Natural Law

Question 1

Who created Natural Law?

Answer 1

St Thomas Aquinas

Question 2

Who influenced Natural Law?

Answer 2

Aristotle
-> concept of the telos being achieving eudaimonia and living well
-> all actions should lead to this

Question 3

What is Natural Law?

Answer 3

Deontological based theory
-> based on behaviour that accords with given morals
-> exists independently of human societies and systems

Question 4

Is this theory relative or absolute?

Answer 4

Absolute
-> morals are fixed and unchanging truths that must always be followed

Question 5

How is this theory teleological?

Answer 5

Is teleological in that it is based on human nature and its directedness to an end

Question 6

What did Aquinas say about the telos?

Answer 6

The end purpose or goal which is to become in union with God
-> we do this by following natural law

Question 7

What is stoicism?

Answer 7

The idea that the world is ordered and arranged by nature and God

Question 8

What are the four tiers of law?

Answer 8

1) Eternal
2) Divine
3) Natural
4) Human

Question 9

What is the eternal law?

Answer 9

The absolute and eternal element
-> the reason God’s law is absolute and unchanging

Question 10

What is divine law?

Answer 10

The commands and teachings of divine revelation
-> e.g. the bible

Question 11

What is natural law?

Answer 11

Universal moral laws based on reason
-> allows humans to perceive eternal law by applying human reason

Question 12

What is human law?

Answer 12

The laws humans create
-> customs and practices of society

Question 13

What are the Primary Precepts?

Answer 13

The most important rules in life, which are universal

Question 14

Name the 5 primary precepts

Answer 14

1) Worship God
2) Ordered Society
3) Reproduce
4) Educate
5) Defend Life

Question 15

What are the secondary precepts?

Answer 15

Derived from the primary precepts
-> educate = go to school

Question 16

What is the Synderesis Rule?

Answer 16

To do good and avoid evil

Question 17

Why is synderesis so important?

Answer 17

It’s the rule all precepts must follow

Question 18

What is the doctrine of the double effect?

Answer 18

Intentions matter
-> if something has a bad consequence but right intention it does not make the action wrong

E.g. giving pain medication to a terminal patient even if you know it will kill them

Question 19

What are real goods?

Answer 19

Doing real goods will help people to become closer to the ideal human nature that God had planned for them

Question 20

What are apparent goods?

Answer 20

Tempting goods that seem real but are not
-> e.g. lying about an affair to save your partners feelings

Question 21

What is Aquinas’ view on human nature?

Answer 21

He has a positive view on human nature
-> we have a natural response to do good

Question 22

What are the strengths of Natural Law?

Answer 22

-> Primary precepts provide clear rules for all to follow - we cannot just rely on reason

-> Secondary precepts make the theory more flexible

-> By following natural law we are rewarded when we achieve our telos

->The telos is coherent because it shows that the universe was created by God for a specific purpose

-> D.O.D has real-world application
Intention is taken into account e.g. self defense

-> Libby Ahluwalia = theory is appealing because it combines common sense with divine commands

Question 23

What are the weaknesses of natural law?

Answer 23

-> We do not know what our purpose is, so how do we know we have a telos

-> The BBT suggests that we do not have a telos and that we just happened by chance

-> Barth = NL limits humans and what God can do =
due to original sin, human reason and nature is damaged and depraved (cannot be used to make moral decisions

-> Ignores individual circumstances and so by following absolute principles we risk immoral outcomes

-> Thomas Hobbes = “Men from their very birth, and naturally, scramble for everything they covet, and would have all the world, if they could, to fear and obey them” = we are not naturally inclined to do good, the only thing that separates us from animals is reason

-> Suzanne Uniacke = we can never know for sure what our intentions are