ontological arguments. Flashcards
how did natural law originate ?
it started with aristotle and his theory of telos and aquinas christianised this idea, adding that it is god who sets a thing’s telos according to his plans for the universe.
what is telos ?
that everything has a nature which directs it towards a particular end goal.
why do humans have telos ?
god designed the universe to operate according to his divine plan by instilling telos in every being, to direct it towards its good end. humans have free will and are thus capable of either following or rebelling against the divine plan. following god’s natural law results in flourishing (eudaimonia) both for individuals and society. disobeying has the opposite effect.
what are aquinas 4 tiers of law ?
the eternal law.- law in the mind of god
the divine law – god’s revelation to humans in the bible.
the natural law – the moral law God created in human nature, discoverable by human reason.
human law – the laws humans make which should be based on the natural and divine law.
what is synderesis ?
the habit or ability of reason to discover foundational ‘first principles’ of god’s natural moral law.
what is the synderesis
that the good is what all things seek as their end/goal (telos).
what are the primary precepts ?
worship god, live in an orderly society, reproduce, educate, protect and preserve human life and defend the innocent.
what is conscientia ?
the ability of reason to apply he primary precepts to situations or types of actions. The judgement we then acquire is a secondary precept.
e.g. the primary precepts don’t say anything about euthanasia but we can use our reason to apply the primary precepts to euthanasia, and realise that it goes against the primary precept of protecting and preserving human life.
what is an exterior act ?
a physical action itself is an exterior act because it occurs outside of our mind.
what is an interior act ?
our intention; what we deliberately choose to do, and it occurs inside our mind.
an example of an exterior and interior act ?
the act of giving money to charity is an example of a good exterior act, but is only morally good when combined with the right kind of intention, which would be an interior act. if the intention was only to be thought of as a good person, which is not the right kind of intention, then the action is not truly morally good.
what is the doctrine of double effects ?
some actions both uphold the precepts and go against them. for aquinas, the only effect that matters is the one that was intended.
e.g. in self-defence if you killed someone else.
what is a strength of telos ?
they are empirical, i.e., based on evidence. aristotle observed that everything has a nature which inclines it towards a certain goal which he and aquinas called its telos. it is a biological fact that certain behaviours cause an organism to flourish. telos therefore is an empirically valid concept.
what is a weakness of telos ?
modern science’s rejection of final causation: francis bacon, called the father of empiricism, argued that only material and efficient causation were valid scientific concepts, not formal and final causation. the idea of telos is unscientific.
