NML And Human Nature

Question 1

What type of ethical theory is NML?

Answer 1

Deontological

Question 2

What is a deontological theory ?

Answer 2

A deontological theory is an ethical approach that judges actions based on whether they adhere to rules or duties, rather than focusing on their outcomes.

Question 3

Who was St Thomas Aquinas ?

Answer 3

• a13th century thinker
  -he argued that moral laws derive from the “eternal law” established by God

Question 4

What is the syneresis rule?

Answer 4

-The synderesis rule, articulated by Thomas Aquinas, states that “good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided,”
-Thomas Aquinas believed that the synderesis rule reflects an innate aspect of human nature our rational soul, enabling us to naturally incline toward good and away from evil

Question 5

How may Aquinas’ look on human nature be naive?

Answer 5

-it overlooks the darker aspects of human behaviour, as seen in cases like Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, who murdered women believing he was carrying out a divine mission.
-His actions contradict Aquinas’s belief that humans, using reason, will follow the path of goodness toward their telos or ultimate purpose.
-Aquinas’s claim that “the good is that which all things seek after” does not fully account for individuals who are misguided by irrational beliefs, mental illness, or cultural relativism.
-might be overly simplistic, failing to recognise the potential for moral corruption and evil within human nature

Question 6

What did Aquinas believe the purpose the humanity is?

Answer 6

-Thomas Aquinas was influenced by Aristotle’s (a 4th century thinker) concept of eudaimonia (human flourishing) as the ultimate goal of life, which Aquinas developed into the idea of achieving one’s telos (purpose) through living in accordance with reason and virtue.
-However, Aquinas extended this idea by linking human flourishing to the beatific vision, the ultimate union with God, which he saw as the true and eternal fulfillment of human nature.