Natural Moral Law Flashcards
What is deontology?
The approach in ethics in which rightness and wrongness of an act is judged by its conformity to duties, rules, and obligations.
What is telos?
Purpose or end goal
What is the basis of NML?
Natural law ethics goes back to Aristotle (Ancient
Greek Philosopher) and his theory of telos; that
everything has a nature which directs it towards a
particular end goal.
Aquinas Christianised this idea, adding that it is the
Christian God who set laws and the telos of all
things, according to his omnibenevolent plan for the
universe.
What was Aquinas’ main belief about NML?
Human nature has the God given ability to reason, which
comes with the ability both to intuitively know primary
moral precepts and to apply them to moral situations
and actions
What did Aristotle believe the end goal for humans was?
The supreme good for humans is eudaimonia: happiness.
Aristotle believed eudaimonia was the final goal for humans, which could be reached from living a life of reason
What did Cicero say about NML?
there will not be different laws at Rome and at Athens, or different laws now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and all times
What does St Paul say supporting NL?
“They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts”-Romans
Who was St Thomas Aquinas
13th century scholar
influenced by Aristotle
humans can use God-given reason to make moral decisions
What is a quote from Aquinas?
“The light of reason is placed by nature in every man, to guide him in his acts towards his end”. Aquinas
What is meant by the term “God-given reason”?
The belief that God has given humans the ability to cognitively process (think about) the difference between right and wrong
What is Natural Law Theory?
Natural Law says that everything has a purpose, and
that mankind was made by God with a specific design
in mind. It says that this purpose can be known
through reason.
* As a result, fulfilling the purpose of our design is the
only ‘good’ for humans. For Aquinas, the
telos/end/goal of rational beings involves glorifying
God by following God’s moral law.
* It is a deontological theory, focusing on duties and
the intent behind an action and not its outcomes
What are Aquinas’ 4 types of laws?
Eternal law - laws that exist within creation because God put them there.
* Divine law – revealed principles of morality from God, e.g. the message of the Bible.
* Natural moral law – God’s eternal law that humans can understand through
the application of reason.
* Human law – formulated by humans, based on the above 3 types of law.
What are the 4 causes?
Humans can work out what is ‘good’ by working out the different causes.
* Humans need to use their reason for this.
* For Aquinas, whatever promotes the final cause is right, whatever goes against it is wrong
1. The Material Cause
2. The Efficient Cause
What gets things done
3. The Formal Cause
4. The Final Cause
The goal or end purpose
What is an agent?
The moral agent – the person involved in making an ethical decision
What is synderesis?
- The innate principle in the moral consciousness of every person which directs the agent to good and restrains him from evil.
- This directs our conscience and if humans apply God given reason it will lead to the right actions.
What did Aquinas say in Summa Theologica?
Aquinas described natural law as a moral code existing within the purpose of nature, created by God. It is:
* accessible through the natural order
* universal
* unchanging, for all time
* relevant to all circumstances
* given by God
This natural law exists to help humans to direct their actions in such a way that they may reach their telos (God like perfection) and eternal union with God in the afterlife
What is the synderesis rule?
good is to be done and evil avoided – this directs our conscience and if humans apply God given reason it will lead to the right actions
How was Aquinas different to Aristotle?
Aquinas built upon Aristotle’s Natural Law and the idea that the universe has a natural order that works to achieve an ‘end’ or ‘purpose’ (telos) but, unlike Aristotle, Aquinas argued that this end is to be united with the Christian God and called this the Beatific Vision. Human flourishing and well-being are vital to this but the true realisation of it is to be found in God.
What does teleological mean?
In Natural Moral Law, the primary precepts are teleological, their aim to bring complete well-being in this life and union with God in the next.
What does Aquinas believe about telos and human purpose?
- Aquinas believed that everything in the natural world, including humans, has a telos (ultimate purpose) or a final cause.
- In the case of humans, Aquinas argued that our ultimate purpose is to achieve perfect happiness, which he believed could only be found in the divine presence of God.
What is The Beatific Vision?
- According to Aquinas, humans are naturally inclined to seek happiness, but true happiness can only be attained through a direct union with God.
- He referred to this union as the “Beatific Vision”.
- This union is the ultimate goal of human life, and Aquinas believed it could only be achieved in the afterlife.
What are the primary precepts?
W– orship God
O– rdered society
R– eproduction
L – earn (educate the young)
D- efend life (to preserve life)
Describe what the PP are
The primary precepts are teleological because they point us toward thepurpose, we should aim for to lead good lives. They help humans to flourish.
* For Aquinas, man’s first precept (rule) is preservation of life.
* He established a series of primary precepts (absolute rules) that are required
to ensure this goal; the continuation of the species through reproduction, the
education of children, to live in society and to worship God.
What are secondary precepts?
Rules which support the 5 PP
Secondary precepts are deontological rulings about things that we should or shouldn’t do because they uphold, or fail to uphold the primary precepts. They can be flexible in how they are applied
