...Natural law was developed by Thomas Aquinas, in which he believed that there is such a thing as natural moral law that all humans can live by. Natural law ethics depends on the belief that the world was designed by a creator, a God. It teaches everything God made has a purpose, including every aspect of human life, and everything should work towards the purpose assigned to it. If we fulfill this purpose we do ‘good’, for example it is good to preserve life (Do not kill). If we debate the purpose for which something has been created then it is morally ‘wrong’, to destroy life is against the will of good. Aquinas’s theory can be understood in two ways: As an aspect of divine providence and as a system of practical reasoning. As an aspect of divine providence Aqunious breaks law down into two levels. The first and highest of these types of law is eternal law. Eternal law is law set by God, that is God’s plan for a rational life. In this aspect Aqunious states that humans are the only creatures God has created who are capable of understanding their place in the order of creation. Therefore humans are the only beings that can knowingly act according with the laws of nature instead of just acting out of instinct. Because of this according to Aqunious the telos of man is to reflect upon God. The second type of law is Natural law. Natural Law’s primary precept is to do good and avoid evil. Aquinas on the subject of wether natural law has different precepts states that “law is a kind...
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...and human free will. Boethius had many discussions and views example of these are; the idea of divine foreknowledge; eternity the two types of necessity and to prove that God rewards and punishes justly. Boethius concept of God links to the idea of the Platonic God. God is not part of the temporal world and as a result of this; time does not pass for him as it does for us. This links in with Aquinas’s view of divine foreknowledge is different for us to God. This is a traditional concept of God who is wholly; simple; immutable and perfect. This can be argued to be a realistic view of God because the idea of change and perfection is questioned today therefore if God was in time this would mean God is not perfect as being able to change makes being lose what they once had. Firstly, in the Book ‘The consolation of philosophy’ Boethius argued that God knows the past; present and future. Boethius described this as God’s foreknowledge however; Boethius argued that although God has this foreknowledge he does not cause the future to happen. Boethius argues that God sees our timeline of our life as it is progressing in one timeline. Boethius used the example of a man walking down the street and the sun shining in the sky; even though you see both of these at once and the same time, you recognize that one action is a voluntary action (the man walking down the street) and the other is a necessary action (the shinning of the sun). As a result of this; Boethius argued that we do have free...
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...Andrew Hall Faith and Critical Reasoning 12/10/2013 What is the Eschatological goal of existence? Since the beginning of human existence there has always been some type of battle about faith, belief, and the existence of god. When this class first began I didn’t know what to expect due to my own personal beliefs and spiritual upbringing, but as the course went on I was open to different views and ways to look at what has been taught for years. Even today there is still the constant battle on whom and what is the true belief and god. But one thing is for sure we all strive for a common goal and that is to be in the grace of whatever Deity you believe in when your time on earth is done. The first thing that comes to question is your belief in the existence of God. For many the belief in god is a very challenging issue. There will always be an ongoing controversial discussion whether or not God exist. It is not unusual for people to say that it is impossible to prove the existence of God. This impossibility derives from the idea that if the observable phenomena is absent, therefore, it does not exist. In truth, how can one presume to observe the divine, something that exists in the heavens? Mere observation is clearly not a possibility when dealing with a transcendent being. Evidence in the existence of God is in every cause and effect. We understand that nothing happens in and of itself. Every event originates from a preceding event. Those events, if traced back...
