Natural Law

Question 1

Who established Natural Law?

Answer 1

•Aquinas

Question 2

What does Aquinas believe about the world?

Answer 2

•He believes the world was created and is ruled by God
- There are 4 different types of law which govern the world

Question 3

What are the 4 different types of law?

Answer 3

1.Eternal Law
2.Divine Law
3.Human Law
4.Natural Law

Question 4

What is the Eternal Law?

Answer 4

•It is the law that exists within God (the perfect order in his mind)
- Aquinas believes God’s own wisdom is “nothing else than the type of Divine Wisdom, as directing all actions & movements” which governs everything he created
- However, we cannot know this law directly as it is beyond anything we understand
- All other laws come from the Eternal Law

Question 5

What is the Divine Law?

Answer 5

•It includes the the Bible and is used to display how reason alone cannot tell us everything in order to achieve our telos
- It also forbids evil not covered by human laws
- It also helps us gain knowledge on the Eternal Law

Question 6

What does telos mean for Aquinas?

Answer 6

•It is our eternal happiness with God that is only achievable through God

Question 7

What is the Human Law?

Answer 7

•It includes all the laws set by humans, which means they are imperfect
- Aquinas also believes these laws only judge actions and not motivations or thoughts

Question 8

What is the Natural Law?

Answer 8

•It is the moral code God built into our human nature that allows us to gain knowledge on the Eternal Law
- It rules by using reason to examine our natural inclinations which enable us to work out our telos

Question 9

Who was Aquinas inspired by?

Answer 9

•Aristotle

Question 10

What do Aquinas and Aristotle both believe about humans?

Answer 10

•They both argue humans have a final cause (a purpose)

Question 11

What did Aristotle believe our purpose was?

Answer 11

•He believed it was our supreme good (eudaimonia)

Question 12

What is eudaimonia?

Answer 12

•It is the final purpose that argues humans will be happy, flourish and live well

Question 13

How does Aristotle argue we achieve our purpose?

Answer 13

•He argues our purpose is reached by “performing its function with excellence”

Question 14

What does Aquinas believe our purpose is?

Answer 14

•He believes our purpose is to live a life of reason
- This is because he believes reason is the highest and most distinctive of all human activities

Question 15

What does Aquinas state reason is?

Answer 15

•He states that “reason is the true self of every man, since it is the supreme and better part. Reason is, in the highest sense, a man’s self”
- This means Aquinas believes we will fulfil our ultimate purpose of eudaimonia by following reason excellently

Question 16

What does Aquinas believe about God?

Answer 16

•He believes that “God is the last end of man and all other things”
- He believes we reach this last end “by knowing and loving God”
- This will lead to to union with God and full development of God’s image within us

Question 17

What does Aquinas believe about our final cause?

Answer 17

•He believes it is not attained until the afterlife but that we work towards it on earth

Question 18

What does Aquinas believe our function is?

Answer 18

•He believes our function is living in accordance with reason
- This is because our rational nature allows us to have a unique relationship with God, like nothing else

Question 19

What does Aquinas believe God gave us our power to reason?

Answer 19

•He believes God gave us the power to reason so we can share in God’s nature
- This means it is possible to see a reflection of the Eternal Law if reason is used correctly
- This also allows us to to examine and reflect upon our natural inclinations

Question 20

What are our natural inclinations?

Answer 20

•They are given to us by God to draw us towards our ultimate purpose
- This is because using reason excellently allows us to work out the main rules (primary precepts) of natural law from our natural inclinations

Question 21

What does Aquinas believe our most fundamental inclination is?

Answer 21

•He believes it is to live our lives to achieve what is good and avoid evil
- This means our key precept is to seek good and avoid evil

Question 22

What are primary precepts?

Answer 22

•Primary Precepts are general principles that apply to everyone and are “altogether unalterable”

Question 23

What are the 5 primary precepts?

Answer 23

1.Preserve innocent human life
2.Reproduce
3.Educate our offspring
4.Have order in society
5.Worship God

Question 24

What are the 3 characteristics of Natural Law?

Answer 24

1.Absolute
2.Objective
3.Deontological

Question 25

What are secondary precepts?

Answer 25

•They are derived from the primary precepts through reason

Question 26

What are examples of secondary precepts for preserving innocent life?

Answer 26

•The banning of murder and suicide

Question 27

What are examples of secondary precepts for reproduction?

Answer 27

•The banning of homosexual acts and contraception

Question 28

What does Aquinas believe about secondary precepts?

Answer 28

•He argues they can be changed “on particular and rare occasions”
- This is displayed by Aquinas justifying killing in war as the “lesser of two evils”
- However, many precepts are are still absolute

Question 29

What group supports Aquinas’ belief in absolute rules?

Answer 29

•The Stoics
- They argue that a fixed design leads to fixed rules

Question 30

What supports Aquinas’ secondary precepts?

Answer 30

•The Catechism of the Catholic Church
- They are against abortion and artificial contraception which is absolute

Question 31

What is an exterior act?

Answer 31

•An action

Question 32

What is an interior act?

Answer 32

•An intention

Question 33

What does Aquinas believe about interior and exterior acts?

Answer 33

•He argues both must be good as a good intention cannot justify an evil act

Question 34

What does Aquinas believe reason prevents people from doing?

Answer 34

•He believes that reason prevents people from deliberately choosing evil
- This is because living rationally is the same as obeying God

Question 35

What does Aquinas believe about sin?

Answer 35

•He believes it is an error of reason (focusing on a lesser good)
- He believes humans never intentionally choose evil but that our reason becomes enslaved by irrational desires which means we lose sight of our true purpose

Question 36

How does St. Paul support the Divine Law?

Answer 36

•He believes the law of God is “inscribed on the hearts of men”

Question 37

What is the “principle of double effect”?

Answer 37

•It is when bad consequences can be justified through a good intention and an act not being bad
- However, the bad consequences must be unwanted and outweighed by good effects

Question 38

Strengths

Question 39

Weaknesses