Natural Inclinations and Double Effect

• Natural Inclinations = Human inclinations to behave in certain ways leading to highest good, instilled by God
• The most fundamental natural inclination is acting to achieve the synderesis rule. Aquinas believes we are created in the imago dei so we would not knowingly pursue evil.

  However, we know people do not always act like this. Aquinas would say they are seeking the 'apparent good'
• If individuals used proper reason to evealuate the situation, they would discover the real good. Following real good brings us closer to the 'ideal human nature'
• There are many apparent goods but they lead us to fall short of our potential (e.g Junk Food).
• Virtues = prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, and wisdom
• Vices = wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust envy and gluttony
• ''the theologian considers sin principally as an offence against God'' Summa Theologiae
• Rather than being a truly ethical theory, NML emphasises our nature is knowable if we use reason
• Causitry = the process of applying Natural law principles to specific situations
• Double Effect = intended outcome has other unintentional outcome
• It is always wrong to do a bad thing intentionally.

  It is sometimes good to do a good thing despite knowing that it will bring about bad consequences as unintentional side effects.