Natural Law

• What is the basis of natural law ethics?

  Aristotelian teleology
• How did Aquinas modify the concept of telos?

  He Christianised it according to God's plan
• What does Christian ethics primarily rely on?

  Commands and precepts in the Bible
• What role does human reason play in Aquinas' natural law ethics?

  It helps intuitively know moral precepts
• What biblical evidence does Aquinas use to support natural law?

  Romans 2:14-15
• Who are Gentiles according to St Paul?

  Non-Jewish individuals
• What does St Paul imply about human morality?

  It exists independently of religious law
• What does telos refer to in natural law ethics?

  A thing's inclination towards its good end
• How does an acorn relate to the concept of telos?

  It naturally grows into an oak tree
• What is the relationship between human nature and telos according to Aquinas?

  Humans have a God-designed nature with reason
• What does Aquinas say about the light of reason?

  It guides humans towards their end
• What distinguishes human behavior from that of animals according to natural law?

  Humans have free will to choose morality
• What is eudaimonia in the context of Aquinas' ethics?

  Flourishing through following God's moral law
• What happens to a person or society that fails to follow natural law?

  They will degenerate
• What is the ultimate source of moral goodness in natural law ethics?

  God's omnibenevolent nature
• What is the eternal law according to Aquinas?

  God's divine plan for the universe
• What is the divine law?

  God's revelation in the Bible
• How does human law gain its authority?

  By deriving from natural and divine law
• What is synderesis in natural law ethics?

  The ability to discover first principles
• What does the synderesis rule state?

  Good must be done and evil avoided
• What are the primary precepts according to Aquinas?

  Worship God, live orderly, reproduce, educate
• How does conscientia relate to primary precepts?

  It applies them to specific situations
• What is the difference between interior and exterior acts?

  Interior acts are intentions; exterior acts are actions
• Why is intention important in natural law ethics?

  It determines the moral value of actions
• What is a strength of telos-based ethics?

  It is empirical and evidence-based
• What is a weakness of telos-based ethics according to modern science?

  It rejects final causation as unscientific
• Who is known as the father of empiricism?

  Francis Bacon
• What do Aquinas and Aristotle claim about every being?

  They have a unique essence and purpose
• How does modern science view the concept of telos?

  It explains change through material structure
• What does Sean Carroll argue about purpose in the universe?

  It is not built into the universe's architecture
• What is Polkinghorne's argument regarding science and purpose?

  Science cannot answer the 'why' questions
• What does Dawkins argue about the assumption of purpose?

  It requires a burden of proof
• What is a strength of natural law ethics?

  It is based on universal human nature
• What is a weakness of natural law ethics according to cultural differences?

  It leads to vastly different moral beliefs
• What do psychologists like Freud argue about moral views?

  They are shaped by social conditioning
• How does Fletcher critique Aquinas' view on moral reasoning?

  He argues ethics must be based on faith
• What does Aquinas acknowledge about human moral behavior?

  Many factors can lead to moral failure
• What does Aquinas suggest about cross-cultural moral views?

  They indicate a core moral orientation
• What might influence moral thinkers in a society according to the critique of Aquinas?

  Existential pressures for societal function
• What is Fletcher's view on morality?

  Based on faith, not reason