St Thomas Aquinas - Real & Apparent Goods
Religious Studies: OCR A Level, topic 2.1.3
Real and Apparent Goods
Aquinas uses the concept of real and apparent goods to explain why evil occurs.
What is an apparent good?
- An apparent good is when someone makes a wrong decision because they fail to apply reason correctly.
- They are not intentionally pursuing the wrong action. They have just made a mistake about what they think is the right thing to.
The dangers of apparent goods
- An apparent good can be very tempting. So humans must recognise an apparent good from a real good.
- For example, you may want to sit and watch Netflix all day before an exam. But this is an apparent good. The real good would be to study and prepare for your exam thoroughly as it will shape your future.
Sin - pursuit of apparent goods
- For Aquinas, sin exists because humans give into temptation and pursue apparent goods instead of real goods.
Doctrine of double effect
- Aquinas’ doctrine of double effect accepts that one action may have more than one effect and that sometimes, the effect may be bad.
- For example, a pregnant woman whose embryo is developing outside of the womb (an ectopic pregnancy) undergoes a procedure to save her life.
- The primary aim of the procedure is to save the life of the mother; a secondary effect is that the pregnancy is terminated.
- Aquinas would accept that a bad effect has come out of good action, but that this is unintentional.
Test yourself on St Thomas Aquinas - Real & Apparent Goods
A doctor gives a terminally ill patient drugs to relieve their suffering. The doctor knows the side effect of these drugs could shorten this patient's life.
What principle would Aquinas apply to defend the doctor's actions?