Ethics Midterm

Christian Spirituality

relationship with God as the ultimate definition of the good

Christian Morality

response to and pursuit of relationship with God as ultimate (responding with love)

Christian anthropology (6 aspects)

sacred- image and likeness of God (dignity)

social- God is love and God is relational (Trinity)

spiritual- seek metaphysical transcendence

physical- we are made of dust

rational- ability to apply metaphysical truths

free will- ability to actualize intelligence

Rationality and free will limited biologically, socially, psychologically, ecologically

Ethics of being and doing

who we are and what we do, symbiotic

Schema of Christian life (5 parts)

God is love, God loves us, We love God, We are transformed, We respon in/ through/ with love

Love (Aquinas’ Definition)

willing and acting for the good

Two Feet of Love in Action

justice and charity!

social justice (remove root causes, improve structures)

charitable works (meet basic needs of individuals)

Goodness and badness

ethics of being, defines striving toward

Right and wrong

ethics of doing, defines right/ wrong action

Good in virtue ethics

moral, eudaimonia (union with God)

Standard of rightness in virtue ethics

Virtue acquired by repeated action, guided by instruction from teaching and moral exemplars

Core question in virtue ethics

Who should I be? (umbrella)

Four moral virtues

prudence- right reason (knowledge applied to action)

justice- habit where a person renders to each their due

temperance- regulates pleasures in accord with reason

fortitude- overcomes strong challenges to temperance

Three theological virtues

faith- identifies God as the greatest good

hope- desire moves one toward God as the goal

charity- appetite is satisfied by union with God as the Goal

(faith shows goal, hope moves toward it, charity unites with it)

Good in deontology

Duty

Standard of rightness in deontology

Rule

Core question in deontology

What’s the rule? (sign posts)

Categorical Imperative

test a proposed action must pass

Two formulas for categorical imperative

Formula of Universal Law: conceiving of our way of reasoning as universal law, what if everyone did that?

Formula of the End in Itself: every person is intrinsically valuable, subject not object

Good in utilitarianism

Happiness (maximize pleasure, minimize pain)

Standard of rightness in utilitarianism

Utility, greatest good for the greatest number

Core question in utilitarianism

What’s the consequence? (ethics of doing)

Act in utilitarianism

every single act must be analyzed and calculated

Rule in utilitarianism

apply rules of thumb based on utility developed overtime (treat people equally, keep promises)

Negative freedom

freedom from, interventions that require or prevent action, liberty from coercion

Positive freedom

freedom to flourishing that empowers action, resources that enhance flourishing

Conceptual knoweldge

Head knowledge, rooted in verifiable facts (God is love, God loves us)

Evaluative Knowledge

heart knowledge, rooted in experiences and sensibilities (experiencing God’s love)

Responsibility

objectively, who did something wrong?

Culpability

blameworthiness

choosing in knowledge and freedom to be unloving and selfish

Invincible Ignorance

no way a person could have known better (responsible)

Vincible ignorance

would/ should have freely striven to know better (culpable)

Sin

failure to love

Social/ structural sin

sins give rise to social situations and institutions that contradict divine goodness, structures of sin are the expression and effect of personal sins

Rights

claims on the basic goods that every person needs to live and thrive (everything people need to flourish)

+right to (food)

-right to not (starve)

people are sacred

Duties

social responsibilities owed because we are created by love, for love, to love (solidarity)

people are social

+duty to help

-duty to not harm

Positive rights

addition to (life, food, health care)

Negative rights

Subtraction of (being killed, starved)

Positive duties

responsibility to help one realize their rights

Negative duties

responsibility to not violate rights (kill, starve, injure)

Four dimensions of conscience

capacity to discern moral rightness

process of discerning who to be and what to do

judgement about who to be and what to do
place alone with God, core of a person

Goals of conscience

correct seeing and right thinking

Four sources of moral theology

value: experience of a good

principle: reference points to guide being and doing

norms: rules for being and doing to protect values and principles

virtue: right habit striving to consistently embody values, principles, norms

Aquinas’ four types of law

eternal: divine wisdom with which God structures creation

divine: extraordinary revelation (God’s self communication- scripture)

natural: person’s participation in eternal law through reason (moral compass)

human: civil laws as applications of natural law

Four critical uses of Scripture

exegetical task: original context (language, culture)

hermeneutical task: appropriate understanding of what is suggested

methodological task: who should we be and what should we do in response to God’s love?

theological task: what do we judge as interpretive?

Revealed reality in Scripture

character (ethics of being) and conscience goal (correct seeing)

Revealed morality in scripture

right thinking (ethics of doing)

Analogical imagination in Scripture

“Go and do likewise,” help people in need, treat others with mercy, positive duties to actively help neighbors

Church definition

God’s people

Church mission

to advance God’s kingdom (truth, faithfulness, love, peace)

Church teaching levels

Dogma, Authoritative Doctrine, Prudential Judgement

Dogma definition and response owed

infallible, essential to faith (God exists, God is love)

response: assent of faith

Authoritative doctrine definition and response owed

fallible, specific moral teachings (climate change)

response: obsequium religiousism, presumption of truth, burden of proof

Prudential judgement definition and response owed

fallible, concrete application (Paris agreement)

response owed: conscientious obedience, allow views to be informed by moral judgements

Apolistic succession

authority of successors passed down from original apostles

Catholic social teaching

normative guidance

Preferential option

prioritize needs of vulnerable

Aquinas’ definition of justice

giving to each what is due

Solidarity

support required to achieve justice and responsibility for common good

Common good

sum of conditions of social life which allow social groups and individuals relatively thorough access to their own fulfillment

State purpose

to promote and protect the common good (subsidiarity- lowest possible, highest necessary)

Subsidiarity

State must intervene when necessary

Lowest possible, highest necessary intervention to protect common good