Christian Morality and Discipleship: Theology Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental concepts in Christian morality, theological anthropology, moral theories, virtue ethics, and human acts.

Dignity

Derived from the Latin words dignus (worthy, fit, suitable) and dignitas (worthiness, merit, high rank), it refers to the inherent, non-negotiable condition of having worth.

The Heart (Theological Definition)

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a person's center of choice and conscience, as well as the theological vessel of charity.

Personal Absolute

The theological definition of God as having personality (intellect, reason, emotion, and capacity for relationships) while being the self-existent, eternal, unconditioned ground of all reality.

Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II)

A council held in 1991 to implement reforms from the Second Vatican Council and orient the Philippine Catholic Church toward better serving the poor.

Veritatis Splendor

A foundational papal encyclical promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1993 addressing Catholic moral theology, human freedom, and the rejection of moral relativism.

Intrinsic Evil (Intrinsece Malum)

Acts that are fundamentally and inherently evil in themselves regardless of the actor's intentions or the circumstances (e.g., murder, genocide, torture).

Encyclical

A formal pastoral letter issued by the Pope addressing significant matters of Catholic doctrine, morality, social issues, or church discipline.

Existentialism (Sartrean)

The philosophical position developed by Jean-Paul Sartre asserting that 'existence precedes essence,' meaning humans exist first, choose freely, and subsequently define their nature.

Moral Relativism

The perspective asserting that there is no absolute truth, that truth is conceived entirely by the individual, and that moral standards vary without universal validity.

Id

In Freudian psychoanalysis, the instinctual component of personality that houses basic drives and desires, operating according to the Pleasure Principle.

Ego

In Freudian psychoanalysis, the component of personality that mediates between instinctual drives and societal moral standards, operating according to the Reality Principle.

Super Ego

In Freudian psychoanalysis, the internalized moral standards, conscience, and values acquired from parents and society, operating according to the Moral Principle.

Conscience

A judgment of practical reason applying objective moral law to specific actions, recognized in Christian theology as the vicar or voice of God written on the human heart.

Natural Law

The ethical theory holding that certain rights, moral values, and duties are inherent in human nature and can be discovered by human reason alone.

Moral Realism

The ethical perspective that moral facts are objective truths that cannot be founded merely on individual opinion, belief, or cultural convention.

Moral Anti-Realism

The ethical theory asserting that moral facts are not grounded in real, objective evidence in the world, regarding moral assertions as personal or subjective stances.

The Decalogue

The Ten Commandments, which Jesus definitively confirms as the necessary path, condition, and foundation of salvation leading to moral perfection.

Individua Substantia Naturae Rationalis

The classical Boethian and Thomistic philosophical definition of the human person as an individual substance of a rational nature.

Hylemorphism

The philosophical doctrine holding that the human person is a substantial composite unity of matter (body) and form (soul).

A.D.A.M. (Acrostic)

An early pseudepigraphical and patristic Greek acrostic representing the four cardinal directions—Anatole (East), Dysis (West), Arktos (North), Mesembria (South)—signifying universal human equality.

Christian Discipleship

The path consisting of following Jesus Christ, being transformed into His image, and actively sharing His teachings with others.

Radical Alterity

The ethical philosophical encounter with the 'Other' that disrupts personal egocentrism and imposes an inescapable moral duty and responsibility on the moral agent.

Theandric Communion

The state wherein divine grace operates in and through human activity, uniting humanity with God across theological and human boundaries.

Hedonism

A worldview asserting that happiness consists purely of pleasure, seeking to maximize pleasure over pain to satisfy inner longings.

Materialism

A worldview identifying tangible possessions, physical wealth, and material progress as the ultimate ends of human existence, rejecting spiritual and intellectual pursuits.

Consumerism

An offshoot of materialism that equates human fulfillment, happiness, and well-being with the continuous purchasing and acquisition of material goods and services.

Eudaimonism

The Aristotelian ethical system defining happiness as human flourishing, well-being, and living a complete, virtuous life.

Virtue

A habitual and firm disposition in a person to perform actions that are morally good, desirable, and commendable, existing as a golden mean between extremes.

Vice

A habit, behavior, or practice considered immoral, harmful, degrading, or wicked, arising from an excess or deficiency relative to a virtue.

Magnanimity

Greatness of soul; the virtuous mean between the excess of hubris or vanity and the deficiency of pusillanimity.

Pusillanimity

Smallness of soul; the vicious deficiency of magnanimity characterized by underestimating one's worth and shrinking from the noble honors one genuinely deserves.

Consequentialism

A results-oriented ethical framework holding that the consequences or outcomes of an action form the exclusive basis for its moral rightness or wrongness.

Utilitarianism

A consequentialist ethical framework defining the good as happiness, pleasure, or well-being, aiming to produce the greatest good for the greatest number.

Act Utilitarianism

A sub-branch of utilitarianism asserting that an individual action is morally right if and only if that specific act yields the greatest net utility compared to any alternative at that moment.

Rule Utilitarianism

A sub-branch of utilitarianism asserting that an action is morally right if it adheres to general rules that, when universally practiced, promote the greatest overall societal happiness.

Deontology (Deontological Ethics)

An ethical framework formulated by Immanuel Kant holding that actions are inherently right or wrong based on moral rules and duty (deon), independent of consequences.

Categorical Imperative

In Kantian deontology, an unconditional, universally binding moral command based on pure reason and duty, applying to all rational beings regardless of personal desires.

Hypothetical Imperative

In Kantian ethics, a conditional, outcome-oriented command based on subjective desires or goals, structured as 'If you want X, you must do Y.'

Universalizability Principle

Kant's moral maxim asserting that an action is morally permissible only if the agent can consistently will that its underlying rule become a universal law for everyone.

Formula of Humanity

Kant's deontological formulation requiring that all human beings be treated always as ends in themselves and never merely as means to an end.

Habituation

In Aristotelian virtue ethics, the continuous, repetitive practice of virtuous deeds until they become integral to an agent's moral character.

Human Acts (Actus Humanus)

Deliberate, informed, and freely chosen actions performed with intellect and will, making the moral agent accountable and deserving of praise or blame.

Acts of Man (Actus Hominis)

Actions performed by a person without the deliberate intervention of the intellect and will (e.g., physiological processes, reflexes), which are morally neutral (amoral).

Primo-Primi Acts

Instantaneous, automatic reflex reactions that occur before deliberate intellectual awareness or volitional consent, classified as acts of man.

Invincible Ignorance

Unconquerable lack of knowledge that cannot be overcome by reasonable diligence or effort, thereby fully removing moral accountability.

Vincible Ignorance

Conquerable lack of knowledge that could be dispelled through reasonable diligence and effort, which does not eliminate moral accountability.

Supine Ignorance

A degree of vincible ignorance wherein a person makes little or no effort to discover the truth or acquire required knowledge.

Affected (Crass) Ignorance

A deliberate, willful ignorance nurtured and preserved purposefully to serve as an excuse for sinning or breaking a rule without experiencing guilt.

Direct Voluntariness

A classification of human action in which an act is directly willed either as an end in itself or as a means toward achieving that end.

Indirect Voluntariness

A classification of human action where an outcome is not directly intended for its own sake, but is accepted as an unavoidable side effect of a directly willed act.

Positive Voluntariness

Voluntariness manifested through an active choice to perform a specific action (an act of commission).

Negative Voluntariness

Voluntariness manifested through an active, deliberate choice not to perform an action (an act of omission).