Secondary precepts & conscientia

Question 1

What are the two categories of precepts in the natural law according to Aquinas?

Answer 1

The two categories of precepts in the natural law are:

• Most general precepts known to all.
• Secondary and more detailed precepts, which are conclusions following closely from the first principles.

Question 2

What is conscientia in Aquinas’s ethical framework?

Answer 2

Conscientia is the ability of reason to apply the primary precepts to situations or types of actions and to make judgments based on them.

Question 3

Can you provide an example of how conscientia works?

Answer 3

I the case of euthanasia, while the primary precepts do not explicitly mention it, we can use our reason to apply the primary precepts to euthanasia.

By doing so, we can realize that euthanasia goes against the primary precept of protecting and preserving human life, and arguably disrupts the functioning of society as well. Therefore, we can conclude the secondary precept that euthanasia is wrong.