10.6 Chapter Glossary

Aquinas – The medieval Christian theologian who synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian thought and developed a theistic interpretation of the Natural Law.

Aristotle – An early Greek philosopher who developed the concept of a telos in all things.

Eudaimonia – Aristotle’s notion of human flourishing as the end of all moral action.

Is-Ought Problem – David Hume’s important challenge to Natural Law theory, suggesting one is illogical if deriving an ethical obligation based upon nature.

Natural Rights – Rights believed to have been given us by nature, implicit in our nature as rational human beings.

Primary Precepts – Those core principles Aquinas saw as the basic tenets of the Natural Law, universal and absolute.

Secondary Precepts – The most important work of Thomas Aquinas, his systematic exploration of all Christian belief.

Summa Theologica – The most important work of Thomas Aquinas, his systematic exploration of all Christian belief.