Norms of Morality Quiz

Norms of Morality

• A norm is a rule, standard, or measure that evaluates human conduct as good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral.
• Norms of morality are standards that indicate the rightfulness or wrongness of human conduct.

Types of Norms of Morality

• Eternal Divine Law: objective, absolute, and independent of any standard; also called "The ultimate and absolute Norm of Morality".
• Human reason: subjective, related to personal conscience, telling individuals to do what is good and avoid what is evil.

Combating Relativism

• Subjective norms must be in accord with objective standards to combat relativism.

Law as the Objective Norm of Morality

• Law in its broadest sense: a rule or norm that governs nature and action of things.
• Law in its narrower sense: a rule of conduct that governs, directs, and regulates the free acts of men.

Definition of Law by St. Thomas Aquinas

• "Ordinance of reason promulgated by the competent authority for the common good".
• Ordinance of reason: result of serious study, deliberation, or public debate.
• Promulgated: announced publicly, made known to people who are to observe them.
• By competent authority: only those with legitimate authority to govern may pass laws.
• For the common good: the purpose of the law is for the general welfare of the people.

Relevance of Laws

• Laws mandate some actions as prohibited and others as permitted or required.
• Laws determine human behavior because some people do not do what is good unless forced to.
• Society adopts law to protect its members from themselves or from those who might want to hurt them.
• Laws encourage and compel people to act for the good of all by prescribing punishments for transgressions.

Kinds of Law

• Divine positive law: laws made known to men by God (e.g., Decalogue), concerned with moral acts; violation constitutes a SIN.
• Human positive law: laws made by legitimate human authority (e.g., state laws, Canon law), intended to preserve peace and order, direct members to work towards the common good; violation constitutes ILLEGAL ACTS.
• Affirmative laws: require the performance of an act (e.g., giving respect to elders, paying taxes).
• Negative laws: prohibit the performance of an act (e.g., prohibition against smoking in public places).
• Natural Moral Law: inherited on essential tendencies of human nature, regulate thoughts and feelings, bound in conscience, enforced by personal convictions rather than corporal punishment.