Natural Moral Law

Question 1

What was Aquinas’s basic principle?

Answer 1

“pursue and do good and avoid evil”

Question 2

What was his principle built on?

Answer 2

• by the primary precepts, which listed the fundamental goods
• obeying them leads to eudaimonia

Question 3

What were the five primary precepts?

Answer 3

• Know and worship God
• Reproduce
• Living in an ordered society
• Socialisation of young
• Preservation of life

Question 4

What are secondary precepts?

Answer 4

• rules showing humans how to apply the primary precepts to specific situations in their lives
• how something effects humanity’s telos reflects if it is wrong or right
• they are universally binding; so same for everyone and their cultures

Question 5

What are the 4 cardinal virtues?

Answer 5

• Prudence
• Justice
• Fortitude
• Temperance

Question 6

What is the principle of the double effect?

Answer 6

In difficult situations, this principle allows for people to disregard secondary principles while still upholding primary ones

Question 7

What are the 4 conditions of the principle of the double effect?

Answer 7

• The nature of the act: morality should be good
• the means-end: bad effect should be side effect not a means to how the good is achieved
• good intention: intention must be good, bad effect may be foreseen, not intended
• proportionality: good effect must be proportionate in its significance to the bad effect

Question 8

What is proportionalism?

Answer 8

• states that the moral principle arising out of natural moral law should be firmly upheld unless there is a proportionate reason for not doing so
• no intrinsically evil acts

Question 9

What two things must be taken into account in proportionalism?

Answer 9

• the intention of the moral agent

- the value of the good effect weighed against the disvalue of the bad effect

Question 10

What are the strengths and weaknesses of proportionalism?

Answer 10

• STRENGTH 1: Its use in the Just War Theory shows that it works
• WEAKNESS 1: The Magisterium has denounced it because of its claim that there are no intrinsic evils. (rape? torture? slavery?)
• STRENGTH 2: In situations where it is applied, it makes good sense
• WEAKNESS 2: It’s calculation of value and disvalue seems consequentialist
  In the cases where it is used, it may not be easy to give an accurate prediction of the outcome

Question 11

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Natural Moral Law?

Answer 11

• STRENGTH: It’s compatible with and common to everyone
• STRENGTH: Objective theory, things can be inherently wrong or right
• STRENGTH: Double effect and proportionalism gives it a degree of flexibility
• WEAKNESS: Issues of infertility may challenge the primary precept of the importance of natural reproduction
• WEAKNESS: Atheists are unlikely to follow this supposedly universal ethic as it is tied to belief in God