Natural Law Lesson 5 Virtues, Real and Apparent Goods - PowerPoint Presentation

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Natural Law Lesson 5 Virtues, Real and Apparent Goods

Specification ContentCardinal and revealed Aquinas’ ideas about ‘real’ and ‘apparent’ goods.Real and apparent goods and apply them to particular situationsSlide2

Knowledge test

According to Aquinas what is humanities final God-given purpose?What other purpose do individual humans have?What is human reason?What are the five primary precepts? ListExplain what secondary precepts are – without examples.Are secondary precepts absolute?Slide3

In your notes ….Virtues

The word virtue comes from the Greek word ‘arête’ which means ‘excellence’ in terms of personal qualities of character.Aquinas said virtues are important to help humans live a moral life and achieve their final cause/purpose which is . . .Slide4

Revealed/Theological Virtues

People must be infused by the Divine law to achieve these, they can not be attained through human effort. They were revealed in the Scriptures (St Paul in 1 Corinthians 13).Humans can aspire to them but can’t attain perfectly in this life.Faith,

Hope, Charity/love (agape)Slide5

ImpactThese 3 virtues define and direct all other virtues – They are absolute and perfect!

However, they are also aspirational, and can not necessarily be achieved in this world, but we should all aim for it.They help us, with the Grace of God, to achieve perfection (supernatural union with God).‘Beatific vision’ - human beings ‘attain their last end by knowing and loving God’ (Aqinas)Slide6

What do they mean?

Faith is an act of will for Aquinas: ‘an act of intellect which assents to the divine truth at the command of the will, moved by God’s Grace’. Faith involves the whole person and is ac active thing no just a thought...Faith in

Action.

Hope and trust in achieving the beatific vision. Inspired state of being that drives a person to reach the final end. Pure form of desire focused on the highest goal.

The greatest of them all is love. Love for God reflected in the love for one’s neighbour – this is the key to Aquinas’ view of morality. Love directs all other virtues to God 1 Corinthians 13 explains that without Love all other virtues are ‘nothing’Slide7

Cardinal Virtues

Aquinas identified four qualities that reflect the moral life. They are known as the cardinal virtues because the Latin term ‘cardo’ means ‘hinge’. They are believed to form the basis of a moral life. They can be achieved through reason.Prudence

- Justice -

Temperance -

Fortitude/Courage -Slide8

1. Prudence

Requires sound judgements and reasoning.Application of ‘wisdom concerning human affairs’ that is ‘right reason with respect to action’.Being aware of principles of NML and applying them to the specific situations – Prudence is the basis of casuistic endeavour.True and good course of action through;Council – consideration of possible actions.

Judgement – picking a course of action.Command – application of judgement.

This is the art of casuistrySlide9

2. Temperance

This is all about moderation.We can see this through the doctrine of the mean.It involves sobriety and restraint;‘sensible and bodily goods...are not in opposition to reason, but are subject to it as instruments which reason employs in order to attain its proper end’Slide10

3. Fortitude

Endurance is about discipline/patience/endurance and perseverance in the face of difficulties either physical, moral or spiritual.This virtue encourages the nobility of character, to not be controlled by fear (1 John 4:16-18) on one hand or recklessness on he other (doctrine of the mean) .Slide11

4. Justice

The other 3 virtues which focus on the individual, this is the only one to focus on others, more specifically our actions towards them.Justice to Aquinas is about goods and responsibilities being ‘fairly apportioned among people who stand in social community and in due proportion’He does not mean equality for all but recognises individual needs, relative to circumstances.Slide12

Why are these virtues important to Aquinas?Slide13

Virtue - Memory Aid

VirtuesRevealedFaith HopeLoveCardinalPrudenceJusticeTemperanceCourage/fortitudeMnemonicChunkingBreak into two fives

ReadRemoveRememberSilly story – sillier the betterSlide14

Knowledge Test

What does virtue meanList the four cardinal virtues.What enables us to identify the cardinal virtues?Which virtue is defined as - Courage, possessing the ability to confront fear and uncertainty in order to achieve one’s goal.Why are virtues important?Why are they called ‘revealed’ virtues?List the three revealed or theological virtues?List the five primary precepts? WORLD

