A02

• TELOS

  STRENGTH - Telos seems to have empirical evidence, everything has a nature to a certain goal

  WEAKNESS - modern science says that atoms don't have purpose, Jean Caroll concludes that purpose is not built into the universe
• TELOS- EVALUATION

  STRENGTH - Polkinghorn argues that science is limited and cannot answer all our questions, it can tell us what the universe is not why it is this way , it cannot answer questions about purpose- so if purpose existed, science could not discover it

  WEAKNESS - Dawkins response was that it is not valid to assume that there is a why. Just because we can ask why doesnt mean there is a purpose for it e.g. we can ask what the colour of jealousy is - it is assuming that jealousy has a colour
• HUMAN NATURE

  STRENGTH - we do have human intuition towards good

  WEAKNESS - If we were all born with a similar understanding that can be used, we should have more moral agreement than we do - morality is shown to fall along cultural lines and society - AJ Ayer
• HUMAN NATURE - EVALUATION

  STRENGTH - Aquinas acknowledges that there are many reasons why we fail to do good: original sin, corrupt culture, mistakes in conscientia - the fact that there is a core set of moral values found across cultures shows his theory is correct

  WEAKNESS - cross cultural morality might just stem from societal function: if we could all steal and kill, society could not exist - cross culture references have a practical reality, not God
• NATURAL THEOLOGY

  STRENGTH - it provides a realistic and balanced view of human nature which adds an engagement of autonomy to Christian ethics (using reason)

  WEAKNESS - it places a dangerous overreliance on human reason - Karl Barth argues that the fall corrupted our reason "the finite has no capacity for the infinite" - we cannot grasp God's infinite being - human reason cannot reach God or God's morality - that is not our telos
• NATURAL THEOLOGY - EVALUATION

  STRENGTH - Barth's argument fails as he does not address Aquinas' point that reason is not always corrupted and that original sin has not destroyed our orientation towards good - original sin can, at most, distinguish a habit to act against good

  WEAKNESS - if there is natural law we still cannot find it reliably - the bad in our nature does not mean we can rely on good. Humanity's belief that we have the ability to know anything of God is the same arrogance that led A + E to disobey him.
• IS IT OUDATED

  STRENGTH - it is available to everyone as we are all born with the ability to know and apply the primary precepts "gods law is written in their hearts" "gentiles do by nature what the law requires" - the bible

  WEAKNESS - biblical morality (divine law) is barbarous- the old testament God is awful. Medieval society was chaotic so strict absolutist ethical principles were needed (the primary precepts) - to have lots of children was required because most of them died - now the societal conditions have changed, relaxing the rules can happen without societal collapse
• IS IT OUTDATED - EVALUATION

  STRENGTH - material consumption and self-interest is rampant in this society so a strong strict ethical model is good

  WEAKNESS - Aquinas merely founded rules for what was good for that society, not using God's reason. This makes them inflexible and causes outdated responses to situations
• THE DOUBLE EFFECT

  STRENGTH - jesus' commands were not merely about good actions, but also good intentions, it aligns biblically

  WEAKNESS - if you can foresee a bad consequence but your intention is good, it doesnt make the action moral. Just actions that have unforeseen bad circumstances
• Proportionalism by Hoose


  Going against a precept is proportional if the good is greater