Dutton test 7

What is the focus of moral theology? -

The Human Act

What does a human act describe? -

an action performed by a human in a truly human way

What is a human act done with? -

Knowledge and freedom

What is an act of man? -

An action done by a human (through human agency) but without freedom and/or knowledge

What are the two criteria for an act of man? -

1. This is something that happened to me -An accident

Where does most of our behavior fall? -

Between the extremes of a human act and an act of man

Our behavior is... -

somewhat free

True or false: We are neither totally ignorant nor totally knowledgeable -

True

What moves our behavior toward being a human act? -

Moral responsibility

What moves our behavior toward being an act of man? -

Impediments

Impediments -

these limit and inhibit the humanity of human acts

Two categories of impediments -

1. Actual , Habitual

Actual impediments -

These are associated with specific actions or moments; situational

Examples of Actual Impediments -

Ignorance, passion, fear, external violent force, greed

Ignorance -

lacking knowledge

Passion -

Intense emotion

Types of passion -

anger, envy, sexual desire

What does passion tend to limit? -

one's freedom of choice

Ignorance describes the failure to... -

appreciate the implications and consequences of one's actions

What can fear lead to? -

anxiety

What may a fearful person lack the freedom to do? -

human acts

What does the presence or threat of external violent force often lead to? -

fear

What does external violent force prevent? -

the clear thinking and free choosing of a human act

Habitual impediments -

these are aspects of an individual's personality; depend on the person

What impediments are carried from situation to situation? -

Habitual impediments

Examples of habitual impediments -

Personality structure, habits, prejudice, mental illness

What can especially limit one's freedom? -

their personality structure

Examples of Personality Structures -

Morning person vs. evening person; introvert vs. extrovert

habits -

relative automatic ways of functioning; done without thinking

What are good habits? -

virtues

Prejudice -

pre-judging; limits one's freedom

What distorts the way people see things? -

prejudice

Prejudice leads to... -

a very destructive type of ignorance

Types of mental illness -

psychosis, neurotic anxiety, obsessions, guilt feelings

What may inhibit the freedom necessary for a fully human act? -

mental illness

What does it mean to be free? -

to have meaningful options; the agent has more than one alternative

What did Augustine call this "freedom of choice?" -

liberum arbitrium

What are the two ways of knowing? -

speculative and evaluative

knowledge of science -

speculative

intellectual knowledge -

speculative

objective, independent of the knower -

speculative

easily communicable -

speculative

easily shared -

speculative

universal -

speculative

essential, dealing with the essence of things -

speculative

fact-oriented -

speculative

its paradigm/model is the scientific method -

speculative

characterized by disinterestedness -

speculative

provable, and ought to be proved -

speculative

can be taught -

speculative

subservient to the knower -

speculative

to be used by the knower -

speculative

intensely concrete -

speculative

Quantitative -

speculative

the prerequisite for a genuinely human act -

Evaluative

knowledge of art and beauty -

Evaluative

Dependent on the knower -

evaluative

intensely personal -

Evaluative

existential, dealing with what exists -

Evaluative

value-oriented -

Evaluative

demands commitment -

Evaluative

must be drawn out of the knower -

Evaluative

superior to the knower -

Evaluative

draws us out of ourselves -

Evaluative

qualitative -

Evaluative

ultimately objective -

Evaluative

Which way of knowledge deals with reality -

Both evaluative and speculative

Anything can be known... -

both speculatively and evaluatively

What makes the difference between speculative and evaluative knowledge? -

the way the knower experiences it

Which type of knowledge is de-emphasized in our society? -

Evaluative

What must each type of knowledge be allowed to do? -

to work in its own way

True or false: evaluative knowledge is just as real as speculative knowledge -

true

How is evaluative knowledge communicated? -

Through stories

What type of knowledge is rooted in experience? -

Evaluative

The experience that creates evaluative knowledge is... -

communal as well as individual

The experiences of evaluative knowledge can take place not only in the real world but also in... -

fantasy/imagination

What is the way in which humans contact and guide the fantasies of one another? -

through story

What is story central to? -

the identity of the Christian community and to the strategy of moral education

What are human acts based on? -

evaluative knowledge

Why are human acts based upon evaluative knowledge? -

We are not choosing among facts, but among values

What is the moral education of both adults and children? -

It is more than a communication of facts, but it should instead communicate an appreciation of values

What is necessary for the successful transmission of values? -

to recreate the experience on which the value is based

What are moral norms and rules evokens of? -

value appreciation and are not communicators of fact

Can and should the Church dictate what adult moral behavior should be? -

The Catholic Church tends to use speculative language to teach about things that are evaluative in nature

True or false: impediments can cause an act of man to become a human act -

False

True or false: one essential way in which we communicate our values to future generations is through education -

False

True or false: Only values and abstracts can be known evaluatively -

False

True or false: impediments reduce moral responsibility -

True

True or false: Habits tend to be morally evil so we should avoid developing them -

False

True or false: the personality of the knower is beyond his control -

True

True or false: Evaluative knowledge is really a type of intuition or feeling -

False

What way of knowing must be directly perceived? -

Speculative

Stereotypes arise from... -

Prejudice