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...The Attainability of Happiness Can one attain happiness in this life? St. Thomas Aquinas is very opinionated on this subject. To know if one can attain happiness in this life, Aquinas first analyzes different possible sources of happiness to determine whether or not man’s happiness consists in these sources. Aquinas asks if any created good could consist of man’s happiness. St. Thomas says it could seem as if happiness consists of created goods because “man is made happy by that which lulls his natural desire”(1). Created goods satisfy us because they are what we crave, so when we attain them we could achieve happiness. Aquinas argues that while this is so, created goods cannot possibly be the source of man’s happiness. This is mainly due to the fact that created goods are “less than the goods of which he is capable, as of an object, and which is infinite. And the participated good which is in an angel, and in the whole universe, is a finite and restricted good” (2). What this means is that it does not make sense for man to solely derive his happiness from created goods because they are finite; there is only a set amount of these things in existence. Man would always have to worry about whatever good that is fueling his happiness from running out, because it is not eternal. For Aquinas, this means that our happiness cannot possibly consist of created goods because by definition, happiness is that state in which nothing is left to be desired. One is completely satisfied and at...
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...Corey Rivera Dr. Matthew Arbo Phil 201-D20 December 7, 2013 Response Paper Does a belief in an all-knowing, all-good, all-perfect, and all-powerful God provide one with all the answers to life’s inexplicable questions? Conversely, does a belief in atheism offer any insight into life’s inexplicable questions? According to an article titled “On Being an Atheist,” written by the Australian philosopher H.J. McCloskey, atheism seems to do just that. In fact in his article, McCloskey not only bashes the classical arguments for God’s existence using the problem of evil, but also offers it as the reason why one should not hold to the belief in all-knowing, all-good, all-perfect, all-powerful God. However, as seen in the arguments against McCloskey’s beliefs in atheism, such a belief is not only a sin against God, but has devastating effects to all of mankind. McCloskey claims that arguments, named “proofs” in his article, offer no significant evidence to establish a case for an omnibenevolent God, and therefore should be disregarded.1 However, McCloskey is using the classical arguments the wrong way and in a manner they were not designed to be used. The problem with referring to the classical arguments for God’s existence as “proofs” implies a sense of certainty. These arguments were not meant to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the existence of God, as McCloskey believes. Rather these arguments take a best explanation approach for the existence of God. They simply argue the best...
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...getting beat by his or her master is sinful because of the desire attached to the physical world, where a truly good person would only love his faith. Therefore, the slave must be punished for killing his slave master out of fear of beaten. Conversely, in the situation of one having to kill in self-defense is just compared to the one regarding the slave and his master; killing in self-defense means that the attacker is willing to commit a sinful act, such as murder or rape. Augustine justifies this by explaining to Evodius that a law created by people that allows for killing in self-defense is ethical because it allows for a lesser evil to be committed to avoid a greater evil and, second, stating that a just law can only be derived from God’s eternal law. This idea of a “lesser evil preventing a greater evil” is parallel to the utilitarian theory presented by Jeremy Bentham, who shared similar thoughts with Augustine regarding war. The bishop’s opinion on killing in self-defense plays a large part in his...
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...Lenzy Cornatzer Professor O’Neil Introduction to Philosophy Philosophy Engagement Paper December 15, 2014 For many Christians understanding the early church philosophers is not something that is done on a regular basis. Philosophy is a discipline that studies and researches different topics like justice, morality, religion and reality. There are three branches of philosophy that are accepted, natural philosophy, moral philosophy and metaphysical philosophy. Philosophy is a system of principles for guidance. So how do philosophy and the Christian life intersect? One of the ways to understand that is to look at the early church philosophers that have shaped our knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. In the following paragraphs we will examine the philosopher Thomas Aquinas. Thomas had a way of understanding God that you may or may not agree with but hopefully will learn about him in the paragraphs ahead. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican theologian and philosopher that is believed by many to be one of the most influential thinkers of Scholasticism and is also know as the father of the Thomistic school of theology. Thomas Aquinas was born in the year 1225 in Roccasecca, in the Kingdom of Sicily also know as present day Italy. He combined the theological principles with the principles of reason and he is ranked by many as one of the most influential thinkers of medieval Scholasticism. Thomas...
