PHIL 3040 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Rhetorical Question, Law, Divine Law
6 Nov 2013
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Aquinas foremost theologian of the catholic church. For contemporary readers the book is one weird structure. The form of aquinas"s arguments: objections, a statement of authority, a statement of his own claim, a rhetorical question, rejection of all objections. Of the 15 articles, the most important topics are what is law and what is the nature of law, not the legal system. Aquinas gives the following definition of what law is: an ordinance of reason, its end is that of the common good, it made by someone who has the care of the community , it is promulgated. Aquinas makes the distinction between practical reason and speculative reason . Practical reason is normative, it tells us how we ought to act, while speculative is proposition knowledge of the way things are. So law has reason because law directs our actions, and actions are guided by practical reason. However, reason tells us to take steps to achieve our desired result.
