Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas

1. The Basic Moral Law

   • 'Good and to be done and pursued... and evil is to be avoided'
     • We were designed for perfection, so wouldn't knowingly follow evil
     • God instilled inclinations to behave in ways that will lead us to our highest good

2. The Four Laws

   • The Eternal Law
     • The mind of God, which humans can't know
       • Glimpsed through scientific knowledge
     • Contains the laws which govern the universe
   • The Divine Law
     • The law of God revealed through religious texts (The Bible)
       • 'The word of God'
       • Also brought by Jesus
   • The Natural Law
     • Do good and avoid evil
     • Human nature/conscience
       • Will lead to a good outcome if applied with reason
   • The Human Law
     • Everyday rules that govern our lives
       • From legal system to road signs
     • Created by humans

3. Primary precepts

   • There are five primary precepts:
     • Continuation of the species
     • Self preservation and preservation of the innocent
     • Live in an ordered society
     • Worship God
     • Educate children
   • These are part of a path that leads us to our ultimate purpose
     • Fellowship with God
   • These are fixed, absolutist ideas, that can't be changed, regardless of the circumstances

4. Secondary precepts

   • Rules about what we should or should not do
     • Developed from the primary precepts
   • Dependent of our own judgements
     • May lead to the wrong choices
       • They require reason, experience and wisdom to avoid wrong choices
   • Examples
     • Preservation
       • Do not murder or commit suicide
       • No abortions or euthanasia
     • Ordered society
       • No stealing
       • Build houses
     • Worship God
       • Go to Church
       • Pray
     • Educate children
       • Have free education
       • Make school compulsory
     • Reproduce
       • No contaception
       • No abortion
       • No masturbation

5. Exterior and Interior Acts

   • For Aquinas, both your actions and the intentions behind them must be good, for an act to be good
     • E.g. you help an old woman cross the street because it is helpful and is charitable
     • Must be both a good exterior and interior act
   • Some actions are good, but have bad intentions
     • E.g. if you help someone carry their shopping to impress them
       • This is a good exterior act, but a bad interior act
   • Some actions are bad, but have good intentions
     • E.g. if you steal food to help your starving friend
       • This is a good interior act, but a bad exterior act

6. Real and Apparent Good

   • Human nature is essentially good, as natural law is within everyone
     • We aim towards the achievement of perfection
     • We can never knowingly pursue evil
   • Humans actions that aren't in the pursuit of perfection are explained as being in the pursuit of apparent good
     • These are actions which are believed to be good, but don't fit the perfect human ideals
     • Choosing an apparent good isn't an evil action, it is just an error
       • Prevents what God intends
     • E.g. someone committing adultery would believe it is a good action, but this is an error of reason, as it actually is considered a sin
   • Real good is a perfect act, which fits in with the human pursuit of perfection