morality test 1 crashout

1.      Greek word for morality and it’s meaning:

• greek word for morality is ethikos, meaning character

• thoughts=words=actions=habits=character

1.      Morality is… (definition):

the science of what humans ought to do by reason of who they are

what are we created for? what is our purpose?

consequentialism and its dangers

consequentialism: the morality of an action is determined by its consequences. things leading to good results are good, and things that lead to bad results are evil

problems:

justifying bad actions that lead to good results

we don’t always know what the best “consequences” are (down syndrome example)

It is difficult to weigh the amount of badness that is justifiable for the resulting goodness (killing an innocent example)

utilitarianism/dangers

• Utilitarians believe that actions are moral when they lead to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. ​

• The majority could be wrong (Nazi example)​

• The greatest happiness for the greatest number could entail incredible unhappiness for a smaller number (slavery example)​

• Danger of only valuing those who are useful​

hedonism/dangers

• Hedonists believe that pleasure is the greatest good and pain is the greatest evil. That doesn’t always mean that if it feels good you should do it, because sometimes what feels good now feels worse later. But, in general, feeling good is the goal of morality.​

• Self-centered—what is good for me is not always good for others ​

• Self-destructive—what is most pleasurable, even in the long term, is not always best or most fulfilling ​

relativism/dangers

• Moral Relativists believe that each culture or group has the right to make up their own morality, and that there is no absolute moral code that applies to all people at all times and places. Another aspect of belief is that while we may need laws to achieve a peaceful society, in personal life, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, I can decide what is right and wrong for myself.​

• No criteria to judge different standards of morality (Hitler vs. Mother Teresa)​

• Difficult to create laws for a peaceful society (who deserves protection and who doesn’t—slavery example)​

• No basis to argue that the laws of a given culture or society are unjust (slavery, stoning)​

• Personal decisions do affect others whether we realize it or not (unhealthy eating and family)​

• No one really lives this way (everyone wants those around them to act morally—quiz example)​

• Can’t be affirmed without intrinsic denial (principle of non-contradiction—no view of morality is absolute except for the view of morality that there are no absolutes)​

what do the modern views of morality share in common

• Ultimate issue: no ultimate goal for human life—we don’t know the purpose​

• Moral discussion is more centered around isolated individual actions/choices rather than habits and character​

what are some problems with the modern views of morality?

• Morality as completely subjective – no right, no wrong—the absence of an absolute standard of Good and Evil makes it difficult to make judgments​

• If there is no good, no evil (or at least no determinable good and evil)—everything is left up to the individual or the group ​

happiness vs. meaning article summary + my thoughts

four levels of happiness are very accurate. happiness and meaning are different things. we can have happiness at difference levels but won’t always feel meaning from that

List and Summarize the 4 levels of happiness.  What is Augustine’s definition of sin, and how does it relate?

1. physical pleasure and possession, basic level of happiness that is short lived and doesn’t meaningfully extend past the individual in question

2. ego gratification/personal achievements, comes from praise but usually is comparative because you are measuring yourself next to other people. when this is the level you strive for completely, you become jealous and selfish

3. good beyond self: making the world a better place, more enduring because it is directed toward human desire for love and truth, looks for good in others and more long-lasting

4. ultimate good/perfect happiness: our dissapointments point to universal longing for transcendence and perfect (a desire for transcendence), expressed through spirituality and faith or art

“sin happens when our loves are out of order”

Summarize Eudaimonia

eudaimonia (aristotle’s words) means human flourishing (something that will bring us to our full capacity, the true good of the spirit)

pleasure is valuable acc. to this concept, but it recognizes that pleasure is not the most valuable of all things. things must be ordered properly

1.                  Tell your thoughts about 1 or 2 of the questions in slide 7 dealing with Eudaimonia

spending less time worrying about grades in school and more about doing your best

1.                  What is the point of the happiness study and your thoughts.  How does it relate to the rest of class?

moral decisions can help us get closer to perfect happiness, morality=relationships with others

it’s important to focus on things that will fulfill you long term

1.                  Happiness level 4—St. Augustine Quote, The Chosen Clip

when we have doubts, it can seem hard to get to level 4. god will give us the ultimate good with patience and time in heaven. we will never feel fully complete until we get to that point.

1. What do you think of Albina’s story?  What stands out?

she was very inspiring, didn’t give up, resilient, and found happiness when it seemed impossible

1. What are the two myths about happiness, and why aren’t they true?

1. you can be happy, and 2. but my circumstances make me stuck in unhappiness

1. you can never be fully happy, because happiness is a direction, not a destination. this is actually good, because it means we can put less pressure on ourselves to be completely happy ^ and 2. you can become happier even with problems

What are the 4 Panas types?  Tell how each relates to positive and negative affect, and the reasons we need all 4 types? strengths and weaknesses of each type?

mad scientist, judge, cheerleader, poet

mad scientists feel everything but they also make life interesting despite mental blocks

1. Why can bad feelings actually be good for us?

because they help us stay out of tough situations (fight or flight, not wanting to lose all of our money at the flip of a coin) and learn from our mistakes (having regrets) and help us prioritize intellectual success (gotta lock in, creative art)

if you want power, manage ___

your emotions/yourself

is happiness a feeling?

no.

feelings are ______ of happiness

evidence

should we want pure happiness?

no because you need negative emotions to keep you alive

1.      What are the 3 Macronutrients of Happiness?

enjoyment, satisfaction, meaning

1.      What is enjoyment, and how does it differ from pleasure?

enjoyment is when you add people and memory to pleasure

pleasure is a lymbic phenomenon and translates things into information.