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...human suffering and the reasons God chose to make the world as it is today, also including examples from life and the movies we watched in class. St. Thomas Aquinas had many arguments for the existence of God and one of those was the fifth way. In the argument of the fifth way Aquinas says “The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best result. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore, some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God”. Here St. Thomas Aquinas is basically saying that the existence of order and apparent purpose in the universe is best explained by saying that an intellectual being caused it. A good example of this argument is if we were to look at the planets in our solar system. The planets being inanimate objects couldn’t have possible placed themselves in such perfect orbit, but yet they are. So this means that an intelligent being must have done so, and this being is God. Aquinas’s fifth way argument is a...
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... Aquinas was sent to Naples where he became familiarized with Aristotle and a great deal of his work, as well as obtaining a strong fascination with the contemporary monastery while there (cite website). Each helped to shape his religious view on how society should be governed. In 1234, St. Aquinas began attending the University of Naples, and in 1243, he secretly joined an order of monks (cite website). This upset his family, who then conspired to kidnap him. They were unsuccessful, and he later returned back to his original calling and back to the Dominican Order in 1248. Just five years later, he was ordained, and taught theology at the University of Paris, where he eventually earned his doctorate. Aquinas devoted the remainder of his life to traveling, writing, preaching, and teaching (cite website). St. Aquinas was born in the Medieval Period in Europe, which was the peak of the empire, and when the Holy Roman Empire was at war with the Papacy. This time period is significant in developing some of Aquinas’ ideas in the arena of who is the supreme or absolute ruler and holds the highest power, when war is justifiable, how to sustain peace, which government is the best suitable for the greatest amount of people, and how to formulate laws which are fair to all. St. Aquinas believed that all things were caused by God, whether they were contingent or necessary. A contingent being is an object that cannot exist without a necessary being causing its existence...
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...INTRODUCTION Natural Law Is a philosophy of law that is determined by nature, and so is unive rsal. Classically, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature both social and personal and deduce binding rules of moral behavior from it. Natural law is often contrasted with the positive law of a given political community, society, or state. In legal theory, on the other hand, the interpretation of positive law requires some reference to natural law Although natural law is often conflated with common law, the two are distinct in that natural law is a view that certain rights or values are inherent in or universally cognizable by virtue of human reason or human nature, while common law is the legal tradition whereby certain rights or values are legally cognizable by virtue of judicial recognition or articulation PROPONENTS OF NATURAL LAW Plato According to Plato we live in an orderly universe. At the basis of this orderly universe or nature are the forms, most fundamentally the Form of the Good, which Plato describes as "the brightest region of Being". The Form of the Good is the cause of all things and when it is seen it leads a person to act wisely. In the Symposium, the Good is closely identified with the Beautiful. Also in the Symposium, Plato describes how the experience of the Beautiful by Socrates enables him to resist the temptations of wealth and sex. In the Republic, the ideal community is, "...a city which would be established in accordance with...
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...St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-‐1274) Biographical Note St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca in the Neapolitan territory. It is believed that the castle belonged to Aquinas’ father. Thomas Aquinas’ father was Count Landulf of an Italian family, however, his father did not come from the high power branch of the family but simply held the title. Aquinas’ mother was Countess Theodora of Theate, comes from the Rossi branch of the Neapolitan Caracciolo family, which is a noble Norman descent. Aquinas began his early education at age of five in the monastery of Monte Cassino. Later, Aquinas spent some time studying in Naples. Around 1243, Aquinas decided to join the Dominican order; however, his brothers brought him back to his parents on his way to Rome because his family is opposed to the Dominican order. Aquinas was held in the castle of S. Giovanni...
