Today we will learn more about Aquinas and Natural Law theory WELCOME BACK AS Ethics Today we will learn more about Aquinas and Natural Law theory

In this lesson we will… 1] Check everyone understands that Natural Law theory is rooted in Aristotle ideas about causation 2] Learn key facts about Aquinas and Natural Law 3] Work out what is involved in writing an AS essay in ethics

Starter time… I’m Morgan, and I Like the way that Aquinas used the ideas of Aristotle and the stoics. We can use our rational ability to work out what is the natural way to l ive an behave I’m Granny, and I like the idea of there being different types of law. God created us and our world. Things have been designed by him! Aquinas is right about the different types of law I think Aquinas natural law theory sounds incoherent these days. What do you mean by ‘natural’? Also, Aquinas is biased - he thinks God exists! I’m an atheist and reject what he says about there being a natural law!

Starter time… What were their names? What did Mirella think? How much do you agree with Granny’s view? How much do you agree with Morgan’s view?

The specification for the AS course says you need to know about Aquinas’ natural law theory The back ground to Natural Law - Aristotle (and the stoics) What Aquinas thought about Natural law Strengths Weaknesses How would Natural law be applied to real ethical dilemmas

Getting ready for the exam You have to be able to answer exam questions about this topic Here are examples of AS exam questions on Natural Law: 1 a) Explain the Natural Law theory (25 marks) B) ‘The Natural Law theory has no serious weaknesses’ Discuss (10 marks) 1a) Explain the strengths of Natural Law theory (25 marks) 1b) To what extent could a believer in Natural Law accept embryo research? (10 Marks) What do you notice about the (a) part? What do you notice about the (b) part?

AS Essays in Natural Law What is an AS essay? How long should it be? What makes a good AS essay - the level of response Writing long answers …. Backing up your points… explaining in detail… referring to key thinkers… having some quotes or points from different philosophers 25 Marks = saying 25 different things It normally takes at least one sentence to make a point. So absolute minimum - it has to have at least 25 sentences. This means you will be aiming to write at least a page a half in the exam.

Think about the exam timings: 90 Minutes to answer: Two 25 mark questions Two 10 Mark questions This gives you 1minute and 17 seconds to get each mark. In that time you ought to be able to write a couple of sentences For the 25 mark questions you should be writing for about 30 minutes For the 10 mark question you should be writing for about 10 minutes An A grade AS exam essay response will be around 3 side long (for the 25 and 10 mark questions)

Essay work The difference between essay assignments and the actual exam Your assignment should help you to get the perfect model - using books and the work done in class. In the exam you will not have the books, but you will have the experience of having done a model answer through the course

How long should you spend on an essay assignment? You will need to do some reading - of you class work, and of the information in books It will take a couple of hours to read all this stuff As you read you should take some notes, and find some quotes (gems) Make a plan: get the ideas in order, and think carefully about the question you are responding to Write up the plan, and add in the gems and points you have collected Re-read your work: is there anything that is missing or should be added?

Minimum timings: Reading and making notes = 3 hours Planning time = 30 minutes Writing time = 100 minutes Checking, re-reading, and making any corrections = 20 minutes This comes to about 5 hours! Reminder: You are a full time student, and you ought to be doing around 45 hours of study over each 7 day week! At school you have 4 hours of lessons plus one hour of study time (so about 20hours at school for 4 AS courses) In theory you ought to be doing 5 hours of study for each course! The ‘a’ in ‘AS’ stands for ‘advanced’ - it is supposed to be hard because it is advanced work!

Keep the essay focus in mind After half term you will be writing an essay about Natural Law As we go through this lesson think about this - and make sure you have enough information to be able to write a perfect essay response to: 1 a) Explain the Natural Law theory (25 marks) B) ‘The Natural Law theory has no serious weaknesses’ Discuss (10 marks)

What is natural moral law? Ethical theories that state that there is a natural order to our world - and this should be followed Some things are natural (= good) and some things are unnatural (= bad) We have a human nature - and as humans we should follow this If we want to find deep down happiness/fulfillment (eudamonia) then we should follow our human nature: live as a human should live If we think (use our reason/intillegence) then we can work out what our purpose (final goal) is and this will help us work out how we should live

Individual humans share something in common – their human nature People Humans Homo-sapiens A man… a woman Individual human beings: made up of flesh and blood, DNA, shared genetics Individual humans share something in common – their human nature

The human goal/telos Humans have an ultimate goal/purpose This is connected with God (our hearts are restless until they rest in God!) If we use our intelligence we can work out what our telos is Once we know our goal then we can act accordingly

