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Aristotle believed everything has a purpose (telos). According to Aristotles philosophy something was good of it fulfilled it's telos
Aquinas believed natural law was the law that human beings should follow. He believed in morality for everyone and that being a good person was vital.
it is an absolute, deontological theory- what is right and wrong is fixed and unchangeable unlike relative theories. Deontological means that an action is judged on the merit of the interior actions. An action is good if it fulfils the telos.
interprations
Apparent Good vs ideal good
God makes humans in a certain ideal nature which enables humans to use there reason. The reason for immoral actions is to confuse the apparent good with the ideal. Morally wrong actions are carried out in the belief they are good but are not. God created man with ideal good. sin is falling short of the ideal good
Interior acts vs exterior act
Aquinas also distinguished between interior (most important) and exterior (consequence). an act may be good by itself but done for the wrong reason. Our actions as well as intentions are important when seeking a virtuous life ' it is sometimes alright to do good acts even though it will bring about bad.
Doctrine of double effect
e.g a women who has cancer of the uterus whilst pregnant. The only way to save her is by having a hysterectomy and ending the pregnancy
evaluating
Weakness:
Absolute so no freedom of choice
Religious so limits followers
difficult to relate complex decisions
idea preposes that God created the world
Strengths:
quick to make designs and helpful to make laws
based on intentions
enables systems of law to exist
unchanging throughout time