Natural law Flashcards
What is the purpose of mankind?
To reflect the image of god
How do we be the person that god designed?
To be ‘natural’ and therefore ‘good’
What are the primary precepts?
To reproduce, to learn, to live together harmoniously, to preserve life and to worship
What are secondary precepts?
Any action that helps us to fulfill primary precepts e.g marriage helps us to reproduce and to live together harmoniously so marriage must be good
What is synderesis?
the process of reasoning we use when we are working out secondary precepts using primary precepts
What is the hierarchy of law?
Divine Law ( is revealed to man – i.e the Bible) Natural Law (human nature and reason) Human law (or state law which can be ignored if it comes into conflict with the above)
What causes us to ‘sin’?
When we lack reason and we make mistakes. Our intention is to do good but we do not properly apply natural law so we fall short of our intended purpose and we sin.
What is proportionalism?
When you feel it necessary to commit a wrong act because the problem you are trying to solve is great enogough (in proportion) to the act itself. It is wrong but necessary. e.g just war- War is wrong because it does not preserve life or cause harmonious living, however it is sometimes necessary to fight to bring about a greater good
What is double effect?
Your intention is to do good but you end up breaking a precept as a consequence. Your intention was to do good so you have not technically commmited a wrong act e.g a baby might be aborted during an operation to save the life of the mother.
Natural law is absolutist? What does this mean?
There is a way things are meant to be (i.e. the way God designed) and we can work out these absolute laws by using our reason
How is natural law deontological?
It is our duty to be the person god designed us to be
How is natural law teleological?
we are looking to the consequences of our actions i.e. that we will be the person God designed.
