Christian Humanism Tri II

End/Intention

from the Latin fines (end), an intended result of an action; an aim, purpose

Means

an action or thing that is used to achieve something

First principle

from the Latin principium (origin, source); the ultimate basis upon which our reasoning depends; a self-evident truth that serves as a starting point for our reasoning

Ethics

Studies human acts in order to determine whether they will lead us to the ultimate end that we seek; is a science which studies how human persons can be happy

Happiness

man’s complete flourishing wherein there is nothing more he desires

Nature

from Latin natura (birth, constitution, character); the essential qualities or properties of a thing; the essence of a thing which it has from its beginning; what a thing is

Human nature

from Latin natura (birth, constitution, character); the general inherent character or disposition of mankind

Good

(relative) conducive to well-being, to happiness; (absolute) the reality of completeness according to the nature or design of a thing.

Goods of the body

refer to objects which satisfy the pleasures of our body such as exercise, thirst, and hunger

Hierarchy of goods

a body of goods ranked in order one above another

Ultimate end

from Latin ultimus (last, final); the end that lies beyond all others

Substitutes for happiness

money, pleasure, health, honor/fame/glory, power, virtue

Beatific Vision

from Latin beatificus (making blessed); imparting supreme happiness; the sight of the glories of Heaven

Moral law

law which governs the voluntary acts of human persons

Law

an ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by him who has the care of the community; a rule or measure of acts directing them to their proper ends

Ordinance

An order or command from someone in position of authority

Common good

“the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily”

Promulgate

To make known

Eternal law

The unchanging order of things as it exists in the mind of God

Temporal law

Exists in time and has a beginning and an end

Natural law

Known by the nature of the creatures it governs

Positive law

Law that is “laid down”

Divine law

The eternal, natural, and divine positive law; from God

Precept

from Latin praeceptum (a rule, command); an authoritative command to do some particular act; and order

Right

an appeal to the will of another through his intellect; the moral power to do, hold, or exact something.

Duty

a person’s obligation to do or not to do something, or that which a person is obligated to do or not do

Subject of a right

The one possessing it

Term of a right

The one obligated to respect or fulfill a right

Matter of a right

That to which a person has a right

Absolute freedom

the ability to do as one pleases

Genuine freedom

the ability to do the good act so as to achieve happiness

Conscience

from Latin conscientia (knowing with); an intellectual judgement applying moral law to a particular act

Consciousness

refers to the psychological state of a person who is aware of his own reasoning

Practical intellect

figuring out what a person should do or avoid doing

Speculative intellect

questions about the way things are

Reasoning

an act of the intellect whereby it makes one judgement based on another; a step-by-step process of acquiring knowledge

Syllogism

an argument expressed in the form of two propositions containing a common or middle term, with a third proposition resulting necessarily from the other two

Premise

from Latin praemittere (to put before); a previous statement from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion

Erroneous conscience

from Latin erroneous (straying); a judgement of conscience which is in error, not true

Invincible ignorance

from Latin in-vincere (not to overcome); ignorance of which a person is not aware and which he is unable to overcome by himself. A person bears no responsibility for this ignorance.

Vincible ignorance

from Latin vincere (to overcome); ignorance that a person can and should overcome. A person bears responsibility for this ignorance.

Doubtful conscience

a moral judgement about which a person has doubts

Habit

from Latin habere (to have); a firm and permanent disposition to act in a certain way

Syderesis

the natural or innate habit of the mind to know the first principles of the moral order without recourse to a reasoning process. explains the intellect’s natural habit of knowing very basic moral truths

Innate

from Latin innatus (inborn); existing in a person from birth

Act of man

unconscious acts, these acts have no input from the human

Human act

an act for which a person bears responsibility because he deliberately chose to do it

Deliberation

the act of weighing a thing in the mind; careful consideration with a view to decision

Intention

the act of directing the mind or attention to something

Consent

from Latin consentire (to feel with, agree); to agree or approve through an act of the will

Means

an action or thing that is used to achieve something else

Interior act

an act elicited from the will; an act of willing as such

Exterior act

an act commanded by the will carrying out the command of reason but executed by the other powers of the soul and the bodily members

Voluntary act

an act a person deliberately chooses to do, taking full responsibility

Free act

one can choose between at least two options

Antecedent passion

from Latin antecedere (to go before); an emotional response which precedes an act of the will

Consequent passion

from Latin consequeri (to follow closely); an emotional response which follows an act of the will

Sins of omission

from Latin omittere (to lay aside); a deliberate failure to do what one can and ought to do

Object of the act

the matter of the act; that which the will goes for in its exterior act

Circumstances

those conditions of an act which have no moral bearing whatsoever on the act or which merely increase or decrease the act’s moral quality

Intrinsically evil act

an act considered to be evil in itself with the procimate end that is willed, apart from any further intentions of the will to which the act is ordered

Proximate end

the end which is the act itself

Remote end

the end which is removed from the act itself; the intention of motive

Motive

the goal of a person’s actions

Principle of double effect

A person is morally permitted to do an act which has both a good and an evil effect

Physical evil

doesn’t involve directly a free act of the will

Moral evil

Evil which does involve a free act of the will

Formal cooperation

working together with another while agreeing with the other in the act they are doing together

Material cooperation

working together with another because of dudes, although not agreeing with the other in the act they are doing together

Immediate cooperation

provides resources essential to an act’s execution

Mediate cooperation

provides resources not essential to an act’s execution

Proximate cooperation

distance from act being completed, close

Remote cooperation

distance from act being completed, far

Active cooperation

happens whenever a person does something that aids another person in doing his evil act

Passive cooperation

happens when a person does not do that which he ought to do to prevent the evil