NORMS OF MORALITY

LAW

CONSCIENCE

LAW

AN ORDINANCE OF REASONPROMULGATED

FOR THE COMMON GOOD BY ONE WHO HAS CHARGE OF THE SOCIETY

ORDINANCE OF REASON

LAW ORDERS AND DIRECTS HUMAN ACTS TOWARDS THEIR END

LAW FLOWS FROM REASONABLE WILL: FROM THE ILLUMINED UNDERSTANDING OF THE WILL OF AN END

REASON RECOGNIZES WHAT IS GOOD

GOOD IS WHAT WE OUGHT TO FOLLOW

LAW MAKES US FOLLOW WHAT IS GOOD

PROMULGATED FOR THE COMMON GOOD

LAW IS MADE KNOWN TO THOSE WHO ARE BOUND BY IT

LAW IS NOT MEANT TO IMPOSE HARDSHIPSOR NEEDLESS RESTRICTIONS

TRUE LAW TENDS TO MAKE MEN GOOD, LIBERATES MEN FROM PERVERSE AND MISTAKEN JUDGEMENTS

LEADS THEM TO THEIR ULTIMATE END

CLASSIFICATION OF LAWS:

A. ACCORDING TO IMMEDIATE AUTHORDIVINE LAWS HUMAN LAWS

B. ACCORDING TO DURATIONTEMPORAL LAWSETERNAL LAWS

C. ACCORDING TO MANNER OF PROMULGATIONNATURAL LAW POSITIVE LAW

D. ACCORDING AS THEY PRESCRIBE OR FORBID AN ACTAFFIRMATIVE LAWS

NEGATIVE LAWS

E. ACCORDING TO EFFECT OF VIOLATIONMORAL PENALMIXED

CLASSES OF LAW

ETERNAL LAWGOD’S ETERNAL PLAN AND PROVIDENCE FOR CREATION

ETERNAL LAW APPLIES TO ALL CREATURES AND DIRECTS THEM IN HARMONY WITH THEIR NATURE

MAN ALONE MAY REFUSE THE DIRECTION OF ETERNAL LAW

AS A BODILY BEINGMAN ACTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH PHYSICAL LAWS

IN MATTERS THAT LIE UNDER MAN’S FREE CONTROLMAN MAY REFUSE THE DIRECTION OF ETERNAL LAW

NATURAL LAW

THAT MORAL ORDER (A DIRECTIVE, ORDERING MAN TOWARDS ULTIMATE END)

WHICH ARISES FROM THE NATURE OF MAN AND CREATION AND WHICH CAN BE RECOGNIZED BY MAN’S REASON.

IT IS ALSO DIVINE NATURAL LAW BECAUSE ITS ORIGIN IS ULTIMATELY TRACED BACK TO THE WILL OF GOD

HUMAN LAW

LAWS ENACTED BY CHURCH OR STATEECCLESIASTICAL LAW

CIVIL LAW

A HUMAN LAW DERIVES ITS BINDING FORCE FROM NATURAL LAW AND ULTIMATELY FROM ETERNAL LAW

A CONCRETE AND DETERINATE APPLICATION OF NATURAL LAW

CONSCIENCE

PRACTICAL JUDGMENT OF REASON UPON AN INDIVIDUAL ACTAS GOOD TO BE PERFORMED OR EVIL TO BE AVOIDED

THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REASONING, BASED ON MORAL PRINCIPLES,

CONSCIENCE JUDGES AN ACT AS GOOD OR BAD.

JUDGMENT OF REASON

SYNTERESIS

ACQUIRED EQUIPMENT OF MORAL PRINCIPLESINTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE OF RIGHT AND WRONG

THE STARTING POINT OF THE REASONING PROCESS WHICH ENDS IN THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE

WHEN WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH POSSIBLE COURSE OF ACTIONWE COMPARE IT MENTALLY WITH MORAL RINCIPLES

AND ARRIVE AT A CONCLUSION WHETHER THE ACT IS GOOD OR BAD

CONSCIENCE IS A PRACTICAL JUDGMENT

REFERENCE TO AN ACTION THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE OR AVOIDEDIT IS A REASONING PROCESS THAT ALWAYS ENDS IN JUDGMENT

THAT COMMANDS, FORBIDS, ALLOWS, ADVISES

CONSCIENCE IS A DICTATE: “DO THIS, DO THAT”

CONSCIENCE IS A JUDGMENT UPON AN INDIVIDUAL ACT TO BE PERFORMED OR OMMITTED IN THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE

BEFORE THE ACTION:CONSCIENCE JUDGES AN ACT AS GOOD TO BE PERFORMED OR EVIL TO BE AVOIDED

AFTER THE ACTION:CONSCIENCE IS A JUDGMENT OF APPROVAL OR DISAPPORVAL

STATES OF CONSCIENCECORRECT OR TRUE CONSCIENCE

WHEN IT JUDGES AS GOOD THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND EVIL THAT WHICH IS EVIL

ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCEINVINCIBLY ERRONEOUSVINCIBLY ERRONEOUS

CERTAIN CONSCIENCEWHEN CONSCIENCE IS FIRM AND ASSURED

WHEN THE AGENT HAS NO FEAR OF BEING IN ERRORMUST BE OBEYED AT ALL TIMES

DOUBTFUL CONSCIENCEWHEN THE AGENT IS AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ERRORIT NOT ALLOWED TO ACT IN A STATE OF PRACTICAL DOUBT

THE DOUBT MUST BE RESOLVED AND REPLACED WITH CERTITUDE

FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE:TO FORM ONE’S CONSCIENCE MEANS TO GET RID OF DOUBT

AND ACHIEVE CERTAINTY

TO REASON OUT THE RIGHT AND WRONG OF A GIVEN SITUATION

MORAL CERTITUDE IS SUFFICIENT AND REQUISITE FOR THE GUIDANCE OF THE CONSCIENCE-JUDGMENT

IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE MORAL CERTITUDEDIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

DIRECTLY:BY STUDYING THE ACT ITSELF AND ITS MORAL

DETERMINANTS AND HAVING A CLEAR KNOWLEDGE OF THE QUALITY OF

THE MORAL ACT AS GOOD OR EVIL

INDIRECTLY:BY APPLYING THE REFLEX MORAL PRINCIPLE

WHICH MEANS THAT A DOUBTFUL LAW DOES NOT BIND.