ETHICS MIDTERM

(Christian) Spirituality

Relationship with God as ultimate

(Christian) Morality

Response to relationship with God

Christian anthropology (six aspects)

Sacred: made in the image and likeness of God

Social: God is social, and we are made in his image

Spiritual: seeking something

Physical: made out of the dust of the ground

Rational: able to perceive and apply truths

Free will: ability to act on intelligence

Ethics of being and doing

Ethics of being: “Who should I be?”

Ethics of doing: “What should I do?”

“Schema” of Christian life (five parts)

God is Love

God loves us

We love God (or not)

We are transformed (conversion)

We respond in/with/through love

Love (Aquinas’s definition)

Willing and acting for the good

Two Feet of Love in Action

Social justice: addressing root causes

Charitable works: meet basic needs

Goodness and badness

Goodness: person striving for the good

Badness: person NOT striving for the good

Right and wrong

Right: action attains the good

Wrong: action does not attain the good

Good, standard of rightness, and core question in virtue ethics

Good: eudaimonia

Standard of rightness: virtues

Question: “Who should I be”

Four moral virtues

Prudence: right reason applied to action

Justice: giving what’s due

Temperance: regulates pleasures in accord with reason

Fortitude: overcomes strong challenges to temperance;

Good, standard of rightness, and core question in deontology

Good: duty

Standard of rightness: rule

Question: “What’s the rule” (right if it follows the rule; wrong if it doesn’t follow the rule

Two formulas for categorical imperative

Formula of universal law

Formula of the end in itself

Good, standard of rightness, and core question in utilitarianism

Good: happiness

Standard of rightness: utility

Question: “What’s the consequence”

Act and rule utilitarianism

Act: every act must be calculated and analyzed

Rule: apply rules of thumb based on utility developed over time (treat people equally and keep promises)

Negative and positive freedom

Negative freedom: free from interventions that require action (result of people failing their duties)

Positive freedom: freedom for flourishing that empowers action

Conceptual and evaluative knowledge

Conceptual knowledge: “head” knowledge; rooted in verifiable facts

Evaluative knowledge: “heart” knowledge; rooted in experiences

Culpability and responsibility

Culpability: morally blameworthy because choosing with knowledge and freedom to act wrongly

Responsibility: who did something wrong

Vincible and invincible ignorance

Invincible ignorance: no way could have freely striven to know better (leads to responsibility)

Vincible ignorance: could/should’ve freely striven to know better (leads to culpability)

Sin (general definition)

Failure to love

Social/structural sin

We fail to love as individuals, so systems and structures fail to show love to society

Rights and duties (general definitions)

Rights: claims on all things needed for people to flourish

Duties: social responsibilities because we are made in love

Positive and negative rights/duties

Positive rights: right TO life, food, healthcare

Negative rights: right to NOT BE killed, starved, left unattended

Positive duties: duty to help others recognize their rights

Negative duties: duty to not violate other people’s rights

Conscience – four dimensions and two goals

Capacity to discern moral rightness

Process of discerning who to be and what to do

Judgment about who to be and what to do

Place: deepest inner sanctuary of a person to be with God

Goals for conscience: correct seeing and right thinking

Four sectors/sources of moral theology

Experience, reason, scripture, tradition

Aquinas’s four types of law

Eternal law, divine law, natural law, human law

Natural law definition

Using moral reason and experience to discern moral truth

Four critical uses of Scripture

Exegnetical task, hermeneutical task, methodological task, theological task

Revealed reality and morality in Scripture

Revealed reality: describes who a person should be

Revealed morality: action of what to/not do (10 Commandments)

Analogical imagination in Scripture

“Go and do likewise” - Jesus

Church – definition and mission

Church: the people of God

Church mission: advance God's kingdom and carry on the apostolic faith

Three levels of Church teaching

1. Dogma: universal moral teaching, infallible, response: assent of faith

2. Authoritative doctrine: applies dogma to more general circumstances, fallible (can change), response: submission of will and intellect

3. Prudential judgment: concrete application of dogma and doctrine to a particular situation/policy, fallible (can change), response: conscientious obedience (serious consideration)

Apostolic succession

Apostles appointed successors → bishops ordained apostolic successors

Roles are to teach, sanctify, govern

Catholic social teaching

A resource to discern who to be and what to do in response to God’s love

Preferential option

Put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first

Theological virtues

Faith: identifies God as the greatest good
Hope: desire moves one toward God
Chairty: union with God

Aquinas’s definition of justice

Giving what is due

Solidarity

Commit oneself to the common good (all responsible for all)

Common good

Social conditions used so each person can reach full human potential

State (purpose of)

Protect and promote the common good

Subsidiarity

Intervention at the lowest possible level, highest necessary level