Natural Law

Question 1

Fletcher

Answer 1

If humans were really born with the ability to know the primary precepts we should expect to find more moral agreement.

Question 2

Freud

Answer 2

Society conditions our moral views.

Question 3

Karl Barth

Answer 3

Our ability to reason became corrupted by the Fall. This makes it dangerous to rely on human reason to know anything of God, including his morality.

Question 4

Pope Paul VI

Answer 4

NL has unclear conclusions. For example, not allowing birth control could be dangerous as hospitals and other resources may become overwhelmed and quality of life may decrease.

Question 5

Nielsen

Answer 5

There can’t be one human nature common to humankind across time and place.

Question 6

Telos paragraph

Answer 6

1. NLT recognises we have a telos.
2. However, this is unpersuasive as Francis Bacon rejects the fact that we have a final cause.

Question 7

Doctrine of double effect paragraph

Answer 7

1. NLT is good as has flexibility due to the doctrine of double effect.
2. However, some theologians reject the doctrine of double effect as God’s commandments aren’t dependent on someone’s intentions.
3. For example, ‘thou shall not kill’ doesn’t care about intentions.
4. Furthermore, it is difficult to judge someone’s intentions and someone could just say their intentions were different to justify anything.

Question 8

Intentions

Answer 8

1. NLT is good as considers intentions.
2. However, it is difficult for us to judge someone’s intentions.
3. However, that is not our job to do that, it’s God’s job.
4. However, this makes NLT very difficult to apply in the court of law.

Question 9

Human nature paragraph

Answer 9

1. Aquinas takes a realistic view on human nature.
2. However, it could be argued that it is too optimistic about human nature. Nazism can prove this. If we really had syneresis this wouldn’t have happened.
3. However, Aquinas is only saying humans have an orientation towards the good. We may not do good because of things like original sin.
4. However, things so bad such as slavery seem to be able to disprove this.

Question 10

accessible paragraph

Answer 10

1. NLT is good as everyone as it is based on human nature so everyone can follow it.
2. However, Fletcher disputes this by saying if we all had the same human nature then we should expect to find more moral agreement.
3. Supported by Freud who argues society conditions our moral views, what Aquinas thought was human nature, was just his culture.
4. However, there is still some cross-cultural similarity in rules such as do not kill.
5. However, these rules are only there so society can function.

Question 11

Outdated

Answer 11

1. NLT is outdated.
2. In Aquinas’ time it made sense to have these strict rules but as society has developed we no longer need them.
3. For example, it used to make sense to ban sex before marriage but now we no longer need that strict rule.