Aquinas' Natural Law Theory

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What is it?
Absolute, Deontological, Good is to be done and evil is to be avoided
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It is the belief...
...humans created with ability to reason = follow God's intened purpose
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What does it say?
• It says that everything has a purpose • Mankind was made by God with a specific design/objective in mind • Doesn’t require belief in God • Purpose can be known through reason • Ultimate goal = fulfill God’s purpose • Version of virtue ethics –
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Who designed it?
• Aristotle put forward the theory • Aquinas studied Aristotle and championed the theory • Deductive theory – starts with the basic principles • Deontological – looking at intent rather than actions
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Aristotles belief?
Our earthly goal = flourish in community - no survival after death, Happiness is eudemonia (Full flourishment)
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Aquinas' belief?
Life after death - achieved if we serve God by light of reason, Happinesses is union in heaven with God (our ultimate purpose)
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Efficent Cause
Gets things done
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Final cause
End product - assumes only for rational purposes
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Example of Sex
Efficent cause: enjoyment / Final cause: Procreation
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Example of the Solider
Little actions do not tell us about the morality of them did the soilder shoot well? Was it right to kill
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What does NL support?
• NL supports PRUDENCE (the centre role of practical reason), JUSTICE, FORTITUDE, COURAGE AND TEMPERANCE • These allow a human to fulfill its purpose
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Prudence
Prudence: the need for intellect plays a big part in Aquinas theory. – Intuition doesn’t guide us/ no gut feeling Humans are rational creatures intrinsically we are capable of directing behavior through thinking Only thinking can provide an answer t
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Real Good
Real’ good = improvement of self = getting nearer to ideal human nature god has planned
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Apparent Good
• ‘Apparent’ good = pleasurable (e.g. drugs) = lead us to fall short of our purpose / moral error
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Exterior Act
Action itself
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Interior Act
Intention - if both are carried out = true and moral action
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Double Effect
Double Effect: • Helps to apply NL principles to specific situations • Logical way = Logical consequences • Self defence killing = ok • War attack on a country = justified even if innocents die as this was not the intent •
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Continued
• This where the Doctrine of Double Effect applies = intended outcome and another significant but unintentional outcome
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Aquinas says...
‘Nothing hinders an act from having two effects, only one which is intended while the other is beside the intention.
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Conditions required for the double effect:
1. The act must not be evil in itself 2. The evil and the good that comes from the act must be equal / the good is more proportionate 3. The intention must be good
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4th condition:
4. A proportionately serious reason must be present to justify allowing a indirect bad effect
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However Aquinas' insitists on...
proprotion / circumstance must be serious
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Primary Precepts
P – Preservation of Life O – Ordered society W – Worship God E – Education to nurture the young R – Reproduction
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What are the primary precepts?
Reflection of God's eternal laws / key for floursihment / designed to point us in the right direction
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Secondary Precepts
Dependent on our own judgment Open to reasoning = more teleological than deontological Require experience, use of reason and exercise of wisdom E.g. reproduction may need secondary precepts as to what is acceptable sex
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What are the secondary precepts?
These make Aquinas NL realistic and flexible Takes in to account our human limitation and weaknesses
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Strengths of NL
- Certainity: provides clear universal rules - allows unintettial ending of a life / unieversalisn - allows to transcend difference between cultures - focus on common ideas and reason - purpose = god given
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Weaknesses of NL
- No agreed Moral Law (too rigid) - fails to take into account that not everyone is compos mentis / used in the wrong way - fails to take in to account individual circumstances (Aquinas' = celibate monk - hypocrite didn't reproduce)
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What is Sin?
Falling short from Good ➢ This then means that a human is becoming less than he or she intended by God. Sin is a theological word but there is no real difference between this theological idea and acting against reason
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Eternal Law
God = all-powerful made human’s mortal and social / had a good reason behind this: best interpreted as the principles by which God created and controlled the universe
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Divine Law
Aquinas believes that moral requirements are knowable by human reason – otherwise NL would fail / Aquinas position often described as Christian Humanism – thought the 10 commandments were knowable by reason
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Natural Law
Follows the direction of the eternal law – rational exercise to work out what is good for human flourishment – means human nature – God has willed that man has a natural inclination to do good Often simplified down as primary precept: good > evil
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Human Law
Regulations in order to function cooperatively / why societies establish governments who set rules on how their citizens should behave This law is essentially prudential but its validity depends on not contradicting naturallaw
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Why did Aquinas reject Divine Command Theory
Divine command theory: the belief that something is right because God commands it He thought God command what is right- rightness = knowable in itself Thought the idea of morality was rppted in reason rather than scripture
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Crticism of NL
James Rachel: 'Elements of Moral Philosophy' - said NL based upon 'a certain view of what the world is like' - the view involved rational order purpose
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His 2 key problems - number 1
Humes' 'is-ought' gap = what 'is-ought' the case - etirely distinct NL mixes the 2 together = says morals are present in nature
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Problem 2
NL = dated ' view of the world out of keeping with modern science'
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Card 2

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It is the belief...

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...humans created with ability to reason = follow God's intened purpose

Card 3

Front

What does it say?

Back

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Card 4

Front

Who designed it?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Aristotles belief?

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Preview of the front of card 5
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