Unit 3 Test Review
Chapters 7 & 8
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Who compared the good to the sun?
He believed the closest we come to the good
is in contemplation.
He believed that philosophers were closest to
the good.
In his work The Republic he taught that the
ideal city-state would be ruled by
philosopher-kings.
Struggled against the teachings of sophism:
it argued that there is no truth, moral values
were relative.
Plato
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Believed that philosophers were most likely
to succeed in search for happiness and the
good.
Thought his teacher’s view of the good was
too abstract.
Taught:
◦ Absolute good can only be found in God.
◦ Good is inscribed by God into the nature of all
things.
◦ To find the good: find its purpose.
◦ Good found in the middle ground, not in extremes
◦ Highest form of happiness to live an ethical life.
◦ To engage ethically is to engage our capacity to
reason.
Aristotle
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Made extensive use of Aristotle’s
teachings.
Agreed with Aristotle: the ethical comes
from the end inscribed in all creatures.
God is the highest good.
Believed in a fuller happiness called
“Blessedness” found only in a loving vision
of God.
People live the good life by using
intelligence & senses, desires,
St. Thomas Aquinas
Name the Cardinal Virtue
(wait for the description!)
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How to act well in relation to others
◦ Justice
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How to balance one’s exercise of the
emotions.
◦ Temperance
◦ (Moderation)
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How to reason well in moral decisionmaking
◦ Prudence
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How to face life’s difficulties, the mean
between being foolhardy and cowardly
◦ Courage
◦ Fortitude
The
infinite Good, who is
God, is a the heart of
ethics
The other calls one to
the highest good.
Emmanuel Levinas
 Good
is only good if done out of
duty
 An act is not moral if you enjoy
doing it.
 Reason dictates what is good.
 The only good is a good will.
 Never use a person as a means
Immanuel Kant
Whose ethics was deontological?
Immanuel
Kant
Who taught a
teleological ethics?
Aristotle
St.
Thomas Aquinas
Catholicism’s 3 ways of
pursuing the good?
 Teleological
◦Natural ethics
 Deontological
◦Obligation & duty
 Follow
the teachings of the
Gospel.
 There
are no recipes since
we’re all unique
 These people provide
standards of excellence that
we can follow in our own
lives.
The communion of the
saints
Firm attitudes
Stable dispositions
Habitual perfections
Govern our actions
Order our passions
Guide our actions according to reason &
faith
 Make possible ease & self-mastery in
leading a good life
 Are acquired by human effort
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Virtues
 Connected
to taking proper care of
oneself
 Touches on the basic appetites and
passions
 Part of one’s desire for selfpreservation
 Is a love that is life-giving & selfless
Temperance
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Shows:
◦ Respect
◦ Reverence
◦ Patience
◦ Selflessness
◦ Maturity
The integration of one’s sexuality, an
apprenticeship in self-mastery
Reflects the classic rule about sexuality
◦ Unitive & procreative
Chastity
Anxious
concern for
the other
Arises out of a
regard for the other
Solicitude
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Stable sets or systems of meanings,
beliefs & values that promote our search
for the good.
Give structure to our societal
expectations
The backbone of the common good
Spaces for acting together, where justice
& equality are central
E.g.,
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Family
The state
Health Care
Churches
Market economy
Institutions
The highest expression of a norm of
action.
 Requires
◦ One (or more) to make it
◦ A specific directive of action
◦ Consideration for the common
good
◦ Being intended for a specific
group
◦ obligation
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LAW
 Interpretation
of Divine
or God’s Law
 Guides practice and
teaching of the Church
Canon Law
(Ecclesiastical Law)
 Focuses
on the general
well-being of all in society
 Seeks to meet the needs
of all people
 Protects the freedom of all
The Common Good
Apply generally in all
circumstances
E.g.,
◦You shall not murder
◦Always be just
◦The Golden Rule
Absolute Rules
Apply
in all
circumstances unless
another compelling
rule is in conflict
Generally Binding Rules
Nuggets of wisdom?
Maxims
Proverbs
 “Written
& engraved on
the soul”
 Written within our
capacity to reason
 “is the light of
understanding placed in
us by God.”
Natural Law
The
principle of
synderesis
Do good and avoid
evil.
st
1
principle of natural
law
Name the Theological Virtues
Faith
Hope
Love
◦Caritas or charity
Based
on reason
Promulgated
By legitimate
authority
For the common good
Good Law (characteristics of)