NATURAL LAW Flashcards
ABSOLUTIST
Fixed rules
DEONTOLOGICAL
Actions are right or wrong in themselves
TELOS
Ends and Purpose
What kind of approach to ethics is Natural Law?
Absolutist, deontological approach to ethics
What is the belief at the core of Natural Law?
- God has ordered the universe in a certain way; humans have a duty to conform to the Natural Law which God has made
Who devised this idea of Natural Law?
St Thomas Aquinas, who brought together Aristotle’s ideas with Biblical authority
What did Aquinas attempt to do to Catholicism?
Give it a logical order and structure that it previously lacked
What is our telos according to Aristotle?
- Eudaimonia: ‘flourishing’- the contentment that comes from when a thing achieves its purpose
- Aristotle thought the purpose in our life is to become happy by practising the ‘skill’ of virtuous behaviour
How do we achieve our telos according to Aristotle?
By following the doctrine of the mean- the middle path between extremes
Basically improving your character by living virtously
Virtue ethics
- Aristotle’s aretaic virtue ethics focus upon the the desire to be a person of certain quality
- Virtue ethics involve a person making full and harmonious use of the soul
Three different types of happy people according to Aristotle
- Pleasure seekers: driven by basic desires (food, sex)
- Honour seekers: driven by their reputation (politicians)
- Lovers of contemplation: philosophers and thinkers
What is Aristotle’s key text?
Nicomachean Ethics
THE STOICS
- viewed world as an ordered place arranged by nature/the gods in the best way
- Believed we had a divine spark within us that enabled us to reason and understand universe
What was the path to human happiness according to the stoics?
to accept the natural order of things and live according to natures rules
TRN
WHAT DOES AQUINAS DRAW FROM THESE ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS?
- TELOS: the idea that humans have a purpose or end
- REASON: The world is ordered and rational- we have the capacity given by God to understand it
- NATURE: We have human nature and it is important to do what is natural (what fits with our nature)
What is our telos according to Aquinas?
Achieving heaven and thereby being in union with God
How is the telos achieved according to Aquinas?
By following certain moral rules (primary precepts)
Aquinas Quote about obeying rules
“Man is bound to obey secular rules to the extent that the order of justice requires.. if they command unjust things, their subjects are not bound to obey them”
What is Aquinas’ key text?
**Summa Theologica **
Influence of Bible on Aquinas: Romans 2
- St Paul argues humanity have two laws: Law of Moses (Torah) and Law of Nature for Gentiles
- Despite non-jews being ignorant of the Torah and its 10 commandments, the Gentiles keep the commands
- God’s law being written into nature is a by-product of Creation- Paul finds it impossible to separate morality from material creation of universe
Romans 2 quote
“When Gentiles… do instinctively what the law requires, these… are a law to themselves”
MORAL LAWS ARE INBUILT INTO CREATION
What is Aquinas’ starting point when it comes to Natural Law
God as creator
What two things should be noted about Aquinas’ starting point of God as creator
- God is changeless and thereby rationally consistent- can’t change mind or do something that contradicts eternal nature
- God is good and therefore Creation must be good since God can’t create anything that runs contrary to divine nature
What are the four tiers of law according to Aquinas?
- Eternal Law
- Divine Law
- Natural Law
- Human Law
Eternal Law
- The law known in the mind of God- his knowledge of what is right and wrong
- Moral truths that we as humans may be unable to fathom
- God gave us reason- maybe able to imperfecetly work out some of its application to human life
Divine Law
- The law revealed by God through commands and teachings through revelation (scripture)
- Slightly unusual Aquinas references divine law: he primarily believes law is rational rather than revealed
- He believes these laws revealed by God are reasonable: we can work them out
Examples of Divine Law
Ten Commandments and moral teachings of Jesus in Sermon on Mount
Natural Law
- The moral thinking we are all able to do whether or not we have divine revelation of scripture
- All humans have capacity to consider + work out moral rules necessary for achieving purpose
- Involves rational relection on our human nature
can access this one properly
Human Law
- The customs and practices of a society, devised by governments and societies
- Ideally should be based on what we reason from Natural Law
What does Aquinas believe about Human Law?
- Laws are only just if they are based on Divine + Natural Law
- To break a Human Law that wasnt based on Divine or Natural would be illegal but not immoral