Explain what secondary precepts are.Slide15

Answers – out of 18

The word virtue comes from the Greek word ‘arête’ which means ‘excellence’ in terms of personal qualities of character.Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, TemperanceReasonFortitudeHelp us re-establish right relationship with GodRevealed by God in scripture – can’t work out using reasonFaith, Hope and Charity

Worship God, ordered society, reproduce, learn, defend the innocentFlexible guidelines to help us fulfil the primary preceptsSlide16

Consolidation taskVirtues

Write up your own explanation of virtuesWhat virtue meansWhy we need to develop themWhat are the two types and what they mean e.g. cardo means . . . Slide17

Exam focus task - 20

Read the sample essays on pages 14, 15 and 16You are the examiner – what are your commentsWhat should they add or remove from the introduction?Any other development points?Slide18

How might these people’s actions be seen as ‘good’?

New York City police have found up to 70 bags of suspected heroin inside actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's home a day after his death, US media report.The Oscar-winning star, 46, was found dead at his Greenwich Village home on Sunday with a syringe in his arm.

Breivik carried out the shootings in Norway

Charlie

Hedbo

shootings

1

2

3

4

6

5

The IAAF scandal: A timeline of the doping allegations engulfing athletics

15

Jan 2016 Claims of state sponsored doping in Russia have spiralled into a scandal which has everyone in athletics questioning the very foundations of the sport Slide19

Real Goods - information

Thomas Aquinas believed that humans were mainly good because we are created by God, and that natural law is within all of us. He believed that we are orientated towards the achievement of good – this is the synderesis rule (Opposed to St Augustine)“No evil can be desirable, either by natural appetite or by conscience will”. He believed that actions which were not in the pursuit of good could be explained as the pursuit of the apparent good.The pursuit of a

real good is the correct use of reason in accordance with natural law and therefore in line with our outlined purpose. Slide20

Real Goods - questions

1 What is a real good?2 Why does Aquinas argue that we would never knowingly pursue evil?We are naturally inclined to do good and avoid evil in order to reach the highest good and fulfil our purpose. Human nature is essentially good because there is natural law in everyone as humans were created by God.3 How do we know what is ‘good’ / how to act?REASON God given – developed through virtuesSlide21

Apparent Goods - information

Something that does not fit with the perfect human ideal. “A fornicator seeks pleasure which involves him in moral guilt”. The adulterer commits adultery because he or she believes it is good. This (for Aquinas) is an error in reason, because the action of adultery prevents the person from drawing close to what God intend (purpose).Example of the Child and the TV. To distinguish between real and apparent goods the human must use reason correctly and to choose the right thing to do. Aquinas realised that this was not always easy. We may be tempted to do things we enjoy, which may not be good for us. Slide22

Apparent Goods - questions

4 What is an apparent good?Apparent good = Thinking something is good when it isn’t really! Taking us further away from what God intended for us.5 How might this happen?Misguided reason. E.g. The adulterer thinks s/he’s in love and it is a good thing to do!Recap - Real good = the right use of reason, leading to action that is leads us towards perfection.Slide23

Breivik carried out the shootings in Norway because he believed that the governing Labour Party was promoting multiculturalism and thus endangering Norway's identity. He argued that Muslims were destroying European society.

What is sin? Apparent goods = SIN!Being less than God intended us to be – seeking apparent good rather than real good.Apparent Goods - exampleSlide24

Real and Apparent GoodsTASK

This task is to help you to learn which is one of the Primary

Precepts!Read

page 19

1. Complete

the child and TV example

2. Fill

in the missing words on the ‘Real and Apparent Goods

’ task on page 17.Slide25

Natural Moral Law

Exterior and Interior ActsL O’sTo understand Aquinas’ ideas of real and apparent goods and interior and exterior actsTo be able to explain any problems you have found with Aquinas’ theory

To create a summary of natural lawSlide26

Recap - Real and Apparent GoodsOut of 20

What are real goods Give an example3. What are apparent goods?Give an exampleWhat are the four cardinal virtues?What are the three revealed or theological virtues?What are the four levels of law?

