Natural Law Flashcards
Background
- Greek and Roman influences
- Antigone, Thebes forbids burial of brother, argued laws by God cannot be changed
- Stoic view
Nicomachen Ethics Quote
‘The natural is that which everywhere is equally valid’
St Paul quote
‘A law that is written in the hearts of gentiles’
Reason and human purpose
-Eternal law of divine reason is perceived through revelation, in the form of the word of God (Bible) and through the use of human reason
-Reason determines that ultimate destiny of human life is fellowship with God
‘Humans should do good and avoid evil’
Real and apparent goods
Human nature…
-Essentially good, as natural law is within everyone
Apparent good
- Human actions not in pursuit of perfection
- E.g. Adulterer commits adultery because they believe it is good, error of reason as adultery prevents closeness with God
How to correctly distinguish between apparent and real goods?
Use reason rightly
-Isn’t easy as we are tempted by what we like doing, which may not be truly good for us
Reason identifies ‘natural’ or ‘cardinal’ values:
Prudence, fortitude, temperance, Justice
Scripture reveals theological virtues:
Faith, hope and charity
What must these virtues become?
Habitual
Exterior and interior acts
Both the intention and the act are important
E.g help old lady across room (good exterior act) to impress someone (bad interior act) is wrong
God intentions don’t always lead to good actions example
If I steal money to give to a friend in need, theft isn’t made good by my intention
Why can’t physical pleasures be final end?
Animals can experience them
Primary precepts
Preservation Ordered society Worship God Education Reproduce
(Secondary precepts derived from them)
What two words can be used to describe natural law?
Absolutist and deontological
Doctrine of double effect
If doing something morally good has a morally bad side effect it is ethically Ok to do it provided the bad side effect wasn’t intended, even if you foresaw the bad effect would probably happen
Strength
Universality
- Tool got moral reasoning and common nature of morality for all people, goes beyond any one religion or culture
- Attractive in world that suffers from intercultural strife and disharmony
Strength
Common rules
- Enabled people to establish common rules in order to structure communities
- In a relativist era that is suffering from a breakdown in traditional social structures
Strength
Way of living
- BL isn’t simply a set of rules, but a way of living
- It gives us day-to-day guidance and links them to the fundamental principles of life
Weakness
Is there a common law?
-Is there a common NL that is apparent, is it ‘one since fits all’, can rules be deduced from the primary precepts
Weakness
Justified wrong acts
Sexual actual could be justified on accounts of benefits to the relationship
Weakness
Kai Nelson quote
‘From a point of view of science, there is no such thing as an essential human nature’
