Natural Law Flashcards
What concept influenced Aquinas’ Natural law ethics?
Aristotle’s concept of telos
What does Natural law ethics assert about God’s design for human nature?
Humans have the ability to know general moral precepts
What are the four tiers of law according to Aquinas?
- Eternal law
- Divine law
- Natural law
- Human law
What is the Eternal law?
God’s mind and omnibenevolent plan for the universe
What is the Divine law?
The Bible
What is the Natural law?
The orientation towards the good built into our nature by God
What is the Human law?
Laws we make which should be based on the natural & divine law
What ability does reason provide humans as part of their telos?
Synderesis
What is the synderesis rule?
To do good and avoid evil
List the primary precepts of natural law.
- Preserve human life
- Order in society
- Worship God
- Educate
- Reproduction
What is the process of applying primary precepts to moral actions called?
Conscientia
What is an example of a secondary precept?
‘Euthanasia is wrong’ based on the primary precept to preserve human life
What does the Doctorine of double effect state?
Some actions have two effects; one that goes against the primary precepts and one that fits with them
What is the intentionality condition in Aquinas’ ethics?
Morally acceptable if the good effect was intended and the bad effect was unintended
What must be considered for proportionality in moral actions?
Using no more force than necessary
True or False: J.S. Mill argues that the divine law of the Bible is relevant in modern times.
False
What socio-economic conditions influenced Aquinas’ views?
High murder rates, need for reproduction, stigma against single mothers, etc.
What does the critique of Aquinas’ views being ‘outdated’ imply?
Popular opinion has shifted, making his reasoning less applicable today
How does modern science challenge the concept of telos?
There’s no scientific evidence for purpose; the universe is explained through material causation
Who argued that science can explain ‘what’ but not ‘why’?
Polkinghorne
What is the argument against the necessity of telos according to modern science?
Science provides simpler explanations without the need for supernatural concepts
What is the critique regarding cross-cultural moral variations in Aquinas’ theory?
Different cultures have different moral views, suggesting moral compass is shaped by culture, not telos
What do psychologists like Freud and Skinner suggest about moral views?
They argue that moral views are determined by social conditioning
What is Karl Barth’s critique of natural theology?
It relies too heavily on human reason, which is corrupted by original sin
What does Barth advocate for instead of natural theology?
Sola scriptura - reliance solely on faith in the Bible
How does Pope John Paul II view proportionalism?
He argues it is an invalid development of true natural law ethics
What is the main point of contention between proportionalism and traditional natural law ethics?
Proportionalism allows for greater flexibility in moral decisions based on outcomes
What is an example of a moral dilemma presented in the evaluation of proportionalism?
The choice of killing a baby to save a family from bandits
What does Aquinas believe about the relationship between human reason and God’s law?
Reason can discover God’s natural law within our nature
