Evaluating natural moral law Flashcards
With what type of ethical theory will NML have strengths in common?
Other deontological, absolutist approaches
What is the benefit of NML providing common rules?
Gives order and structure to communities. This can be particularly attractive to an era that is suffering a breakdown in traditional social structures and uncertainty
How does NML encourage us to be moral?
It provides a concrete reason to be moral and a justification for why we should not step over ethical boundaries
What is the benefit of NML being based upon reason?
When used as a tool for moral understanding of a supposed human nature, it gives it a universality that goes beyond any religion or culture. This is attractive in a world where there is intercultural strife and disharmony. The 5 primary precepts can be applied to different cultures
Why can NML be seen as a reasonable ethic?
Because the basic principles of preserving human life, reproduction, learning and living in a society are common in all cultures
How does NML judge situations?
It judges them on intentions, regardless of the consequences. This can be useful when discussing issues such as rape and incest
What is NML especially good at providing guidance about?
The day-to-day questions of life and how to live. It does this by linking them to the fundamental principles of life
How is NML contemperarily relevant?
- It provides justification and support for certain core ideas that are popular today, such as human rights and equality
- Even though there has been a decline in religious practise within western societies, many still believe in a higher power
Why does Kai Nielson take issue with NML?
He argues that there isn’t a basic human nature that is present across all societies, as different societies and cultures have different values
Give a quote from Kai Nielson in which he states his problem with NML
‘From the POV of science, there is no such thing as an essential human nature which makes man man. The concept of human nature is a rather vague cultural concept. It is not a scientific one’
Give examples of different cultures having divergent values
- Inuits killed family members that would not make it through the winter
- Vikings allowed the elderly to die in battle so they could go to Valhalla
Explain how the arguement from homosexuality challenges NML
- Perhaps humans have different or changeable natures, as indicated by people of different sexual orientations
- Homosexuals argue for recognition as equal human beings
- Aquinas classifies their acts as unnatural because they can’t lead to human life, even though they themselves find love and purposes through the expression of their sexuality
- Perhaps a natural law does exist, but it is more complex than Aquinas first thought. Perhaps primary precepts differ in certain circumstances
What is the problem with Aquinas’ assumption that we can understand how we should act through faith and reason?
- It is not obvious that there is a natural law that is apparent and self evident or a ‘one size fits all’ human nature
- There is dispute over whether day-to-day rules can be deduced from primary precepts
How do Vardy and Grosch challenge NML?
- They question how Aquinas can go from fundamental principles to lesser purposes
- They see it as unholistic, as it ignores the pyscho-physical complexities of the body as a whole
What could Aquinas simply be wrong about?
The primary precepts and his definition of human purpose
