Origins Flashcards
What type of approach to ethics does Natural Law Theory have?
Absolute
What does absolute mean?
A fixed view of right and wrong
Is it a religious ethical theory?
It is a Christian ethical theory
Who developed Natural Law Theory?
Thomas Aquinas
What type of Christian was Thomas Aquinas?
Roman Catholic
Who was Thomas Aquinas influenced by?
The Greek philosopher Aristotle
Through what means did Aristotle try to explain what things were?
The 4 causes
What are the 4 causes?
Material cause
Formal cause
Efficient cause
Final cause
What is the material cause?
What something is made of
What is the formal cause?
The key characteristics/design/plan of an object
What is the efficient cause?
The thing that brings the object into existence
What is the final cause?
The purpose (telos) of an object
Complete a worked example of the 4 causes using a human as the object
Material cause - blood - bones - organs - water - skin Formal cause - human DNA - human shape Efficient cause - Parents Final cause - to live - to reproduce
How did Aristotle deem something to be good?
Something is good if it achieves its purpose (final cause)
How did Aquinas adapt Aristotle’s ideas?
Aquinas liked the idea of something being good if it achieved its purpose, but because he was a Christian and believed in God he argued that God had created the world and set a purpose for all things within it.
