ETIC111: ETHICAL THEORIES [NATURAL LAW]

Catholic Morality

The end (intention/motive) does not justify the means (action)

Utilitarian Morality

The end (intention/motive) justifies the means (action)

1. Means or Action

2. End/Intention or Motive

3. Circumstances

3 Elements of Human Acts

Circumstance (Situations)

Can be considered in various moral questions, thus, we might ask, 'who', 'when', 'how much' or 'in what manner'

Circumstance (Situations)

The circumstance of the act, e.g., time, place, and condition of the person

The Principle of Double-Effect

This principle is used in order to judge the moral acceptability of the human act that has two effects, one is good and the other is evil

1. The action is good in itself or at least indifferent

2. The good effect must come first before the evil effect or a least simultaneously

3. The good effect must be intended

4. There must be a proportionately grave reason for the evil effect to happen

4 Conditions of the Principle of Double-Effect

Russ Shafer

He quoted "At its most basic, natural law theory tells us that actions are right just because they are natural, and wrong just because they are unnatural. And people are good to the extent that they fulfill their true nature, bad insofar as they flout it."

True

According to natural law theory, things in nature have a nature (True or False)

True

According to natural law theory, things are "bad" when they are unnatural (True or False)

True

According to natural law theory, things are "good" when they fulfill their nature (True or False)

True

According to natural law theory, people are good when they fulfill their true nature; bad humans are those who don't (True or False)

True

According to natural law theory, moral law is the natural law: the law that requires us to act in accordance with our nature (True or False)

True

Natural Law Theory is 'natural' because the goals and the major values human beings seek are innate, that is, they are from the nature and are not selected freely by individual persons or communities (True or False)

True

Since human nature does not change, the basic goals are constant and basic morality does not change (True or False)

True

Natural Law Theory is considered 'law' because by reasoning about the innate goals and values we can determine actions, which is oftentimes expressed in norms or laws that enables the person to achieve their goals (True or False)

Aristotle

He was the first to develop the 'Natural Law Theory' to ethics

Thomas Aquinas

He built on his thought and developed a system of ethics known as 'Natural Law'

The Catholic Church

Their bases of teachings, beliefs and practices on Aquinas natural law theory

Natural Theology

Based on human reason

Revealed Theology

Based on revelation by God

True

Aquinas said that the moral life is the life which is lived according to reason (True or False)

True

Based on Aquinas understanding acts such as homosexuality, use of contraception and masturbation are all immoral actions (True or False)

True

Aquinas then goes on to say that there is our human nature, common with other animals, a desire that has to do with sexual intercourse and the care of one's offspring (True or False)

True

Animals periodically engage in sexual intercourse at a specific time of "heat", and this could result an offspring. In human beings, too, that natural inclination to engage in the sexual act and to reproduce exists (True or False)

True

Catholic teaching, influenced by natural law, upholds the sanctity of life, procreation, and the marital act (True or False)

True

The catholic church say that when people want to have children, they shouldn't use certain tools, like condoms or pills, to prevent babies from being born. They believe this goes against the natural order of things (True or False)

True

The catholic church want people to use natural methods, like tracking a woman's fertility, to plan when to have children (True or False)

Sanctity of Life

Catholic natural law places a strong emphasis on the intrinsic value and dignity of every human life. All life is considered a gift from God, and human beings are stewards of this gift

Intrinsic Value of Life

Aquinas, like the Catholic Church, emphasized this. His philosophy asserted that human life is sacred and must be protected, which aligns with the Church's stance on contraception.

Procreation and the Marital Act

Natural law within the Catholic context promotes the idea that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse is procreation and strengthening the marital bond

True

According to heteronormative understanding, the natural law theorists typically adhere to a heteronormative understanding of human relationships. They argue that, from a natural law perspective, the primary purpose of sexual relationships is procreation and the preservation of the species. Same-sex relationships, they contend, deviate from this natural purpose (True or False)

True

According to the reproductive function, the natural law theorists argue that marriage, as they understand it, is closely tied to the reproductive function. Since same-sex couples cannot naturally procreate, they see their unions as not fulfilling the core purpose of marriage within a natural law framework (True or False)

True

Natural law theory, through its recognition of the inviolable value of human life whomever it belongs to , immediately offers an ethic of interpersonal relationships (True or False)

Production and Care for Offspring

The second natural inclination

Promotion of the Truth and the Peaceful & Orderly Social Life

The third natural inclination

Law According to St. Thomas Aquinas

It is an ordinance of reason, for the common good, made by him who has a care for the community and it is promulgated

1. Eternal Law

2. Human Law

3. Divine Law

Law According to St. Thomas Aquinas

Eternal Law

Refers to what God wills for creation, how each participant in it is intended to return to Him. Given our limitations, we cannot grasp the fullness of the eternal law. Nevertheless, it is not completely opaque to us

Human Law

Refers to all instances wherein human beings construct and enforce laws in there communities. Given the larger picture of Aquinas's view, one would have a basis for assessing the validity or invalidity of a human law: whether or not it conforms to the natural law

True

Insofar as a human law goes against what nature inclines us toward, it is not properly speaking a law -- in the ideal sense of directing us to the common good -- but instead is unjust and can be called a matter of violence (True or False)

1. Eternal Law

2. Divine Law

3. Natural Law

4. Human Law

4 Types of Law According to Aquinas

Eternal Law

The designer's plan

Divine Law

A manual sent to us

Natural Law

What we observe

Human Law

What we write down

Eternal Law (Top Tier)

Is at the highest level and represents the divine and unchanging order established by God. It is the ultimate source of all laws and principles in the universe

Divine Law (Below Eternal Law)

Is derived from eternal law and represents specific commands and guidance given by God to human beings. It includes religious scriptures, commandments, and teachings that shape religious morality

Natural Law (Below Divine Law)

Is the moral and ethical principles derived from the rational understanding of eternal and divine law. It is accessible to human reason and conscience and serves as a guide for human behavior in harmony with the divine order

Human or Positive Law (Lowest Tier)

Represents laws created by human societies, governments, and legal systems. These laws are based on natural law principles but can vary from one society to another. They are man-made and intended to regulate specific societal issues