Theme 2B: NL and the role of virtues and goods Flashcards
What is a Virtue?
- A good attribute
- A divine standard within the beautification vision
- From Greek word ‘Arete’
Where are the revealed virtues found?
In St Pauls Letter: 1 Corinthians 13
What does Paul Letter say about the revealed virtues?
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”
What is the revealed virtue Faith?
- More than intellectual acknowledgment of the divine
- An action or will for Aquinas
- ‘An act of intellect which assents to the divine truth at the command of the will, moved by God’s grace’
- Involves the whole person
What is the revealed virtue Hope?
- The constant and consistent trust in achieving the beatific vision
- An inspired positive state of being, a spiritual energy that drives the pursuit for the final end
- Pure form of desire focused on only the highest aim
- It is an underlying virtue that supports the moral virtues
What is the revealed virtue love?
- The greater of all revealed virtues
- Love for God is reflected in the love for ones neighbour
- The real key to Aquinas view of morality
- The one virtues that actively directs all other virtues towards God
- Love has the healing property that restores our ‘fallen’ nature
Why are they called revealed virtues?
They are found in Pauls letters in the Bible
Why are the revealed virtues superlative virtues?
They define and direct all other virtues
They are aspirational as its what we aim for
What does cardinal virtues mean?
Cultivation of specific natural virtues
What are the 4 cardinal virtues?
- Prudence
- Temperance
- Courage
- Justice
What is the cardinal virtue prudence?
- Being able to make sound judgements in reasoning
- Application of ‘wisdom concerning human affairs’
- Involves being aware of both the moral principles established through natural law but also the situation that the principles need to be applied
- The capacity and competency of rational evaluation of circumstances
What is the cardinal virtue temperance?
- About moderation
- Involves sobriety and restraint
- Has the ability to purify and refine physical pleasures
- Part of temperance is also the virtue of humility
- Restrains vices such as anger and vanity
What are the three revealed virtues?
- Faith
- Hope
- Love
What is the cardinal virtue of courage?
- Sometimes referred to as fortitude
- Incorporates discipline, patience, endurance and perseverance in difficult circumstances
- A courageous person will not be broken by stress and sorrow
- Encourages nobility of character
- Not controlled by fear and not subject to reckless, irresponsible or rash behaviour
What is the cardinal virtue of justice?
- Has a specific focus on our actions towards others
- More to do with how our actions are governed than our own character
- Covers law and individual cases
- Involves how the way matters are administered
- Does not mean equality for all but recognises individual needs
Why did Aquinas think that developing certain virtues was important?
- Foundation of all things
- Help humans life a moral life
- Must be infused by the divine
- Beatific vision
What is an interior act?
The intention of an act
What is an exterior act?
The act itself
What is the end that Aquinas values?
God
What did Aquinas believe about the intention and the act?
Both were important
What does Aquinas believe about acts?
- That acts are intrinsically good or bad because human beings act in accordance with their ultimate purpose, God is glorified
What is double effect?
Even if a good act has bad consequences, it is still right to do the act, even if it was known that bad consequences would result.
What is the important issue in double effect?
The intention
What are the 4 conditions in double effect to be met to make the action morally permissible?
- Evil effects are not intentional
- The immediate effect is good in itself
- Evil is not made a means to obtain the good effect
- That the good effect be as important at least as the evil effect
What is an example demonstrating double effect?
- Treating a pregnant woman of cancer in order to save her life but at the same destroys the unborn child.
What did Aquinas believe about humans?
- Humans were mainly good because we are created by God
- Natural law is within all of us.
What did Aquinas state about evil?
‘No evil can be desirable, either by natural appetite or by conscience will’
What is an apparent good?
Something that does not fit with the perfect human ideal
What is an real good?
Something that helps humans achieve their telos
What is an example of real and apparent goods?
- An adulterer committing adultery because he or she believes it is good
- For Aquinas it is an error in reason as the action prevents the person from drawing close to what God intends
What did Aquinas use as an example for real and apparent goods?
‘A fornicator seeks pleasure which involves him in moral guilt’
How do you distinguish between real and apparent goods?
- The human must use reason correctly and choose the right thing to do
- Aquinas realised this was not always easy as we may be tempted to do things we enjoy which may not be good for us
