The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
No, really, why do you do that?
Aquinas Lesson for June 29, 1998
Yesterday, we determined that actions are taken to achieve an end. So what? What’s so good about achieving an end?
That’s it EXACTLY! The main motivation for human action is the good sought as an end.
Aristotle began his discussion of ethics by saying that people act for an end they think is good. Basically, when you pick up an orange and take a bite, you do so because you think eating the orange is good. The orange is the end you seek.
Let’s say you don’t like oranges, but you know they are good for you. You decide to eat the orange even though you don’t like it. Then you are eating the orange to achieve an end of good health.
In each case, you eat the orange because doing so achieves a good end. That’s why we do what we do.
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
