Norms & Laws
Criteria that tell us who we ought to be and how we ought to act.
What are norms?
The fundamental passion that must be guided by reason.
What is love?
Erikson’s first stage, where a child learns whether the world is safe.
What is trust vs. mistrust?
The universal moral law “written into the human heart.”
What is natural law?
In Romans 8, freedom comes from living according to this divine presence.
What is the Holy Spirit?
Reasonable, connected to freedom, directing desires, and serving the common good.
What are the four qualities of a moral norm?
Attitudes and habits that help us do good, while their opposites pull us toward evil.
What are virtues and vices?
At Kohlberg’s pre-conventional level, moral decisions are based on these two motivations.
What are avoiding punishment and seeking reward?
According to Pope Leo XIII, natural law directs freedom toward choosing this.
What is the good?
Paul teaches that we are freed not by Torah but through this theological virtue.
What is faith?
Law
What is the highest form of norm that promotes the common good and is declared by legitimate authority?
The virtue that counters the capital sin of envy.
What is kindness?
James Fowler
Which theorist explained how faith grows through predictable stages?
Prudence
What is the virtue described as wise decision-making, harnessing impulses, and choosing well?
Pelagianism
What is the heresy claiming that humans earn freedom through effort, not grace?
Law must be reasonable and tied to the common good vs. moral duty comes from reason alone.
What is the difference between Aquinas’ view of law and Kant’s?
Aquinas’ four-word summary of natural law.
What is ‘Do good and avoid evil’?
Charles Taylor’s criticism that modern individualism leads to isolation and shallow freedom.
What is the malaise of modernity?
Do good/avoid evil, preserve life, educate children, and pursue truth.
What are the four principles of natural law?
The attachment that prevented the Rich Young Man from following Jesus freely.
What is wealth/possessions?
They impart wisdom, give security, speed up decisions, guide conscience, and unify people.
What are the five functions of norms?
The ancient story that asks whether people act morally only when being watched.
What is the Ring of Gyges?
List all of Erik Erikson's stages:
Trust vs. Mistrust:
foundation of security.
Autonomy vs. Shame:
independence +
boundaries.
Initiative vs. Guilt:
responsibility +
confidence.
Identity vs. Confusion:
adolescence identity formation.
Intimacy vs. Isolation:
relationships in early adulthood.
Generativity vs. Stagnation:
contribution to future.
Integrity vs. Despair: reflecting
on life choices.
The virtue required to evaluate complex issues like IVF or euthanasia by weighing intention, circumstances, and principles.
What is prudence?
Truth
What, according to Jesus, sets you free?