ETHICS NOTES INNER FREEDOM -defined as freedom to achieve whatever promotes the fulfillment of human needs and freedom from whatever hinders it -process of growth that leads to an ever-increasing degree until man has reached the ultimate goal of life: Freedom to be oneself
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RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY (IN CREATION)
Moral order: parents, friends, fri ends, environment Natural Order Freedom from & Freedom for – san ka papunta External & Internal – pwedeng sabay
CONDITIONS FOR INNER FREEDOM -Restrictions must be placed on man’s external freedom -Have a well determined goal in life -Classify in their order of priority, the ac tivities that lead to this goal -Commit ourselves to these priorities single-mindedly, irrespective of what others may say, think, or do.
Increasing aspiration = increasing restriction Through restriction, na-aassess mo ‘yung achievement mo Goal - ‘yung kaya mo lang
THREATS TO INNER FREEDOM - EXTERNAL THREATS Sub-human living conditions (under the o poverty line), arbitrary imprisonment, inhuman working conditions, exploitation, tyranny, and others Hindi nagagawa ‘yung gusting gawin - INTERNAL THREATS Ignorance and passions o JESUS AND FREEDOM - Christ has freed us from the yoke of the law though not lawless, the Christian is no longer “under the law” understood as an externally constraining force - Rather, he now lives “under the law o Christ” which is the interior gift of the spirit. The Law of God no longer binds from without, it acts from within, as the appeal and claim of grace . - Christian is no longer overwhelmed by a multitude of demands which he cannot cope with but interiorly hears the voice o f the spirit urging and enabling him to do what is right. The person who gives himself the spirit is truly free. “the lord is the spiri t, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”
Laws are basically human
Man is responsible for the material world. Man is responsible for the community. Man is responsible for himself. The ability to respond. It is a part of Man’s dignity. The more responsible a person becomes, the more dignity he has. Freedom and responsibility are closely related. Without freedom, there can be no responsibility, and where there is freedom responsibility follows automatically.
ORIGINAL SIN -outer social reality (sinful situations) -inner personal reality (heart of darkness, concupiscence) -ratification of sin (by our personal sinful thoughts, words and deeds) SIN -offense against reason, truth, and right conscience -saying NO to God - utterance or desire contrary to the eternal law - sin is more than evil, evil intentionally committed by man -failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods *different from evil *voluntary, evil is involuntary *not exercise of freedom *sin came first before fall of man *sinful condition/situation c ondition/situation – no deliberate origin, but is based on historical background / conflict *sin is not just disobedience of the 10, but beyond it, inexplicitely stated CONCEPT OF SIN IN SACRED SCRIPTURE OLD TESTAMENT -looked upon as transgression of God’s law and will -Disobedience against God’s Decalogue SIN STORIES IN OT -Sin of Adam and Eve -Sin of Cain -Noah’s Ark -Tower of Babel
ETHICS NOTES New Testament -An ungrateful desertion of the Lord -Antithesis to charity and offense
I can tell you are doing good but I cannot tell you are not loving Wala tayong karapatang man-judge kung paano magmahal ‘yung iba
SOCIAL ASPECT OF SIN We can do more than Adam and Eve’s sin; not a particular affiliation, but human solidarity (judgement) -inner – tao ka lang nagkakasala -sins that directly attack human rights and basic freedoms human dignity, justice, the common good (external) nagkakasala ka, affected ako -sins affecting relationship between various human communities, such as class struggle or obstinate confrontations between blocs of nations (relation with others) wars -situations of sin, sinful structures that are the consequences of sinful choices and acts, e.g. racial discrimination and economic systems exploitation (social relationship) sinful structure/ racial discrimination DISTINCTION OF SIN -not all sins are of the same gravity and man acts on the basis -thus, distinctions are between mortal sin and venial sin BASIC DIFFERENCES -MORTAL SIN – outcome of a deliberate reversal of our option to be for God and for o thers (against God) - commitment to an option which contradicts God’s will and person’s authentic goal -VENIAL SIN – not against God LAW -ordinance of reason promulgated by men with competent authority for the common good Laws as the Objective norm of Morality is Categorized into: -MORAL LAW AS REVEALED LAW -comprising the old law and the new law or the law of the Gospel -DIVINE LAW / ETERNAL LAW -HUMAN LAW UNDER WHICH ARE CIVIL LAW AND CHURCH OR ECC LASIASTICAL LAW -NATURAL LAW
MORAL LAW -governs person’s behavior -contains truth and ethical principles which ought to guide every individual conduct of people on matters of right and wrong - it prescribes norms of conduct for o ne’s good and happiness which specify what a person ought to do or ought not to do in order to lead due to the highest good and absolute end, God -In the most universal meaning, it is a directive ordering man’s activity toward the ultimate end -man’s inclination to God. Laws are to be found in the heart of man – by the natural gift of reason -as revealed comprising the old and the new law or Law of the Gospel -
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Depends on Decalogue (OT), and love (NT) o Individual behaviors (arguments,, suggestions…) o Judging law based on this is hard Ultimate end – is it in accord to God’s will ML – in accordance with your goals HL – accord with the common good Hl is not a hindrance with the ultimate end Amendment is created to correct HL
