Exam 2 Study Guide

I will select two of the following for your exam. You will be asked to write on one of them.
  1. Compare and contrast Thomas and Kant on the moral value of external goods. Who has the better position and why?

  2. Compare and contrast Thomas and Kant on the relation between appetites and reason. Who has the better position and why?

  3. Thomas and Kant are both Christian. Yet Thomas sees the need for God to infuse virtue into man, while Kant does not. Is Divine infusion necessary for man's goodness? Why or why not?

  4. Compare Thomas' discussion of fortitude (Question 123:  Article 1, Article 3, Article 6, Article 10; Question 125: Article 1, Article 4; Question 139: Article 1) with Aristotle's discussion of courage. What are the similarities and differences? Which is more appropriate for our own lives, and why?

  5. Kant claims that his ethics best explains Christian love (Jesus, Paul). What do you see as the strength or weakness of Kant's claim?

  6. Compare Kant's formulation of his ethics as the categorical imperative with his formulation of it as the kingdom of ends. Kant thinks these are logically and morally equivalent. Is he right? If not, which is the preferable formulation?