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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Aquinas' moral arguments move from 'good/reasonable/right... — Carmelics
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    Home/Virtue Ethics
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Aquinas' moral arguments move from 'good/reasonable/right' to 'therefore natural', not from 'natural' to 'therefore good'

    Proof of definition segmentsVirtue Ethics
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Aquinas grounds moral evaluation in rational goodness, not in naturalness as a primitive
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    • 2.The natural is derived from the reasonable and good in Aquinas' framework, not the reverse
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Aquinas explicitly defines natural law as participation of rational creatures in eternal law, grounding normativity in an ontological order prior to human reason.
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    • 2.The precepts of natural law track the natural inclinations (inclinationes naturales) ordered by God, making 'natural' a theologically prior category, not derived from rational reflection.
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    • 3.In ST I-II q.94 a.2, Aquinas derives the good from what human nature is inclined toward, reversing the claimed direction of inference.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.John Finnis's reconstruction of Aquinas, which the SEP claim echoes, has been contested by Lisska and others who argue it imports a neo-Kantian rationalism foreign to Aquinas's Aristotelian essentialism.
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    • 2.Aquinas's hylomorphic account of human nature means that 'natural' functions as a thick normative concept already laden with teleological goodness, making the natural/good distinction artificial rather than directional.
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    Virtue EthicsProof of definition segments

    Related

    Aquinas explicitly defines natural law as participation of rational creatures in...Aquinas grounds moral evaluation in rational goodness, not in naturalness as a p...Aquinas's hylomorphic account of human nature means that 'natural' functions as ...In ST I-II q.94 a.2, Aquinas derives the good from what human nature is inclined...
    +3 moreShow less
    John Finnis's reconstruction of Aquinas, which the SEP claim echoes, has been co...The natural is derived from the reasonable and good in Aquinas' framework, not t...The precepts of natural law track the natural inclinations (inclinationes natura...

    Similar

    If 'good' cannot be defined in natural terms, the property of goodness...79%The natural is derived from the reasonable and good in Aquinas' framew...79%Human actions are rightly called natural (in the morally relevant sens...79%Aquinas grounds moral evaluation in rational goodness, not in naturaln...78%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: aquinas-moral-political
    View source passageHide passage
    As in ours, many in Aquinas’ milieu found it difficult to understand how mutually agreeable sex could be a serious moral issue, or indeed a moral issue at all. Aquinas noted this, but was clear that every kind of conduct that acts out and thus confirms and reinforces a disposition of will contra bonum matrimonii is seriously wrong because so many aspects of individual and social flourishing profoundly depend upon the health of the institution of marriage, as it exists in the real lives of adults
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit