Virtue and Natural Law Flashcards
which means the end or goal of one’s actions
telos
means the good qualities that one should practice
virtue
is well known for declaring that there are “four kinds of causation.”
aristotle
What are the four causes?
material cause
efficient cause
formal cause
final cause
the material of which the thing being explained is made
material cause
that from which the thing being explained comes
efficient cause
the form, arrangement, or shape of the thing being explained
formal cause
the purpose for which the thing being explained exists
final cause
The final cause is also referred to by the ancient Greek word _____
telos
as the ultimate goal of why one should be virtuous
eudaimonia
So how does a person achieve one’s telos or eudaemonia?
through virtue
What are the two categories of virtue?
intellectual and moral virtues
are virtues of the mind
intellectual virtues
not innate rather they are acquired through repetition and practice, like learning a
music instrument.
moral virtues
Virtue is then the midpoint between two extremes which Aristotle called
vices
is a condition intermediate (a “golden mean” as it is popularly known) between two other states, one involving excess, and the other deficiency
ethical virtue
is the development of virtue in a human being, as it makes a man good and ultimately will guide him in reaching happiness or
eudaimonia.
virtue ethics
is always a midpoint between two extremes.
right action
good thing means a _____
well-functioning one
taking one’s life does not
preserve life
What are the 3 strengths of virtue ethics?
- virtue ethics goes behind the action and escapes the sterility of Utilitarianism or Kantian Ethics.
- have social dimensions
- Sees eudaimonia as the telos
created an experiment to see if participants would follow orders even when the requested
behavior went against their moral beliefs or good judgment.
Stanley Milgram 1963
What experiment did Stanley Milgram perform?
The Milgram Shock Experiment
Our emotions and desires are
irrational and need to be controlled by reason
are irrational and need to be controlled by reason
emotions and desire
to control the emotions and desire we need to apply
moral virtue or practical wisdom
we need to find the
mid-point or mean between two vices
as constitutive of moral and cardinal virtues
happiness
TRUE OR FALSE: St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle both agree that man is inherently good and is a rational being
TRUE
TRUE OR FALSE: St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle agree that virtue leads to happiness and the absence of it leads to unhappiness.
TRUE
believed that the morality of happiness should find a nexus between one’s actions of doing Good
St. Thomas
What are the four cardinal virtues?
Prudence
Justice
Temperance
Fortitude
ability to judge between actions with
regard to appropriate actions at a given time
prudence
the perpetual and constant will of
rendering to each one his right
justice
practicing self-control,
abstention, and moderation
temperance
forbearance, endurance, and ability
to confront fear, uncertainty and intimidation
fortitude
ARISTOTLE OR AQUINAS: the highest Good is happiness.
aristotle
The highest good
happiness (Aristotle
is final and self-sufficient; it is desirable in itself and only for itself”
happiness (Aristotle
ARISTOTLE OR AQUINAS: Happiness is the perfect good which brings all of our desires to rest.
Aquinas
is the perfect good which brings all of our desires to rest.
happiness
is the chief Good
perfect happiness
ARISTOTLE OR AQUINAS: believed that everything we do, we do it for the sake of the good.
Aquinas
believed that everything we do, we do it for the sake of the _____
good
for St. Thomas, the ultimate happiness should be a union
with the supreme creator through the practice of cardinal virtues
resulting to eternal happiness
subscribing to morality
is often defined as a state of mind rather than a place, but still, you would wish to believe that heaven is an abode for you to stay in when you die
heaven
Upon my death, I will let fall a shower of roses; I wish to spend my heaven in doing good upon the earth”
St. Therese of Lisieux
Thomas Aquinas was born in_____ at ____
1225 at Rocasseca in Italy
The huge attempt in his academic and religious life was to combine the theological principles of faith with the philosophical principles of reason.
Thomas Aquinas
He was one of the most influential thinkers of medieval Scholasticism.
Thomas Aquinas
His seminal works are characterized critiques of the scriptures and the works of Aristotle.
Thomas Aquinas
The idea of natural law can be traced back to
Cicero
it was defined as a true law as a right reason in agreement with nature.
natural law
makes a natural law inherent to him
a man possessing virtues
good values
goodwill
According to Aquinas, ____ is not about commandments and obligations primarily but is about a ____ or ____ principle of order by which things are directed to their ends.
law
rational or reasonable
“Law is an ______ for the ______ from him who has care of the community, which is promulgated or made known.”
ordination of reason
common good
is not a command of the will of a superior but is an expression of his reason consisting of a kind of reasoned plan or order of things towards the common good
law
an end and can be shared by many without
loss or diminishment.
common good
What are the four laws?
eternal law
natural law
divine law
human law
is the whole plan of creation itself
eternal law
rational creatures participation in the Eternal Law
natural law
laws revealed through divine revelation in the Old and New Testaments
divine law
Application of the Natural Law on various levels in particular communities.
human law
the whole plan of creation itself.
eternal law
is basically God Himself.
eternal law
is the Reason God governs the whole universe
eternal laws
as the cosmos possesses the unity of diverse creatures. This event is due to the intervention of the eternal law
universe
then means in particular the way rational creatures, human beings, participate in God’s plan that is the Eternal Law.
natural law
is man’s rational participation in Eternal law
natural law
only human beings have the
faculty of reason
is derived from a transcendent source, God in this case.
Divine Law
This theological explanation of law emanates from a supreme being.
Divine Law
is manmade and considered the lowest form of law.
human law
Man promulgates this law to uphold a citizen’s civil rights in a particular society
human law
an individual substance of a rational nature.”
human person (Boethius)
TRUE OR FALSE: Aquinas agreed with Aristotle that the human person is composed of a soul and a body.
TRUE
soul is according to Aristotle
permanent and incorruptible
further argued that the soul is capable of existence apart from the body after death
Aquinas
for Aquinas, what distinguishes a human person from other animals is her being
rational
what are the appetitive element?
irrational
vegetative or will
TRUE OR FALSE: appetitive is part of man not in the realm of virtues
TRUE
may lead the human person towards excellence or virtue.
cognitive aspect
This faculty enables us to know, understand and apprehend the nature of the good
cognitive aspect
What are the 5 principles of Natural Inclinations?
the Good
Life
Procreation
Social Life
Knowledge
is not imposed on us by some external will that commands us from above, it’s rather the very design of our being.
natural law
The first inclination stems from the first precept of natural law
do good and avoid evil
Aquinas is telling us that ______ is in accordance with the precepts of natural law.
preserving human life
The third inclination is one that we share with other animals, which has something to do with the
propagation of species and the care of one’s offspring (procreation)
The fourth inclination is that human beings are also _____ according to their essence or natural capacity as rational creatures
inclined to do Good
In turn, man helps others and creates a
support system
The fifth one is, that human beings have an obligation to dispel ___ in order to move closer to ____
ignorance
truth
is only moral when it conforms with Natural Law
human law
is most clear with respect to certain general and negative precepts like the precepts of the Ten Commandments
natural law
Natural Law demands that human lawmakers should write laws that order their community towards its
common good
Aristotle was born to a well-off family in the Macedonian town of ____ about ____ BC
Stagira
384
Human soul can be categorized into two
appetitive and cognitive
A person’s action, which is borne out of the appetitive element, is usually done out of impulse, which naturally goes against ___
reason
Human actions in accordance with our rational faculty are done voluntarily, i.e., exercised according to the reasoned account of what a person thinks is good.
cognitive aspect
it can be considered a product of our own free judgment
cognitive aspect
