In reading the book Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues by William Mattison III, I was pleasantly surprised to see how closely it follows the framework and school of thought of this class. The book focuses on why it is we do the things that we do in living a meaningful and reflective life. Following classical ‘means to end’ morality of the Aristotelian-Thomas tradition it utilizes many of the same commentators offered in this course including Annas, MacIntyre, Pieper, Pinckaers, Porter, Rhonheimer and Westberg to name a few. In this paper, I seek to highlight the key aspects of his arguments and his presentation on the groundwork of Christian Morality. Of course, I will not be able to do so exhaustively in a paper of this length.
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Morality then becomes what we should want. He explains that the way life is integrated and ordered is an issue of morality. He points out that if a just person turns to injustice - he was not truly just in the first place. A truly just person would continue to act justly even if he were to attain power or ability to do otherwise. He also explains that morality has to do more with the everyday living of life than with the big questions of sex, euthanasia, drugs, etc. which are debated and are in the limelight most of the time. He explains, “the basic goal of (a morality of happiness) is to equip you to better understand the ways you act and why you act that way, whether it be in everyday matters or in more drastic or dramatic situations.” (Pg. …show more content…
A free action is an action which is deliberate (use of intellect and understanding) and therefore is or is not done in accord with a certain goal in mind. Though we often speak of free will, our will is free due to the power of reason by which we intellectually understand the goals we embrace. Freedom is then rooted in the will. For an object to be good it must be good in object, intention and circumstances. To explain this the author offers an example utilized by both Aristotle and Aquinas. The ship which is about to go under because of the large amount of cargo and the bad weather it is enduring. The object in the story names the specific action meaningfully and specifically. The intention is the goal or purpose in mind for doing an action in this case the intention was to lighten the load and keep the boat afloat through the storm. The circumstances are factors which influence the act while also influencing its morality. Despite being secondary to the act, circumstances “are crucial in determining whether the object of a particular action is a wise way to achieve even a good intention.” (Pg. 49) The author explains the effects of duress and ignorance on freedom as forces which leads one to do something in a manner that mitigates
Morality then becomes what we should want. He explains that the way life is integrated and ordered is an issue of morality. He points out that if a just person turns to injustice - he was not truly just in the first place. A truly just person would continue to act justly even if he were to attain power or ability to do otherwise. He also explains that morality has to do more with the everyday living of life than with the big questions of sex, euthanasia, drugs, etc. which are debated and are in the limelight most of the time. He explains, “the basic goal of (a morality of happiness) is to equip you to better understand the ways you act and why you act that way, whether it be in everyday matters or in more drastic or dramatic situations.” (Pg. …show more content…
A free action is an action which is deliberate (use of intellect and understanding) and therefore is or is not done in accord with a certain goal in mind. Though we often speak of free will, our will is free due to the power of reason by which we intellectually understand the goals we embrace. Freedom is then rooted in the will. For an object to be good it must be good in object, intention and circumstances. To explain this the author offers an example utilized by both Aristotle and Aquinas. The ship which is about to go under because of the large amount of cargo and the bad weather it is enduring. The object in the story names the specific action meaningfully and specifically. The intention is the goal or purpose in mind for doing an action in this case the intention was to lighten the load and keep the boat afloat through the storm. The circumstances are factors which influence the act while also influencing its morality. Despite being secondary to the act, circumstances “are crucial in determining whether the object of a particular action is a wise way to achieve even a good intention.” (Pg. 49) The author explains the effects of duress and ignorance on freedom as forces which leads one to do something in a manner that mitigates