Natural Moral law Flashcards
Who had most impact on NML?
aquinas
Why was it christianised?
would have gotten him into trouble if not
What is eudaemonia?
the ultimate happiness which can happen in this lifetime
Where does Aquinas get the idea of happiness?
Aristotle
What did Aquinas believe about right and wrong ?
Right and wrong are fixed concepts and do not change situationally
What does natural law actually mean?
ways we should behave
What were aquinas four tiers of law ?
eternal law
divine law
natural law
human law
What is eternal law ?
moral truths that stay the same not dependant on the situation these truths humans may not understand fully
What is divine law?
the teachings of god - bible commandments
What is natural law?
possible for human beings to perceive gods eternal law by using human reason
What is human law ?
regulation of society only proper if its in accordance with divine and natural law
What is the synderesis rule?
do good and avoid evil - moral life is lived and through reason
Why did Aquinas write the primary precepts ?
to help us understand the purpose that god has for our lives
What are the five primary precepts ?
preservation of life
live in ordered society
worship god
education / learning
reproducing
What is the first precept and its meaning ?
preservation of life - its natural for us as humans to worry about preserving our life
What is the second precept and its meaning ?
live in an ordered society - by doing this we can fulfil our purpose
What is the third precept and its meaning?
worship god - we can appreciate god as source of life and recognise this
What is the fourth precept and its meaning ?
learn and educate children we - we are intellectual creatures so it is only natural for us to learn
What is the fifht precept and its meaning ?
reproduce - to carry on life as its god intention
What is the secondary precepts?
general rules we follow using reason and the primary precepts - these are more flexible
example of a secondary precept ?
preserving life (first primary precept ) so we know that killing would be considered wrong and always wrong
What is apparent vs real good ?
We cannot knowingly desire evil so aquinas argues when we desire something evil - like a man having an affair he may think this as a real good but this is only an apparent good
What is the principle of double effect ?
if the act is not bad and the intention is good then the side effect is justified
Arugment against natural moral law ?
Bernard house and proportionalism - he says we should be more compassionate and not stick to strict tradition - he says it has a holistic nature - we should be able to bring in other factors when making decisions such as dignity justice and integrity