What the five primary precepts?Slide27

Interior and Exterior Acts

Interior acts = IntentionExterior acts = the act itselfAquinas believed BOTH the intention and the act itself were important.Slide28

Interior and Exterior Acts

Acting in a good way for the wrong reason is to perform a good exterior act but a bad interior act.

To help an elderly lady cross the road (

good exterior act

) to impress someone (

bad interior act

) is wrong.

It should be done out of charity and not for the sake of admiration for others.

Write your own example.Slide29

Interior and Exterior Acts

Good intentions don’t always lead to good actions.If I steal money (exterior act) to give it to a friend (interior act), the theft isn’t made good by my intention to help my friend.Write your own example.

The only end that Aquinas values is God.Slide30

Interior and Exterior Acts

Aquinas believes that acts are intrinsically good or bad (good or bad in themselves) because when human beings act in accordance with their ultimate purpose, God is glorified.The act of helping the elderly lady across the road is good in and of itself, because it accords with the true human nature and in accordance with their final purpose, and that glorifies God.This demonstrates Aquinas’ deontological approach to Natural Law. Explain howSlide31

Exterior and Interior Acts

Use the information in the textbook to complete the page 17 on exterior and interior acts.Think of examples of interior and exterior acts and add them to your notesSlide32

Double Effect

Make notes on double effect – page 83Complete the task belowFor example:A Roman Catholic doctor prescribes contraceptive pills to a woman to regulate her menstrual cycle, so preventing painful and irregular periods. What is the primary reason?

What would the consequences be?Would this be accepted if you use a Natural Law approach to ethics?Slide33

Casuistry 142‘Casuistry is the science of judging cases of conscience, or moral problems.’ HolmesSlide34

AO2 Problems with double effect

The principle of double effect is often seen as a weakness of the natural law theory for a variety of reason. Write up the points below on post its, explain why they are seen as problems and then prioritise them in order of most and least important. 

It is case dependant

Can be manipulated

Hard to identify one motive for an actionSlide35

Natural Law Summary

Learning objectivesKnow what interior and exterior acts are Explain how these relate to real/apparent goods and reasonTo explain how to make decisions using Aquinas’ Natural Law approachSlide36

Starter

Key word bingoDraw a nine square grid, fill it with nine words from the list belowdivine law, eternal law, natural law, human law, real goods, apparent goods, primary precepts, secondary precepts, deontological, reason, purpose, absolutist, cardinal virtues, revealed virtues, final causeSlide37

Natural Law Stepping Stones

Moral dilemma?Morally correct decision!What ‘steps’ would a follower of Aquinas have to take to move from being faced by a moral dilemma and making the correct decision? High Grade - What mistakes could they make on the way? Apparent goods, misuse of reason?

Create ‘stepping stones’ that a supporter of natural law would have to follow if placed with a moral dilemma.

Activity - Slide38

Flow diagram on application of natural law to an ethical issue

Issue -Purpose and reasonFive primary precepts and secondary preceptsSlide39

Homework

Create a summary triangle for natural moral law, use all your notes and booklets – you could use this triangle or another idea.

Most important idea?

How do we know our purpose?Slide40

For Aquinas the highest good is rational understanding /following God's final

purpose, purpose of human life outlined in the five primary precepts which are developed in the secondary precepts.Communal nature of human life just as important as freedom/dignity of individual; reason in agreement with nature; absolute morality – clearly defined and universally applied moral rules; not consequentialist; three revealed virtues (faith, hope and charity)

four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance). Aquinas' four levels of law –eternal

, divine, natural and human. The differences between

interior/exterior

acts

, real/apparent goods

, etc. [30 AO1]

Explain Aquinas’ natural law theory.Slide41

To what extent is Aquinas’ NL meaningless without a belief in a creator GodSee BowieMeaningless

Purpose – heavenReason from GodDivine law – pluralismRevealed virtues based on St PaulInterior acts – privateGoods – real achieve teleos – union with GodNot meaninglessAll got reasonCardinal virtues – Aristotle – available to everyoneGoods – real good if achieve alternative teleosPrimary precepts – four human goods

Clarke