Key Features:
- No of Pages: 108
- No of Chapters: 05
Introduction:
AbstractI intended to expose the indepth meaning of reason and morality. Using man as the major point on this discussion, due to the higher rational faculty he possess over other creature.
We shall also answer the question as: has reason any influence or part to play in morality? Or put simply, is reason necessarily required for man to be moral? If yes, should reason be the sole factor for morality? But if no, what then?
This work is going to be base mostly on reason and morality in Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. To unfold this, this work will be based on four chapter work.
We are going to see how morality should be guided by reason. In Chapter one thought of the introductory and in Chapter two, we shall examine firstly, the life and works of Thomas Aquinas. In the second part of Chapter two, the meaning and notion of morality by giving its definition and several conception of it. In the third part of Chapter two, we shall sketch the nature of morality. Chapter Three unfolds a devotion to reason in a bid to give its meaning, we shall define it and then examine its nature. Also we shall consider the role of reason as a guide in other aspects of man’s behaviour, it role as a guide in morality will be taken care of.
In chapter four, we shall be concerned with ‘the good of man’. We shall discuss life according to the dictate of reason, prudence and right reason as St. Thomas would call it. The last in Chapter four aimed at Evaluation and Conclusion.
Table of ContentTitle Page
Chapterization
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
1.2 Statement of Problem
1.3 Purpose of Study
1.4 Significance of Study
1.5 Scope of Study
1.6 Methodology
1.7 Literature Review
End Notes
CHAPTER TWO: LIFE AND WORKS OF THOMAS AQUINAS
2.1 The Meaning and Notion of Morality
2.2 Notion of Morality
2.3 The Nature of Morality
End Notes
CHAPTER THREE: MORALITY AND REASON
3.1 Meaning and Nature of Reason
3.2 Role of Reason As A Guide
3.3 Reason in Morality
End Notes
CHAPTER FOUR: THE GOOD OF MAN
4.1 Life According to the Dictate of Reason
4.2 Prudence
4.3 Right Reason
4.4 Evaluation and Conclusion
END NOTE
IntroductionMan has been defined as a rational animal Apart from rationality, which distinguishes him from other animals, he would just be a beast in behaviour and man in physical structure. In this regard G. Buffen said that there is an infinite distance between man and animals, and the essential cause of this is that man is a being with reason and the animal is one without reason. In the same vain, Aristotle maintained that reason, which is the highest faculty of the soul is what sets man apart from sub-human nature.
The question now is why and how is man rational and in what aspects of his life is he different from other animals and what factor is behind these? It has been noticed that man is exclusively marked out from other animals as regard social, cultural and intellectual forms of behaviour. It is only man that has an articulated, speech, inventive capability, knowledge of arts, beauty, politics, religion, morality and other forms of knowledge that can be associated with reason.
So man is, as a result of this rationality marked out from other animals, it is not contestable then to associate or attribute the above enumerated characteristics to his rationality.
As this work centers on morality and reason as that which assures us of the best moral life, we shall answer such questions as: has reason any influence or part to play in morality? Or put simply, is reason necessarily required for man to be moral? If yes, should reason be the sole factor for morality? But if no, what then? It is undebatable that man solely has the knowledge of good and evil (morality) and this type of knowledge can be possessed only by rational beings. In fact, God made man rational enough to see that he (man) should do what is right.
Having known that man surpasses all the other animals by the possession of reason, and the only animal that has knowledge of morality, the question now is, is man moral because of reason or because of some other physiological factors? If it is because of the later, one can rightly pose this question: why is it that other animals are ignorant of morality or are not moral?
St. Thomas Aquinas on whom this work is based, has propounded a popular dictum regarding man and reason. It is “Bonum Omins est, secundum rationem esse”, that is, (The good of man in life according to reason)1. As we shall see, this statement does not rule out the fact that human life can be controlled by other factors like the will, habit, passions, emotion and etc, but it affirms that man has a good life according to reason. One outstanding feature about Aquinas moral theory is its intellectualism. This will be gradually unfolding as we penetrate into this work.
In this four chapter work, we are going to see how morality should be guided by reason.
Chapter one presents us with the background (introduction) and in Chapter two, we shall examine; firstly, life and works of Aquinas, and the meaning of morality by giving its definition and several conceptions of it. In the second part of Chapter two, we shall sketch the nature of morality. Chapter three unfolds a devotion to reason and morality in Thomas Aquinas philosophy, in a bid to give its meaning. In this Chapter also, we shall consider the role of reason as a guide in other aspects of man’s behaviour, then its role as a guide in morality will be taken care of. In Chapter four, we shall discuss life according to reason, prudence and right reason, as St. Thomas would call it, the second part of Chapter four work will be evaluation and conclusion.
Buy Now
