Principles of Ethical Behavior

Principles of Ethical Behavior

• All humans share a common nature, which stems from mankind sharing the same origin
• Mankind shares common goods and ends rooted in natural tendencies
• Discovering these tendencies and bringing them to full realization is the task of man's life
• The moral criteria guiding man's conduct towards his real good and true end is found in human nature

The Gold Standard of Human Behaviour

• The first principle of practical reason is the guiding rule that puts order in man's actions
• This order isn't just nature, but a natural law that appears as a metaphysical premise for practical reason
• The question of how to define a common human nature is complex due to the variety of cultures
• The problem is not whether a common nature exists, but the indetermination of human nature
• Human nature is not predetermined like plants or animals, it can adopt a great diversity
• This diversity is proof of human nature's specificity, i.e. its rationality

Instinct vs Choice

• Humans can realize their good only through choice, unlike other living beings that follow their instinctive nature
• Other beings can be good or perfect through instinct, humans have to do it through good choice
• Wrong choices cannot lead to perfection
• Correct perception of the good end by man's reason is important in judging conditions
• The natural law is prior to the virtues

Natural Law and Intellect

• While the intellect is given in nature, the practical reason has to be used in every decision to choose the right one
• Virtues are acquired with effort, because the ability to acquire them is given in nature
• Virtues, like human laws, are developments of the first principles of man's nature

What is Natural Law?

• Natural law refers to a series of simple precepts perceived by human reason from the first practical principles, intellectually known
• Reason distinguishes right and wrong ends in reference to the good
• The Natural law prescribes us to do what is good and avoid what is evil
• Natural law guides what is rationally good and implies reference for action
• Obeying moral law achieves the practical good
• Human nature defends specific goods that are to be defended and protected absolutely
• Moral principle implies rectitude in our understanding
• The rectitude of reason is not innate, and must be cultivated

The Threefold Prescription of Nature

• Individual life
• Truth
• Life in society
• Human intellect can apprehend the objective sense of these precepts
• Natural law contributes to direct practical life by prescribing the doing of good and avoidance of actions contradicting the integrity of human beings
• Man's rationality dictates his conduct in personal and public sphere

Right Reason

• Practical reason is the ability to perceive the principles and precepts of natural law and apply them to decisions
• Right reason is the theoretical right ordering of action to an end determined by the same principles
• Conceptualization in philosophical ethics is intrinsically linked to experience
• The essence of human nature is the foundation of both

Rationality and Order

• Rationality requires order in the question of norms
• Norms and laws are rational regulations of the goods expressed in the principles and precepts of human nature
• The importance and universal value of these goods are expressed and communicated in the form of duties
• Norms and duties belong to moral thought and are formed through reflection on the direct activity of practical reason
• Means of ordering life rationally, in accordance with virtue and not vice versa
• Saying "no" means one can do "this" in reference to what would be the virtuous thing to do
• Norms forbid something to achieve something good, virtuous
• Norms indicate a direction towards encouraging virtue
• Primary objective: guide the tendency towards its true object

Virtue Ethics and Normative Ethics

• Normative ethics cannot be exclusively concerned with norms (guiding towards virtues)
• Virtue ethics describes the operations of practical reason, theoretically and practically
• Virtue ethics justifies the logic and dynamism of man's moral life
• Ethical systems outside essence of man are mere conventions that are incapable of motivating behavior change

Laws

• A law is a dictate of the practical reason
• Practical and speculative reason both proceed from principles to conclusions
• Knowledge of ethics is not imparted by nature
• Human reason uses human law to proceed to the more particular determination of certain matters
• Human laws relate to natural law because it prescribes justice and order for the achievement of the common good

Aquinas and Laws

• Not all positive laws follow natural law
• Aquinas notes a difference between natural law and positive laws
• Natural law guides, provides validation for positive laws
• whoever contracts nature contradicts practical reason
• Natural law is implicitly present in positive laws but cannot be reduced to them

Freedom

• Not derived from the natural law
• Freedom is absence of coercion
• Positive formulation in the sense that freedom is "freedom for" something, through the mastery of personal actions
• Implies responsibility because of mastery over decisions/actions
• Duties to fulfill promises
• Manifestation of freedom and responsibility, as well as coherence with a conduct guided by reason in a mature personality
• Explained through: fundamental, psychological, moral, social or political freedoms
• Moral freedom consists in strengthening and expanding man's capacity for virtue
• Moral freedom is acquired or conquered via choices

Freedom and Law

• Moral freedom shows how man does not always use his freedom correctly
• Possibility of misusing freedom justifies the rationality of any law
• Laws create the conditions for the right exercise of freedom
• Following the law helps strengthen self-mastery and rational order in the tendencies
• Obeying just laws requires virtue acquired in freedom
• Law helps strengthen freedom for people to achieve their purpose through virtue

Moral Conscience

• Conscience is the light of the intellect shows the distinction between good and evil
• Made in reference to the truth allows the rational rights of the conscience
• Conscience allows the rights of the individual against the possible abuse of state power
• Aquinas' view of conscience: practical intelligence at work
• A conscience is binding even when mistaken
• Impossible to be aware a judgment of conscience is mistaken
• In the end, act in agreement with the judgement and conscience, or it may have a negative efffect
• One must follow the conscience, and understand what it means

Actions Judged

• Conscience is correct when it judges personal actions correctly
• Conscience is erroneous when a wrong judgment is made, even thinking all the while that it is right
• Conscience is doubtful when one is not sure whether an action is really good or evil

Moral Knowledge

• Needed to tell between what is helpful/harmful
• Distinguish between:
  • objective and subjective opinion
  • relative and universal truths
• Required to solve the problem of right and wrong conscience
• Person can be sincere/honest and mistaken at the same time
• Sincerity and honesty can only acknowledge moral ignorance

Formation of Conscience

• Allows actions to comply with their rights and duties
• Search for the truth and provide inner guidance distinguishing the good to be done from the evil to be avoided
• A formed conscience is likely, equipped to follow it
• An un-formed conscience and an ill-formed or de-formed conscience is dangerous
• Formation of personal conscience and freedom is a priority
• Formed conscience is not an absolute guaranty against wrong decision
• The conscious is always portrayed as a voice - but its more of a judgement

A Statement of Good Conscience

• Seek what the truth is
• If act while in doubt:
  • Do evil
  • Without doing everything to seek the truth of the good, they will be guilty of the evil decided to do
  • On the other hand, conscience can be in the state of ignorance

Ignorance

• Man's conscience can be under the state of ignorance
  • Invincible ignorance
  • Vincible ignorance
• Person's conscience can be under invincible ignorance when person is not aware and unable to overcome it
• Advice goes beyond simple friendly suggestions to reach the level of guidance toward the truth and good

Freedom of Conscience

• Does not mean one is free to decide what is good and what is evil
• Cannot decide whether cheating is good or bad
• It is already something wrong
• Freedom that we have no right to judge other people's conscience
• The disciplinary committee can judge the act, but cannot judge the conscience of the person
• Are responsible first and foremost before before the conscience and then before other people

Definition

• Cannot mean man is free to do what he likes
• Belief in conscience means to believe in some standard of right and wrong
• The greatest violation of the rights of conscience occurs when it is not obeyed
• The most important threat, therefore, to the freedom of one's conscience comes not from outside but from within