natural law Flashcards
cicero natural law quote
“true law is right with reason in agreement with nature”
what does telos mean
end goal/purpose
who established natural moral law
thomas aquinas
is natural law deontological or teleological
deontological
deontological meaning
actions are intrinsically right/wrong
“deon” = duty in greek
focuses on the actions we should be performing
aristotles view of telos
everything in the natural world has a purpose
human telos is to reach eudaimonia
aquinas inspired by
aristotles ideas of purpose
aquinas believes telos is
to become god like
this is done by using reason - ‘gift from god’
the main ethical principle around aquinas’ time promoted
divine command theory
what was divine command theory
divine - god
command - law/rule
essentially God commands what is right and wrong
what was the problem with divine command theory
god could have said anything
doesn’t account for new developments eg IVF
aquinas established another way of ethical thinking and produced
natural law theory
natural law theory proposed (3 things)
- nature decides what is right and wrong
- god made nature but it works on its own, towards its own telos
- ethics come not from God but from nature
Aquinas combines
the science (nature) of Aristotle with God
thomas aquinas believed we use what to make moral decisions
god-given reason
what is god given reason
the belief that god has given humans the ability to cognitively process the difference between right and wrong
four tiers of law (heirarchy)
- eternal law
- divine law
- natural law
- human law
eternal law
laws that exist within nature because god put them there
divine law
law of god revealed to people through Bible - ‘word of god’
(church transmits divine law to people
Particularly the sermon on the mount)
natural law
moral law of god within human nature
everyone has a natural sense ‘that good is to be done and evil avoided’
it directs our conscience and if applied with reason to a situation will lead to the right action
human law
the law of nations eg. our everyday rules
aquinas on atheists
aquinas believed that god made it possible for all human beings to achieve their ultimate purpose in life by power of reason alone - no religious faith needed
but using reason and the word (combining natural law with divine law) makes it easier to reach god
people who do not believe will find it
more difficult to achieve their telos but not impossible
synderisis rule
“good is to be done and evil avoided”
we know this through right reason of basic moral principles
the thought process behind making moral decisions is known as synderisis
casuistry
the technique used to work our the telos of an action to see if ethically good
conscientia
when applying reason to particular situations of right and wrong (In Action)
thomas aquinas uses the term ‘eudaimonia’ to mean
“ultimate happiness through union with God”
aquinas argued that eudaimonia is achieved by
following the most basic precepts of natural moral law - doing good and avoiding evil
aquinas believes that you never purposefully pursue evil, however sometimes evil happens because of
‘apparent’ and not ‘real’ goods
apparent goods
appear good but in reality do not fit with the perfect human ideal (telos)
this is the reason why humans do things wrong and cause evil
when you think you are doing the right thing but arent
real goods
reason used correctly
(supreme goodness)
fits with final telos being achieved
is this ethical framework deontological or teleological
deontological
deontological meaning
it focuses on actions and intentions rather than outcomes
‘deon’ means duty
why is it deontological
if the actions (conscientia) and intentions (synderesis) are good = real good is met
so it is focused on the intention not the outcome
laws built into nature are called
primary precepts
how are primary precepts understood
using reason
in order for people to be able to concentrate on natural law…
you need to live in a civilised society where you are free to survive and flourish. this leads to five primary precepts
are primary precepts always true
yes
who do primary precepts apply to and why
everyone without exception because they are a direct reflection of Gods Eternal Law
first primary precept
preservation of life
second primary precept
reproduction
third primary precept
education of young
fourth primary precept
living peacefully in society
fifth primary precept
worship god
which primary precept makes the others easier to do
worship god
why is each primary precept important
- if we dont preserve life, life wont continue
- if we dont reproduce, the human race will die out
natural law heavily influences what
the doctrines of catholic church
who specifically mentions the teachings of natural law in the church
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI says
“the precepts of the natural law… teaches as absolutely required that any use whatsoever of marriage must retain its natural potential to procreate human life”
why is it important Pope Paul VI says this
the specific mention shows that natural law is therefore not outdated, as it is used today in Catholic Church
