Craig Vincent Mitchell, PhD
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
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Thomas Aquinas was
one of the greatest
minds in the medieval
world
He studied Augustine’s
theology at the
University of Paris
He also studied the
philosophy of Aristotle
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Aristotle was a student of
Plato at his Academy for
over twenty years
He was the tutor of
Alexander the Great
He founded his own
school in Athens, known
as the Lyceum
He authored many books
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Aristotle wrote a number
of the first books that
attempted to
systematically explain
ethics.
These include: The
Eudomean Ethics, The
Nichomachean Ethics, The
Magna Moralia, The
Politics and The
Economics
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There are objective moral
facts
Ethics are based on the
nature or the purpose of a
thing
Ethics involves both reason
and the emotions
Ethics are good for both the
individual and the
community
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Virtues are what make a thing good or excellent
Vice is the opposite of virtue
Virtues are in accordance with a thing’s nature
Virtues are in accordance with a thing’s purpose
Virtues affect what you do
Virtues affect how you think
Virtues affect how you feel
Virtues are essential to good character
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Aristotle believed that
human beings are
rational creatures.
He also believed that
human beings are social
creatures
Aristotle thought that
human virtues must be
based on these aspects
of human nature
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Aristotle thought that
morality is rational
Aristotle believed that
emotions are driven by
reason
He thought that
emotional reasons may
be unconscious, but
they are automatic
judgments of value
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Virtue is within the
normal range of behavior.
The more virtuous a
person is the happier he
is.
Vice is a deficiency or an
excess of a virtue.
Vice is associated with
negative emotions.
Moral Virtues
 Justice (makes sure that all
men get what is due to them.
All men need an extra helping
of this virtue)
 Practical Wisdom (the ability
to judge properly)
 Courage (the ability to act
rightly in spite of danger)
 Temperance (self control)
Intellectual Virtues
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Theoretical
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Practical
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Practical wisdom/prudence.
Productive
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Speculative wisdom.
Scientific knowledge, empirical knowledge.
Craft knowledge, art, skill.
Subjacent intellectual virtues
Deliberating well, deliberative excellence;
thinking properly about the right end.
Understanding, sagacity, astuteness,
Cleverness; the ability to carry out actions so as
to achieve a goal.
Kohlberg’s Classifications of moral development
Post Conventional
and Principled
Level III
Universal ethical
principles
Virtue- one normally acts in accordance
with virtue because they have adopted
the morality that they have been taught.
One is willing to sacrifice for others.
Conventional
Level II
Social and
Conscience
maintenance
Self control- one learns morality that
they have been taught, but they do not
make reliable judgments. One is
concerned about the welfare of others.
Preconventional
Level I
Punishment and
obedience
Weakness (akrasia)- one does wrong
because they lack either knowledge or
power. One is concerned only with their
own welfare.
Man of superhuman
virtue
Virtuous man
Continent man
Always knows right, does right, has the right emotions
Knows right, mostly does right, mostly has the right
emotions
Knows right, mostly does right, sometimes has the right
emotions
Incontinent man
Knows right, sometimes does right, does not have the
right emotions
Vicious man
Knows right , does not do right, and does not have the
right emotions
Brutish man
Does not know or desire to do right
Exemplar
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We learn how to have the right
kind of character by watching
an exemplar
Eventually we imitate the
exemplar
Practical examples are
important
Narrative
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We learn character by hearing
stories
We learn character by reading
narratives
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Augustine of Hippo
was a theologian,
philosopher, and
pastor.
He believed that men
need a supernatural
work of grace to be
righteous.
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He agreed with
Aristotle in general, but
believed that the
virtuous man without
Christ has virtues that
are only excellent vices
The man without Christ
may do the right thing,
but for all of the wrong
reasons.
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Man needs a work of
grace to be righteous
before God.
He emphasized the
theological virtues, which
are special gifts of the
Holy Spirit given to every
believer.
To act in accordance with
the theological virtues is
to walk with the Spirit of
God.
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Takes human sin into
account
Theological virtues are
superior to the cardinal
virtues because they
come from the Holy
Spirit
Virtuous Christian
character results in
makarios
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Combined the philosophy of
Aristotle with the theology
of Augustine
Emphasized the cardinal and
theological virtues
Gave too high a place to
human reason, resulting in
works righteousness
Had four levels of law:
 Eternal law
 Divine law
 Natural law
 Civil law
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Thomas Aquinas developed Aristotle’s idea of
the natural law.
He viewed it as a part of general revelation
The Natural law is a good guide to Christian
ethics
Most simply it tells us to do good and avoid evil
The natural law is in accordance with the 10
commandments
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The goal of the physician is to preserve the life
and health of the patient
The natural law would tell us that abortion is
wrong
The natural law will tell us that active euthanasia
is wrong
The natural law would tell us that experimenting
on a patient in a harmful way is wrong
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The natural law would provide the following
direction:
Active euthanasia is wrong
Do not resuscitate orders should be respected
Determination of death
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Augustine’s theory of personal distribution explains
how people are motivated by self love and by the
love for his neighbor
The tradesman loves his customers with
benevolence (wishing good to them) and not with
beneficence because of scarcity.
The tradesman loves his family with both
benevolence and beneficence (doing good to them).
The tradesman sells his product to customers to
earn the means to provide for himself and his family.
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We must be responsible with our financial
obligations
Conflicts of interest should be avoided
There is nothing immoral about advertising
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Man is part of a community. Because the whole
comes before the parts, the needs of the community
come before the needs of the individual
A physician should conduct his affairs in such a way
as to bring glory to God and to his community
The physician should not only be concerned with the
individual patient, but for the health of the
community as a whole
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Since human beings are made after the image of
God
People should be treated as ends, not as means.
People should not be unwilling or unknowing test
subjects
Physicians should be careful when using
innovative therapies