the catholic moral vision
happiness
love
freedom
conscience and virtue
sin and conversion
dignity of the human person
understanding how society views life tells us something about commonly held values—such as happiness or fun
there are many different ways we can look at how we view the world and our actions
moral vision: a way of seeing the world and human actions
the way one acts determines which moral vision one follows (not just what one claims to believe)
all people, consciously or unconsciously, live by a particular moral code/vision
there are many moral visions in our world, and in many cases these moral visions contradict one another
utilitarianism
“the ends justify the means”
the moral worth of an action is determined by its utility, or its ability to lead to happiness for the greatest number of people or the individual (the outcome of the action)
no actions are considered “always wrong”
natural law
the whole universe is governed by reason or rational principle
Aristotle, Aquinas and other metaphysicians assert existence of natural law
humans have reason within them and can therefore know and obey its law
guides us towards Goodness
actions must follow reason (do things for right reasons, under the right circumstances, and according to their design)
the absurdist/nihilist response
holds that happiness is not attainable
there is no inherent meaning in life beyond sense perception
ultimately leads to cynical and bitter end to life (from the Catholic perspective)
epicureanism
ancient philosophy - taught by Epicurus
the highest good is pleasure, but don’t believe in diving into every pleasure you find (moderation)
avoidance of pain and the anxiety of losing pleasure = happiness
hedonism
similar to epicureanism, but to the extreme
pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence is chief or only goal of life
seeks to maximize pleasure and avoid pain in all areas of life (esp. in present moment)
“I do what I want”
escapism
belief that happiness cannot be found in this world
it will be found outside of current mode of life
“Let’s get outta here!
Hinduism, Buddhism
the physical world is evil, Creation=fundamentally bad
we must escape time and space to find happiness
moral relativism
there are no absolute moral truths, so happiness can be defined as whatever an individual feels like
(Theoretically) tolerant of differing views
“You do you” / “Live and let live”
happiness
love
freedom
conscience and virtue
sin and conversion
dignity of the human person
understanding how society views life tells us something about commonly held values—such as happiness or fun
there are many different ways we can look at how we view the world and our actions
moral vision: a way of seeing the world and human actions
the way one acts determines which moral vision one follows (not just what one claims to believe)
all people, consciously or unconsciously, live by a particular moral code/vision
there are many moral visions in our world, and in many cases these moral visions contradict one another
utilitarianism
“the ends justify the means”
the moral worth of an action is determined by its utility, or its ability to lead to happiness for the greatest number of people or the individual (the outcome of the action)
no actions are considered “always wrong”
natural law
the whole universe is governed by reason or rational principle
Aristotle, Aquinas and other metaphysicians assert existence of natural law
humans have reason within them and can therefore know and obey its law
guides us towards Goodness
actions must follow reason (do things for right reasons, under the right circumstances, and according to their design)
the absurdist/nihilist response
holds that happiness is not attainable
there is no inherent meaning in life beyond sense perception
ultimately leads to cynical and bitter end to life (from the Catholic perspective)
epicureanism
ancient philosophy - taught by Epicurus
the highest good is pleasure, but don’t believe in diving into every pleasure you find (moderation)
avoidance of pain and the anxiety of losing pleasure = happiness
hedonism
similar to epicureanism, but to the extreme
pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence is chief or only goal of life
seeks to maximize pleasure and avoid pain in all areas of life (esp. in present moment)
“I do what I want”
escapism
belief that happiness cannot be found in this world
it will be found outside of current mode of life
“Let’s get outta here!
Hinduism, Buddhism
the physical world is evil, Creation=fundamentally bad
we must escape time and space to find happiness
moral relativism
there are no absolute moral truths, so happiness can be defined as whatever an individual feels like
(Theoretically) tolerant of differing views
“You do you” / “Live and let live”