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Frameworks
and Principles
Behind our
Moral
Disposition:
Virtue Ethics
(St. Thomas
Aquinas)
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PRE-ASSESSMENT:
Read carefully and answer the following question.
1. Who is St. Thomas Aquinas?
2. What is the Natural Law Theory?

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1. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)

was an intellectual and religious
revolutionary, living at a time of
great philosophical, theological
and scientific development.
2. Dr. of the Church
3. Philosopher
4. Theologian

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His most famous work is Summa

Theologica and this runs to some
three and half thousand pages and
contains many fascinating and
profound insights, such as proofs
for God’s existence. The book
remained a fundamental basis for
Catholic thinking right up to the
1960s!
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Motivating Natural Law Theory: The Euthyphro Dilemma

01 and Divine Command Theory

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02

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● The master principle of Natural Law was

that “good is to be done and pursued
and evil avoided”

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● Euthyphro Dilemma
● Socrates asks Euthyphro, “is the pious
loved by the gods because it is pious, or
it is pious because it is loved by the
gods?”

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● For Aquinas, God’s commands are there

to help us to see what is right and what is
wrong rather than determine what is right
and wrong!

● This is the position of St. Thomas

Aquinas which raise another question:

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● If it is not God’s commands that make

something right and wrong, then what
does?
● Does not God just fall out of the picture?

● Aporia

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Natural Law Theory

Four different types of law:

Eternal Law Natural Law Human Law Divine Law

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Eternal Law
God’s rational purpose and plan for all things.
Everything has a purpose and follows a plan.

Every object has a telos.

Example:
If something fulfills its
01 Acorn-Oak Tree
purpose then it is
following the Eternal Law.
02 Eye – Seeing

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But what about humans?

Just as a good eye is to see, and a good acorn is
to grow then a good human is to…? Is to
what?
How are we going to finish this sentence? What
do you think?

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Natural Law- primary precepts

The answer is REASON.

If we act according to reason, we are partaking

in the Natural Law.

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Examples of primary precepts:

01 02 03

Protect and preserve Reproduce and educate Know and

human life. one’s offspring. worship God.

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These precepts are primary because they are true for
all people in all instances and are consistent with
Live in a society. Natural Law.

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Human Law- secondary precepts

1. These are not generated by our reasons but

imposed by governments, groups, clubs etc.

2. They are only acceptable if they are

consistent with the natural law.

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Divine Law
Discovered through revelation.
Divine equivalent of the Human Law (those
discovered through rational reflection and
created by people).
Divine laws are those that God has.

01 His grace.
Rules given by God which we find in
03 scripture; for example, the ten
02 Mysteries commandments.
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