1.      What is Satisfaction

something temporary that comes from work and sacrifice for something. you cant have it without pain

what is meaning

the “why” of your life: coherence (seeing yourself in a whole) , purpose (reason for living goals/ direction) and significance (know you matter)

1.      What are the two questions to ask in order to find your purpose/meaning? How does “order of operations” relate to these?

why are you alive? for what are you willing to die?

order of operations—following the levels. serve people and have fun

1.      What is the 3 part plan to figure out Meaning?

start thinking what is right/wrong (moral negotiables)

contemplation/prayer to find meaning

wisdom reading like the bible

1.     Know C.S. Lewis's basic argument for Natural Law (The Law of Nature), as given in the reading from class—particularly the most important points.

• we have an innate sense of decent behavior universally: rule of right or wrong is called the law of human nature

• different cultures still share a common law of nature

• none of us really keep the law of nature because we put ourselves first: we fail to practice the behavior we expect from other people

1.     In a nutshell, what is natural law?  How would you argue for its existence? 

• natural law is the basis of catholic morality, and can be discovered through the use of reason

• it is universal and its authority extends to all men

• highest norm of human life is the divine law—eternal, objective and universal—that god has crafted out of wisdom and love in hopes we will participate in it and know the unchanging truth

1.     What does  Vatican II and the Catechism say about natural law?

natural law is our rational participation in God’s eternal law. this law reveals what God intends us to do and to avoid according to his wise and loving plan

natural law corresponds with our desire to preserve life, develop as individuals and communities, and share life with others

believing in natural law ultimately means that God wants to help us to happiness and gave us the ability to seek moral truth, which is why we all see the world with a similar moral compass

1.     Baby Lab Thoughts 

babies have morality too, demonstrating morality is innate and not learned

babies have bias and will choose to like people who have something in common with them

we are naturally inclined to help others that are like us

1.     What does Genesis teach us about sin?  Original Sin?  Share some of the insights from class and from Fr. Mike Schmidt

“who told you that you are naked?” God initially sounds angry, but is actually heartbroken and sad that we turned from him. he prohibits us from reentering the garden out of love, because he feels bad for us

god doesn’t want us to be like him, he wants us to trust him and belong to him

love will have to involve sacrifice because of adam and eve

we have original sin because our first parents sinned

1.     How does the Catechism explain what we learn about the fall in Genesis?  How does it relate to our relationship with and trust in God?

whole of human history is affected by the fall (we know this through revelation)

god created man in his image and wanted to be friends with him. man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and moral norms that govern the use of freedom

man abuse trust in God and showed disobedience

man began to prefer himself to god and chose against him for his own good

1.     What are the results of original sin according to the Catechism, especially in relation to original holiness and original justice, and how do we see this in the history of humanity?

adam and eve lose original holiness

the harmony they had from original justice is destroyed, and death makes its way into human history

after first sin, the world has lots of sin follow it

revelation shows us things that are confirmed by our own experience—we are drawn to things that are wrong and broken which could not possibly come from God

man upset the relationship with god and the order of things

1.     JPII Father Son Paradigm

god attempting to be our father was destroyed from sin—we damaged the relationship and created doubt about God and his love

we feel compelled to fight against God because we do not trust him at all

1.      What do Catholics believe to be our Telos and our GPS?

our destination is God and Heaven

our navigation system (how we get there) is reason and revelation, and we need both to get there

1.      How Jesus teaches us to love 

we must be patient, understanding, and willing to be selfless for others

1.       Deus Caritas Est on Love—what is being a Christian ultimately about, and how does God love (and teach us) to love? 

god is love, and if we love love we love god, and god becomes part of us: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in god, and god abides in him”

christianity is about an encounter with jesus

god’s eros (desire) for us is always expressed in agape (selfless all-giving love)

our love for god is actualized when we give up ourselves, love our neighbor, and share God with others

1.       What is the best way we can learn to love God?

we have to practice morality so we form habits for love, asking ourselves if our actions are moral to become better people

1.      Tie it all together—Fr. Zosima and Mother Teresa

love is always available if we choose to seek it

we will become holy and reflect god in our lives, even if it is painful

being quiet about our good deeds and being loving in the smaller things

we have to use “active love” to see god—loving our neighbors tirelessly and you will be more convinced that there is a god out there because of how good we become