Natural law theory is NOT Just about doing what comes naturally - it is about using our reason Really a ‘law’ or fixed rule - there is a flexibility (in the way these rules/laws are to be applied)

The origins of Natural Law theory In Aristotle - causation In the stoics - very similar to Christian ideas In Aquinas being very clever! The purpose of human beings Eternal law Divine Law Natural law Please note the way Aquinas develops Aristotle - The final cause was linked with God

Natural inclinations Aquinas reckoned that God has instilled in all humans inclinations (desires) to behave in certain ways that lead to the highest good If we follow these natural inclinations then we can achieve the highest good – the thing which makes us complete (eudiamonia) We have a basic inclinations - to avoid evil and do good (achieve good) We are designed for perfection! To be a full human Thinking point – why does praise matter so much to us?

Thinking point: what are your views on Laws? Are laws and rules there to be broken? If people do not follow laws and rules how do you react?

Apparent good Why do we sometimes behave badly/go wrong? Answer 1: we make mistakes/get things wrong (mistakes and sins) Answer 2: We often go for the apparent good – something you think of as good, but in reality it has bad results Examples: having an affair The apparent good – being in love, the excitement, being desired and wanted: all these are ‘good’ things in themselves… but this is only an apparent good.. Affairs destroy marriages – people are hugely hurt, and often the marriages are destroyed. The affair produces much unhappiness and suffering Example 2: Getting high on a drug…. The feeling of ‘bliss’ or shere pleasure from taking the drug, the sense of relief, the excitement…. But these are only apparent goods Drug taking damages your body (at least as harmful as smoking) and it can cause huge withdrawl problems, and psychological problems. Drug taking reflects a desire to ‘escape’ and they show you cannot cope with life Can you think of other examples? We have a human nature – and we can fall short of this ideal When we do things we can use our reason to work out if we are going for the apparent good or for things which are really good for us – and will help us to live up to our human nature

Acting according to our goal The human purpose or goal Not falling short of the way humans are supposed to live When humans act in accordance with their true nature, they act in accordance with their final purpose There is a harmony between your intention and your actions Intentions = what are called the interior act Actions = what are called the exterior act Aquinas is a deontologist: some act are just bad in themselves. Even if your intentions were good it does not justify you in doing the bad thing It is also possible that your intentions were bad but your actions had good consequences! In working out if there is a harmony between the interior and the exterior act we need

What kind of theory is Natural Law? Maybe we could be clever and say it is not really a theory/way of making moral decisions because….. It is a way of stressing that our human nature is knowable and we can use our reason to know and understand it

Primary and secondary precepts Primary precepts of Natural law: Always true Apply to everyone They are obvious or direct reflections of God’s eternal law These are the primary precepts according to Aquinas: The preservation of life Reproduction The nurture and education of the young (to learn) Living peacefully in society To worship God

How much do you agree? The preservation of life I agree this is always true I agree that this law applies to everyone They are obvious or direct reflections of God’s eternal law I think Aquinas was right to describe this as a primary precept

How much do you agree? Reproduction I agree this is always true I agree that this law applies to everyone They are obvious or direct reflections of God’s eternal law I think Aquinas was right to describe this as a primary precept

How much do you agree? Living peacefully in society I agree this is always true I agree that this law applies to everyone They are obvious or direct reflections of God’s eternal law I think Aquinas was right to describe this as a primary precept

How much do you agree? To worship God I agree this is always true I agree that this law applies to everyone They are obvious or direct reflections of God’s eternal law I think Aquinas was right to describe this as a primary precept

Secondary precepts These depend on our own judgements of what actually to do in a given situation These are liable to faulty reasoning We often look at the consequences to work it out – so they can be more teleological. Secondary precepts require: Experience Use of reason The exercise of wisdom

Issues with secondary precepts It is often hard to apply or work out the secondary precepts Example of ‘reproduction’ Does this make IVF acceptable? What about the extra embryos that are used? You need practical wisdom (phronesis)

Assignment Questions (some research needed) Explain in detail the difference between primary and secondary precepts What is the doctrine of the double effect Come up with at least 5 strengths of Natural Law Come up with at least 6 weaknesses of Natural Law How much do you agree with Aquinas that humans do have a human nature/purpose? Get ready for the essay question Due for next lesson

PLENARY 1] How long are AS students supposed to spend on an essay assignment? 2] Suggest some problems with the Natural Law theory of ethics 3] What makes this topic very hard to understand? 4] How could your learning have been improved in this lesson [I would have learnt more if………] 5] How would you grade your learning today … using the scale of 1 - 10