Natural Law Flashcards
What is on the Specification?
-Telos
-Four teirs of Law
-The precepts
What does Aquinas’s natural Law depend on?
That all things including human beings have a God-given purpose (telos)
What did Aristotle believe humans ultimate telos is when they act?
Eudaimonia (human flourishing)
What is Aristotle’s idea of happiness?
the long term development of an individual and there abilities.
What is the difference between Aristotle’s belief of the afterlife vs Aquinas?
Aristotle does not believe in the afterlife and eudaimonia is a earthly goal
What did Aquinas believe about heaven?
-Disagreed that ultimate happiness is achieve in earthly life.
-It can only be achieved when united with God in heaven.
-Earthly happiness is a foretaste of heavenly bliss.
What did both Aristotle and Aquinas believe about rationality?
Humans are uniquely rational as there able to rationalise what actions will lead to telos
Why is human rationality different to other living things?
As they move blindly to there purpose e.g seeds grow into plants without a consciousness
What does it mean when Aristotle says something is good?
It fulfils it’s purpose e.g boots are good if they keep your feet warm and dry.
What is a ‘good’ human according to Aristotle and Aquinas?
Aristotle:UP eudaimonia in earthly life
Aquinas: UP is uniting with God in heaven.
Explain the analogy of the archer by Aquinas.
The unintelligent object the arrow cannot hit the target without something intelligent guiding it
Explain the faults of using reason.
-Humans have been damaged by the Fall
-Humans are inclined to sin
-Believed that authority was needed due to akrasia
What are 2 advantages of Telos.
-Aquinas successfully demonstrated in his teleological argument all things have a purpose
-Idea that humans have purpose if grounded in the bible ‘Plans and purposes God has for human beings’.
What are 2 disadvantages of Telos?
-Perhaps we are looking for things that aren’t actually there as we seek comfort.
-Aquinas could perhaps be wrong to assume we all have the same purpose for example priest who are called to celibacy are exempt from the primary precept of reproduction
Name all of God’s moral law according to Aquinas in hierarchy order.
eternal,divine,natural,human
Which law do all laws rely on?
Eternal Law
What is eternal law?
refers to laws that are known in the mind of God.