Natural Law And Aquinas Flashcards
What does subjective mean
Subjective is something that is according to a persons opinion. Just because it’s someone’s opinion however does not make it a fact
What is something objective
Something objective is a fact that is not according to someone’s opinion
What is absolute morality
Absolute morality are things that are always right and wrong
What is relative morality
Relative morality is morality according to the circumstances. It is a decision that someone makes relative to the events that led up to it and what the consequences may be after the decision has been made
What is a teleological theory
A teleological theory is a theory that justifies actions by their outcomes. E.g if a good thing happens following your action ,even if it was controversial, then the action is acceptable
What is a deontological theory
Deontological theories are concerned with the doing of the action itself rather than the outcome of the action. Whatever you do should be good.
What does telos mean
Telos refers to the purpose of something
What does Aristotle argue that humans telos is
Aristotle argues that humans telos is to flourish in eudaemonia
What does Aquinas argue that our telos as humans is
Aquinas states that our telos is to be in union with God and in order to achieve this we should remember the synderesis rule which is “to do good and avoid evil”
How are humans meant to follow the synderesis rule
Humans are meant to follow the synderesis rule by following the five key primary precepts
What are the five primary precepts
- Preservation of innocent life-Aquinas argues it is our duty to preserve life
- Reproduction-Aquinas argues it is rational to ensure life continues
- Education-Aquinas argues it is important for us as intelligent creatures to gain an education
- To live in an ordered society-Aquinas argues that we as social beings must live in an ordered society where it is possible for us to fulfil our purpose
- To worship God-Aquinas says as spiritual beings we should recognise God as the source of life and live in a way that pleases him
What is the purpose of secondary precepts
Secondary precepts tells us exactly how to act and how to put the more general primary precepts into specific practice
What are Aquinas’ four tiers of law
Eternal law- This is the law in the mind of God. It is Gods knowledge of right and wrong. It was established at the creation of the universe and will only ever be fully known by God
The divine law-The divine law is the law revealed by God through the commandments and teachings e.g scripture . It includes the Ten Commandments and moral teachings of Jesus. It will not contradict eternal law
Natural law-Natural law is the law we get by thinking what is morally right and wrong. The process of thinking of what is right and wrong is given to us by God and allows us to give a rational reflection on our human nature
Human law-Human laws are the laws set out by governments and society . They are only accurate and should only be followed if they violate none of the other laws
What did Aquinas say would happen if we follow the synderesis rule
Aquinas said if we follow the synderesis rule and the primary precepts will will achieve real goods and therefore become closer to God
What did aquinas say we had to help us achieve real goods
Aquinas said that we could use our power of reason in order to keep us on the right path. Our reason is our ability to know right from wrong and make rational decisions.
Aquinas said we would never use our reason to do the wrong thing. If we do wrong, it must be because we were mistaken and were trying to achieve an apparent good
