Studied by 9 peopleUnit 1 Central Question
What does it mean to be human?
3 Common Criteria for Personhood
Cognitive, Social, Genetic (all have their own problems)
Determinism
You are the product of external factors rather than an internal state (no free will)
B.F. Skinner
You run on a schedule of positive reinforcement (you’re a smart pigeon) - you choose to be aware, but internal states are fiction
James Fallon
You are your genetics (Although you have no free will, you still have responsibility)
Fallon’s 3 Ingredients for Psychopathy
+1 high-risk genes, loss of brain function, abuse
Rationalism
Human reason is the best source of knowledge (Descartes)
Ideas
Propositions that can be known through pure reason
Deductive Truth
Premise - Premise - Conclusion
Who said, “I think, therefore, I am”
Descartes
Empiricism
Human senses are the best source of knowledge (John Locke)
Tabula Rasa
We are born as a blank slate (Empiricism)
Primary vs. Secondary Qualities
Primary qualities are objective visible things while subjective qualities are subjective mental things
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
Physiological, Safety, Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization
Epistemology
Study of Knowledge
Ontology
Study of a thing in its essence
Scientism
Science is the only path towards truth
Reductionism
Everything is physical
Nihilism
Belief that life has no meaning
Catholic Personhood
Soul, Thought, Choice, Love, and Agency
Why did God make us?
He wanted to share/receive love, while wanting us to do the same (look at Michelangelo’s Creation of Man)
How to be a moral person?
Praising and worshipping God
Biblical Responsibilities
Reproduce, take care of the earth, establish God’s kingdom
Complementarianism
Men and women complement each other through marriage in order to reach their true potential and fulfill their purpose
Sacred
Anything of supernatural value
Profane
Anything of utility
Sacrament
A ritual that leads one towards God
Sacrificé
To make holy (Latin)
Agency
Free Will
Nephesh
Hebrew belief that you are your soul (monism)/literally means throat (
Dualism
Common Christian belief that your body and soul are separate
Concupiscence
The fallen state of humanity as a result of original sin
What does Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics say about earthly pursuits?
All pursuits are aimed towards a greater good
What does Aristotle like about the study of politics?
It is aimed towards the good of the whole
Theological Virtues
Faith, hope, and charity
God created humans as…
Social beings
Solidarity
Virtue of social charity and friendship
Common Good
Sum of social conditions that enable people to reach their fulfillment more easily
Subsidiarity
Higher units of society should not take over the role of smaller units of society
Paschal Mystery
Saving love of God revealed through Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.
Transcendent Goods
Love, truth, beauty, goodness => above earthly goods
Theology of the Body
God made you and the universe on purpose
Humans are made in God’s image
Your soul is your body
What you do with your body matters (makes visible the invisible)
Jesus reveals God’s innermost secret (He is love)
Jesus came to restore brokenness
Moral relativism
Belief that morality is subjective (we choose morals)
Hedonism
Pursuit of pleasure
Consumerism
Negatively replaces religion in society by distracting humanity from true purpose
Secularism
Separation of Church and state (often seen as anti-religion)
Maximilian Kolbe
Lived by Christian values
STOP
Search out the facts, 2. Think, 3. Others (seek help), 4. Pray for guidance
Discernment
a decision-making process that attends to the implications and consequences of an action or choice
Prudence
the moral virtue that inclines you to discern a moral life and to choose the means to accomplish it. It forms your character
St. Thomas Aquinas on Prudence:
Right reason in action
Cardinal Virtues
Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance
Small decisions...
can have big consequences
Objective Norms of Morality
Ten Commandments (things objectively good or bad)
Three aspects of every moral action
moral object, intention, circumstances
Intention
Keep the intention good (why), 2. The end does not justify the means (how)
Circumstances
Can diminish or increase one's responsibility for an action (who, when, where, how)
What teaches about moral circumstances?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Circumstances cannot change the immorality of something inherently wrong)
Think
Think about the consequences and alternatives to an action
Others
Others can help you make moral choices.
How to seek advice from Jesus?
Magisterium
The Church's Magisterium is...
infallible (Holy Spirit)
Pray
Conversation with God:
Praise
Thank
Repent
Pray for others
Pray for self
Meditation
mental search or quest
Contemplation
mental prayer
Consolation
To be comforted and close to God
Desolation
To be hopeless and far from God
The Holy Spirit...
aids you in distinguishing between trials (necessary for growth in virtue) and temptations (lead to sin and death)
Which ancient philosopher do modern Christians love to cite?
Aristotle
Telos
Any thing has a defined form and a defined function (the end goal that guides our actions)
Why is telos significant for humans?
It means that we have rational thought and needs
Phronesis
Prudence (practical wisdom)
Ultimacy
final goal
Aristotle's Belief on Rational Choice
We aim for good, but it is connected to emotion and desire
Arete
A virtue that inclines us towards excellence (can become excessive)
Does belief or knowledge drive our choices?
Belief (Knowledge itself is useless)
Eudemonia
Flourishing (true happiness, not pleasure)
Techne
Life skills
Akrasia
Incontinence
Incontinence
Doing the wrong thing despite knowing the right reason
Full virtue
Doing the right thing, the right way, with the right reason, and the right feeling
Continence
Doing the right thing, the right way, with the right reason, but wrong feeling
What does Chapter 1 of Nicomachean Ethics state?
Every human pursuit aims at good
Different actions have different ends
Aim for the greater ends, not the minor ones
What does Chapter 2 of Nicomachean Ethics state?
The thing that motivates your actions is good, and knowledge of this would provide an aim for one's life
The study of ethics and politics are related given that they both aim for the good
The good of the whole is better than that of an individual
Moral Exemplar
A person that displays practical wisdom and or eudemonia
Why is the story of Medea important?
It is an example of incontinence. ("I know indeed what evil I intend to do")
Beatitudes
Supreme happiness (Manifestation of the Gospel message)
Where did Jesus present his Beatitudes?
The Sermon on the Mount
Why did Jesus give us the Beatitudes?
He wanted us to embrace the coming of his kingdom, the Beatific vision, entrance into the joy of the Lord, and entrance into God’s rest
How is Jesus the moral norm?
When you live morally, Christ’s life is incorporated into yours
6 Qualities of Jesus
Compassion, Truth-seeking, egalitarianism, acceptance, sensitivity to childhood innocence, prayerfulness
Agape
selfless love
Kingdom of God
Reign of God’s peace
Metanoia
Repentance
What is the 1st step towards accepting God
Faith
Corporal Works of Mercy
Charitable actions centered on care for others
Anawin
Poor in spirit
Meekness
Not weakness. Humility
3 pillars of purity
Love, chastity, orthodoxy
Shalom
Peace
Note 
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