DIVINE LAW/ ETERNAL LAW – GOD’S PLAN -God is the author of the laws governing the universe the Divine Law which is eternal or deduced from the fact that the world is ruled by the Divine Providence. And the plan of the Divine Providence rests upon universal principles existing eternally in God or direct all action and movements to the proper e nd, thus comprise the eternal law, so called because it exists in the mind of God. It contains the Divine blueprints (divine Law) -
Divine law- proper end God’s plan Not everything is God’s plan God’s plan is for us to be with him in Heaven The church is not a plan of God, but a way to achieve God’s plan Plan is always good
Eternal Law is the plan flowing from God s wisdom which directs all actions and movements . (St. Thomas Aquinas) ’
ETHICS NOTES Eternal Law is the divine reason and/or the will of God himself commanding the preservation of the Natural Law and forbidding its disturbance. (St. Augustine) Divine Law is discovered in the following: Physical laws which rule both nonrational and rational creatures Biological laws that govern the development of living things. Mathematical laws that govern abstract quantity Natural law which is the participation of Eternal law in the rational creatures. By learning these laws and living according to t hem we gain freedom. But freedom is always tied up with obedience to the law of God and there is no such thing as “ freedom from these laws,” instead there is only “ freedom within them.” “We cannot break the laws, but if we ignore them, they can break us. ” •
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When things cannot be explained by the four, is it divine (false)
Obedience to the pope
Necessity of Human Law: Revealed law does not provide exact r ules for every moral problem. Love your neighbor Frequently, natural Moral Law is not so evident in its particular requirements. Board exam There are often several possible ways to comply with an obligation, but for the sake of public order one must impose as binding for all (e.g. the law concerning traffic rules) the r ulings for public worship, and; pumila ng maayos Law with its penal regulation is an indispensable means of education for people, particularly in times of frailty, and as a shield against human malice. Late ng one 1 minute NATURAL LAW Refers to moral insights people are capable of knowing, by means of their reason, independently of t he verbal revelation of God. Natural means: Not supernatural (not communicated in a supernatural way). Not positive (not resulting from the command of a legislative authority, as in positive human and divine law. Found in and derived from the nature of a person. Concept of Natural Law •
HUMAN LAW a directive of obligatory, general, and stable character for the common good promulgated by one who is in charge of the sovereign society. Properties of Human Law: Human Law is enforceable. Human Law is concerned with external conduct only. Human Law is limited to particular groups of people. Human Law is historically conditioned. Human Law has presumptive obligatory force. Civil Law is the particular application of the Natural Law in given societies. “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar s” The moral obligation to obey civil authority is in direct proportion to the seriousness of the law in terms of its effect on our well-being as well as of others.
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Church Law is the particular application of the Divine Law to the Christian community. It can change as the Church faces new circumstance to which C hristians have to adapt. The moral obligation to observe Church laws is relative to the seriousness of the law insofar as it affects our relationship with God and with others.
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Law of human conduct arising from human nature, as ordered to its ultimate end, recognized by the natural light of reason. Man’s natural (not supernatural) ultimate end. E.g. values, which could be human nature not elevated by grace. Though ordered towards the supernatural ultimate end, and is based on human nature elevated by grace. Both lie on the same direction, although the supernatural ultimate end lead beyond. Persons- needs, individuals- wants. Needs are essential to man, wants are those goods that an individual requires due to a particular circumstance.
Natural law must be higher than human law
Essential Characteristics of Natural Law: Universal. (Universality) Its primary principles are self-evident such that it is for all individuals with fully developed reason to have an invincible ignorance of them. •
ETHICS NOTES One and the same for all. (Unity and Invariability) All classes of people possess equal moral dignity as persons, hence, they possess equal basic rights. Immutable. (Immutability) This connotes that there can be any change in whatever is fundamentally good or evil. church laws are applications of the Natural Law (False) Natural Laws are found in the Divine Law (t rue) Divine Laws are found in the Natural Law (true) All laws are made by man (false) The law is made for science alone (false) Divine laws are natural laws (false) Man's conscience is a Moral life (true) Man's behavior is a law (true) All laws are written (false) The ultimate end of a human being is Eternal Law (true) Moral Lawsare obligatory and enforceable (false) All laws are means to educate (true) •
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No smoking (HL) Boyfrind-girlfriend relationship (ML) To become supernatural (ML) Man is perfect (DL) Buoyancy (NL) Deathn (DL) Volcanic eruption (NL) Respect (ML) Board Examination (HL) zodiac sign (HL) To believe in God (ML) To be the best (ML) Old age (NL)
