Aquinas

• General law: an ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by him who has care for the community
• What is an ordinance?

  an order/command/obligation with moral necessity
• What five things make a law reasonable (hint: Carl Jr’s Old and Elderly Unicorn)?


  Consistent, Just, Observable, Enforceable, Useful
• What is a consistent law?


  Consistent with itself and other laws, no contradiction
• What makes a law just?


  respects rights guaranteed under existing laws, benefits distributed equally
• What make a law observable?


  no can be expected to do the impossible or anything too harsh
• What makes a law enforceable?


  if it is not enforced, only the good would do the law
• What makes a law useful?


  a means to an end
• What does for the common good entail?


  for the good of the community, not personal good
• What does promulgated mean?


  make known to those it binds
• Why does “by him who has care for the community” mean?

  Law most come from proper authorities
• What are the four types of law?

  Eternal, divine, natural, human
• What is eternal law?


  Laws of the universe, universe governed by God who is eternal
• What is divine law?

  revealed word of God, we need to be guided, our reason is inadequate
• What is natural law?

  Eternal law as it applies to us using reason, God can be know by us naturally
• What is human law?


  created by humans to implement natural law
• Natural Law

  • Man’s nature/purpose
  • Man’s nature is rational
  • man finds natural law by using reason to draw conclusions about man’s nature
  • we have no moral judgements formed at birth
  • we must form them for ourselves, our nature can help us form them
  • we have a natural tendency to do this
  • our nature is the source of moral ideas
• 4 levels of knowing Natural Law

  1. first moral principle
  2. common moral principles
  3. reasoned conclusions
  4. particular application
• What is the first moral principle?


  do good and avoid evil

  • self evident
  • Can be known by anyone with reason
• What are common moral principles?


  simple inferences that are easily drawn

  • preserve life
  • do not murder
  • treat others with fairness
• What are reasoned conclusions?


  conclusions derived through reason

  • the following are wrong
  • suicide
  • mercy killing
  • homicide
• what is particular application?


  anyone can make a mistake applying the principles to real life

  • mercy killing is okay for a loved one in chronic pain
  • death penalty is okay for a serial killer
  • war is okay against the enemy
• epistemology is the “study of knowing”, or how do you know what you know
• what is Aquinas’ definitions of ”sciences”?


  bodies of knowledge
• what is the hierarchy of sciences according to aquinas?

  1. Theology - the study of God’s revelation to humans
  2. all other sciences
• • all truth comes from God
  • all other “sciences” are in harmony with theology
  • other sciences: philosophy, math, ethics
• how is theology different than the other sciences?

  • theology begins with God and then descends from God to the world
  • the other “sciences” work in the opposite direction
• Aquinas’ three classes of sciences

  1. theoretical
  2. practical
  3. productive
• what are theoretical sciences?


  thinking about the way things are
• what are practical sciances?


  changing the way things are
• examples of theoretical sciences?


  theology, metaphysics (existence), math
• examples of practical sciences?


  ethics, politics
• examples of productive sciences?


  making brownies, building bridges
• when we are born, our minds are a blank/clean slate
• the human mind is already oriented to truth at birth
• Aquinas believes we have 5 inputs from which we gain all knowledge - they are the senses
• how does Aquinas think that the senses and intellect are connected?

  1. data comes in through the sense
  2. your operating system processes it (intellect)
  3. information is saved in your memory
• Aquinas believed that all physical things consist of form and matter
• form is the idea. matter is the stuff of a thing.
• Aquinas has four casues

  1. the formal cause (idea)
  2. the material cause (the stuff)
  3. the efficient cause (agent)
  4. the final cause (purpose)