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...A2 Religious Studies Revision Booklet To be used alongside the textbook and your classnotes. Contents G581: Philosophy of Religion Religious Language......................................................………p.1 Religious Experience........................................................…...p.7 Miracles..................................................................…………...p.12 Nature of God............................................................………...p.16 Life and Death.........................................................…………..p.20 G582: Religious Ethics Meta-ethics...........................…………………………………….p.25 Free Will and Determinism………………………………….……p.28 Conscience.......................…………………………………….…p.32 Virtue Ethics………………………………………………………..p.36 Sexual Ethics…………………………………………………...….p.40 Environment and Business Ethics……………………………….p.44 Religious Language Introduction The problems of religious language: • If we use language univocally about God, then we are limiting him / making him like a human • If we use language equivocally about God, we cannot be sure what the word means when applied to God • Are statements about God supposed to be cognitive – if so, what evidence proves / disproves them? • Are statements about God supposed to be non-cognitive – if so, do they have any meaning? The Verification...
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...language is non-cognitive it is thought as conveying feelings or expressing desires or guiding ways of behaving. Religious language is realist if it is thought of as conveying testable facts that actually pertain in reality. Religious language is non-realist it is thought of as conveying guiding ideals but with no basis in factual reality. Religious language offers a correspondence theory of truth if it is thought of as being able to point to the reality that it is trying to convey. Religious language offers a coherence theory of truth if it is thought of as conveying making sense within a network of other beliefs which people hold to be true. 2. What Religious Language is: Religious language is an outlet for emotion in special times of life. Religious language is the language of worship. It is performative, ‘I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’, and it is prescriptive (law making – i.e. honour your father and mother). However, none these uses of religious language is our focus. Our focus is how religious language might make truth claims about the reality of God and whether it can succeed in doing this. Philosophers have suggested many different ways in which this might be done. These include: |Via Negativa |Analogy |Symbol |Myth | Philosophers have made a distinction between cataphatic God-talk which involves reflection...
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...4 March: City of God – Utopian Reader – include a little bit on it – 22 volumes in all. Christianity – Augustine – classicly trained greek scholar. City in north Africa. Story like apostle Paul – orginially a person who persecuted Christians – north African wealth family from – found enlightenment in Christianity. Once he joined became one of the early scholars trained in greek – regulized Christian theology. Influence on western world – top four or five who influenced. Confessions and City of God his writings…look up! What’s the purpose of improving human society – complex – why do it? Can human society be made better? Why bother, what is the point, justification? Takes effort, misery involved, change, unknowns, takes energy, takes risks. HAPPINESS – justification for improving society. What do you have to have to be happy? What is happiness – PHI 101 – happiness according to whom? Lack of misery; literally the elimination of misery. Secondly, food – gives pleasure – Happiness is lack of human misery and maximizing /pleasure and happiness. Bliss 24/7 – hedonism Epicureanism – eliminating misery and maximizing happiness. The justification of utopianism = why did plato want the republic? Justisifcation for improving human society among the Greeks? Poor always poor, always unhappy, death claims everyone - it is rational to maximize pleasure and eliminate misery. Do eternally accouding to plato. Opinions – 1. Relativism is a retreat in the 20th century. Can’t...
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...moral individualist can stand up against a community's horrible moral standards for example. The sub-categories of utilitarian individualism and expressive individualism are also not necessarily good or bad. A utilitarian individualist may invent a cure for a disease to make a profit or to save a loved one -- good still comes from it. An expressive individualist may give to charity in order to gain a public reputation as a philanthropist. In the context of our own society, a lot of people are concerned with the effects of moral individualism, utilitarian individualism, and expressive individualism -- concerned that these orientations are being lived at the expense of community interests to a point at which they are harmful to collective life. Your task is to be familiar with these terms and have some sense of where you stand with respect to them. Your advocacy in one direction or other is not my primary concern -- I want you to know the terms and have an attitude with respect to them. Foundation of Ethical Conduct Order – patterned trajectories and relationships that have continuity in time. The importance of order. Natural Order – supra-human, patterned pathways and relationships e.g., bees, flowers, bees and flowers. o Do other animals have social order – yes, but not as sophisticated as human. Social Order – patterned trajectories and relationships between persons. o Unconsciously evolved social order. o Consciously evolved social order. Norms – patterned...
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