Natural Law

Question 1

Who’s theory is this? Who is it inspired by?

Answer 1

Aquinas influenced by Aristotle.

Question 2

Examples of inspiration:

Answer 2

Aristotle:
- Empiricist/scientist.
- Everything in the world has a telos to reach eudaimonia.
- You work out this purpose through reason.
Aquinas:
- Does not take idea of Eudaimonia, but does take the ideas of purpose.
- Our purpose is to become God like.
- This is through the ‘gift from God’ of reason to work out what we should and shouldn’t do.

Question 3

Religious developments of Aquinas’ time:

Answer 3

• ‘Divine Command Theory’.
  Divine= God.
  Command= law/rule.
  Impacted his life, God tells you what you do.
  Aquinas hates this view:
  So, he creates the Natural Law Theory.

Question 4

What does Natural Law propose?

Answer 4

• Nature decides what is right and wrong.
• ANYBODY can join in.
• Combining empiricism with rationalism.

Question 5

Tiers of law:

Answer 5

Four tiers of law:
1. Eternal Law- mind of God, we will never get there. We get glimpses through nature, but they are merely reflections.
2. Divine Law- law of God revealed through people, the ‘word of God’.
3. Natural Law- moral laws of God through nature. Natural sense that good is good and bad is bad, synderesis. Directs conscience and if applied with reason will lead to the right action.
4. Human Laws- laws of our nations.

Question 6

What happens if you are an atheist?

Answer 6

More difficult to achieve telos, but not impossible.

Question 7

Aquinas rule:

Answer 7

Synderesis rule:
- ‘Good is to be done and pursued and evil avoided’.
- Through ‘recta ratio’ (right reason), we know the basic moral principles.
- The thought process is synderesis.
- We have to use the technique of casuistry to work out the ethical action.
- When we apply it, it is called conscientia.

Question 8

What does Aquinas think evil comes through?

Answer 8

‘Apparent goods’ and ‘Real goods’.

Question 9

Apparent goods:

Answer 9

• Appear good but in reality do not fit the perfect human ideal (telos).
• Humans sometimes get things wrong, do the apparent goods and cause evil.

Question 10

Real goods:

Answer 10

In accordance with his primary precepts, strive to telos.

Question 11

Example of apparent and real goods:

Answer 11

Having sex in marriage but not reproducing is an apparent good.
If you then go to the doctor, discover you are infertile but carry on having sex it is simply wrong.
- He was a celibate monk.

Question 12

Is natural law deontological or teleological?

Answer 12

Deontological- based on duty.
Actions and intentions rather than outcomes.
If actions (conscientia) and intentions (synderesis) are good, a real good is met.

Question 13

What are precepts?

Answer 13

Laws built into nature, understood using reason.

Question 14

Primary precepts:

Answer 14

‘Reflections of God’s eternal law’.
- Worship of God.
- Ordered society.
-Reproduction.
- Learn (education), teach people about God.
- Defend the innocent and preserve life.

Question 15

Reproduction:

Answer 15

Life will not continue.

Question 16

Defend the innocent:

Answer 16

Life will not continue.

Question 17

Influence on the Catholic church:

Answer 17

• Natural law heavily influences the doctrines of the Catholic church.
• Pope Paul VI, ‘marriage must retain its natural potential to procreate human life’.
• Influences the most powerful religious institution.

Question 18

Secondary precepts:

Answer 18

• The primary precepts are developed into secondary precepts which are practical human rules that govern our daily behaviour.
• Do not change the primary precepts.
• Things like laws of land, adapted to cultures and opinions.
• Flexible argument.

Question 19

What does primary and secondary imply?

Answer 19

Primary= set in stone, first, important.
Primary precept of ‘reproduction’, do not use contraception is a secondary precept, the interpretation.

Question 20

DDE:

Answer 20

• Doctrine of double effect.
• Times where a single action has two effects, like self-defence.
• It is ALWAYS wrong to do bad intentionally, like killing terrorists to stop terrorism is wrong.
• Sometimes okay to do good, knowing bad will come as long as you do not intend the bad consequence.
• For example, telling your friend their boyfriend cheated on them. She will be sad, but not telling her would ensure that he kept cheating on her.

Question 21

Give an example of the Doctrine of double effect:

Answer 21

• Euthanasia.
• Stop the pain whilst in hospice, knowing too much morphine will kill them.

Question 22

Catholic Church on Euthanasia:

Answer 22

• Opposed euthanasia, saw it as murder. Pope said it was a ‘grave violation of the law of God’.
• Morphine, doctrine of double effect, wanted to relieve pain, not end the life. Was a foreseen possibility.
• Not a ‘loop hole’, based on ‘intentions being true’.

Question 23

Is the precept of reproduction fair?

Answer 23

• Some people may not want children, want to pursue a career and see it as their telos, which having children would impede.
• Homosexuality? Saying they’re immoral?
• Aquinas came to be from an aristocratic family, reproduction is a form of control to produce labour. Marxist idea of religion being the ‘opiate’ of the people.

Question 24

Strengths of natural law:

Answer 24

• Reason, open to anyone.
• Happiness and fulfilment.
• Combines empiricism and religion.
• Primary precepts are not difficult to understand and equal to everyone.
• Timeless, still relevant today.
• Secondary precepts= flexibility.

Question 25

Weaknesses:

Answer 25

• What is natural is constantly changing, is medicine natural??
• Unfair conclusions, infertile couples cannot have sex.

Question 26

Dawkins:

Answer 26

‘The Selfish Gene’, nothing is governed by God, but can be explained through natural selection.

Question 27

GE Moore:

Answer 27

Real and apparent goods open the dichotomy of what is goodness?
Subjective.

Question 28

Karl Barth:

Answer 28

Reason is fallible, we cannot trust our senses to tell us what the right and wrong things are.

Question 29

Kai Nielsen:

Answer 29

Human nature alters due to ‘cultural relativism’.

Question 30

What are the cardinal virtues?

Answer 30

Prudence- wisdom.
Temperance- avoiding extremes, like not drinking too much.
Fortitude- being able to bear adversity with courage.
Justice