled in the New Testament, when God’s own son, Jesus Christ, came as God’s final word, his total selfcommunication
salvation history
Is recorded in the Old Testament (the chronicle of Yahweh’s dealing with the Jews)
salvation history
According to _______________ “Morality is the science of what human ought to be by reason of what he is. It is concerned with what humans ought to be in the light of what humanity is.”
Antonin Sertillanges
According to Antonin Sertillanges (French theologian) Morality is?
“Morality is the science of what human ought to be by reason of what he is. It is concerned with what humans ought to be in the light of what humanity is.”
3 elements according to Sertillanges
Morality is a science
Is concerned with what humans ought to be
In the light of what humanity is
In the light of what humanity is
Morality is a science
The more a person understands himself, the more refined his behavior will be.
Morality is a science
How things should be
Is concerned with what humans ought to be
How people should act
Is concerned with what humans ought to be
Morality asks people to be the persons they are meant to be
In the light of what humanity is
Christian faith defines men and women: As children of God with basic dignity, having an eternal destiny As created by God, redeemed by Christ, indwelt by the spirit, destined to eternity (God)
In the light of what humanity is
What is right is to act as a child of God, what is wrong is to forget one’s basic dignity
In the light of what humanity is
In anything, a Christian asks: “what is the human thing to do?”
In the light of what humanity is
is the systematic study of the rightness and the wrongness of human actions
Ethics
The Science of Morals
Ethics
is the rightness and wrongness of the human action.
Morality
The practice of ethics
Morality
refers to principles of right and wrong behavior or rightness and wrongness of human actions.
Morality
attempts to provide systems of moral principles and the reasons why these principles are valid
Ethics
is more concerned with the theories that can be used to explain why a particular moral principle is valid or not, right or wrong.
Ethics
Some of these basic ethical principles are:
- Respect for persons
- Truthfulness and confidentiality
- Autonomy and informed consent
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Justice
Morality comes from the Latin word ______________ which means ___________
mos or mores; “custom”
Ethics is derived from the Greek word _________________, the English translation of which is ____________________________________
ethicos or ethos; “custom” or “character”, “Customary Behavior”.
is a philosophical science which deals with the morality of the human acts.
Ethics
refers to the goodness or the badness, the rightness or the wrongness of human acts.
Morality
one who is good and does the right thing.
Moral/ethical person
one who ids bad and does what is wrong.
Immoral/unethical
Provides principles on the morality of human acts
Ethics
Provides a theoretical knowledge of the morality of human acts
Ethics
Provides bases of right or wrong and good or bad actions.
Ethics
It does not necessarily follow that man does what he knows.
Ethics
does not actually guarantee that man will be moral.
Ethics
The praxis (practice) of the ethics (theory)
Morality
Morality is properly called
applied ethics
Actualizes the theory into a real action
Morality
The doing of ethics
Morality
In a simple term, we say, there is morality because there is ________
man.
When we say that something is “moral” we generally mean that it is ________
“good”.
In morality, the fundamental value is always the ________________ and the ___________________________.
human person; person in relationship with society
. Also it means that one has needs and desires pursuant to keeping oneself alive and seeking one’s own fulfillment. This fulfilment, or perfection, we call “the __________”.
good
Anything contributing to the full actualization of human potential and the proper development of the human person is ___________________
good or moral.
anything that frustrates or acts against this proper growth and development is considered to be ________
evil
What are some of the things that frustrate human life and development, and which everyone would therefore consider evil? Here is a partial list:
Death, suffering, pain, disability, Deprivation of freedom, Discrimination that deprives one of opportunity to improve oneself, Deprivation of worth and self-esteem.
Death, suffering, pain, disability, Deprivation of freedom, Discrimination that deprives one of opportunity to improve oneself, Deprivation of worth and self-esteem. We call these ______________
premoral evils
evils in the objective sense before any moral slant has been added
premoral evils
physical evils
earthquakes, floods, epidemics, accidents and in general, things which are outside of human control.
earthquakes, floods, epidemics, accidents and in general, things which are outside of human control. we call these _____________________
physical evils
Most evil in the world is brought on by the free,
deliberate and unjustified actions of human beings. We
call such evils “________________”
moral evils
Occur when we voluntarily and deliberately become involved in the spread of pre-moral evil.
moral evils
Jesus’ teachings about love have two dimensions:
- Vertical = pointing to God
- Horizontal = pointing to others
The catholic faith teaches that
“wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it.” And that “right is right, even though no one else is doing it.”
SOME IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
- Morality has to do with who and what we are as human beings and with our legitimate development as persons.
- Authority does not create morality.
- Immoral and illegal are not the same thing.
Two presuppositions in moral theology
Man possesses freedom of will
Man is accountable to an ultimate value or authority
Men experience themselves not merely as instruments in the hands of higher forces, but as creative agents
Man possesses freedom of will
Able to choose among alternatives
Man possesses freedom of will
Capable of self-determination
Man possesses freedom of will
This ultimate accountability is what gives a moral demand or moral duty its character
Man is accountable to an ultimate value or authority
Only on this condition is it possible to speak of moral duties which bind a person in conscience and which he cannot refuse to obey without becoming guilty
Man is accountable to an ultimate value or authority
From the commitment to this ultimate value, human life receives its ultimate meaning
Man is accountable to an ultimate value or authority
The existence of god and man’s accountability to an ultimate value are not two separate presuppositions
Man is accountable to an ultimate value or authority
Division of moral theology
General morals
Special morals
Treats the general presuppositions of the moral act and its qualities that it may contribute to human’s final goal
General morals
Why the action has to be done?
General morals
Ethics of being
General morals
Treats the human action
Special morals
What action has to be done?
Special morals
Ethics of doing
Special morals
2 subdivisions of special morals
- Man’s responsibility in the religious realm: God
- Man’s responsibility towards the created world: neighbor & creation
